Somalia has joined Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda to become a member of the East African Community (EAC) bloc to boost economic growth in the region.
“Somalia officially joins the East African Community, reinforcing. ties and opening new doors for progress and partnership,” Daud Aweis, Somalia’s minister for information, culture and tourism said in a post on X.
He said it offered “hope for a future of opportunities and prosperity”.
The decision to admit Somalia as the EAC’s eighth member was made after a meeting of heads of member states in Arusha, Tanzania.
Although the EAC has over the decades made progress in economic integration, like many other trade blocs it has struggled to overcome barriers to commerce like red tape, political instability, poor infrastructure and trade disputes.
