By Philip Buda Ladu
East African Community (EAC) Heads of State have agreed to expedite the establishment of a political federation, an ultimate stage of regional integration envisioned by the bloc’s founding fathers in 1963.
The decision comes during a high-level side event celebrating the EAC’s 25th anniversary.
In a press release dated 30, November 2024 seen by this outlet, the leaders acknowledged that the goal of a unified East Africa, championed by former presidents Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya), Apollo Milton Obote (Uganda), and Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere (Tanzania), had not been fully pursued.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni emphasized the region’s long history of interconnected trade routes, disrupted by European colonization.
“The colonial powers succeeded due to the region’s internal weaknesses. We became a DTA-disconnected trade area. Kenyatta, Obote and Nyerere took the bold step to form the East African Federation in 1963 in a brave effort to dismantle this DTA,” President Museveni said.
“However, some actors let us down and did not follow up on the three President’s idea of forming a political federation. Tanganyika linked up with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania, which played a significant role in liberating southern Africa from the yokes of colonialism,” he continued.
He argued that the proposed federation would have prevented regional conflicts and instability like the rise of Idi Amin in Uganda and the crises in Somalia and South Sudan.
Kenyan President William Ruto highlighted surveys indicating strong public support for the federation.
He cited that a survey taken way back in 2010 indicated that East Africans were fully behind the integration process and supported the establishment of a political federation.
President Ruto hailed the Republics of Burundi, Uganda and Kenya, which have already undertaken national consultations on the drafting of the constitution for the EAC Political Confederation.
He further thanked Rwanda, South Sudan and Tanzania for having set dates for national consultations on the process, encouraging other member states to follow suit.
Meanwhile, leaders also stressed the importance of strengthening the existing EAC structures with focus on trade and security.
President Ruto emphasized the need to fully operationalize the Customs Union and Common Market protocols to boost intra-regional trade, currently between 25-28%, the highest in Africa.
He also highlighted the importance of peace and security for investment, commending Kenya’s role in facilitating dialogue in South Sudan and the Horn of Africa.
Looking Forward
The 24th Ordinary EAC Heads of States Summit also addressed environmental concerns as well.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan emphasized environmental conservation and combating climate change. She highlighted Tanzania’s commitment to clean energy and aggressive afforestation programs.
President Samia disclosed that Tanzania spends 4-5% of her GDP in combating climate change and environmental degradation, adding that the country loses approximately 400,000 acres of forest annually due to lumbering, firewood and charcoal burning.
The Tanzanian leader said that her country has embarked on an aggressive afforestation company with each district tasked with planting 1.5 million trees annually.
On the transition to clean energy, President Samia disclosed that Tanzania’s 14,000 villages have already been supplied with power, adding that what remains is the connection and distribution of consumers to the national grid.
Meanwhile, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud hailed his country’s recent entry into the EAC, highlighting its large business community and vast investment potential in agriculture, infrastructure, and fisheries.
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of eight (8) Partner States, comprising the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Federal Republic of Somalia was admitted into the EAC bloc by the Summit of EAC Heads of State on 24th November 2023 and became a full member on 4th March 2024.
The EAC leaders have expressed their commitment to a peaceful, prosperous East Africa. With the renewed push for a political federation, the region takes a significant step towards a more unified future.