By Antynet Ford
Somalia has today become a member of the East Africa Community (EAC) treaty after they deposited instruments of ratification on the accession.
The Horn of Africa country has become the bloc’s 8th member state.
A delegation from Somalia led by the Minister of Commerce and Industry; Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi in Arusha today deposited the instrument with the EAC Secretary General Peter Mathuki.
Somalia’s progress towards becoming a partner state follows the treaty of accession signed by Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the bloc’s chairperson, Salva Kiir who is also the South Sudanese leader in Uganda last December.
This signing ceremony was witnessed by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
The regional bloc in a statement on Monday said the bloc’s Secretary General will “pronounce the Federal Republic of Somalia as a new member of the community.”
“The Secretary-General will subsequently inform Somalia in writing that the new member has deposited the instrument of ratification of the treaty of accession and is a full member of the community (article 153(1) of the EAC treaty).” the statement read in part.
The East African Community is one of the most vibrant and best-performing blocs in Africa.
This is according to the African Regional Integration Index which ranks blocs on five aspects of integration- trade, productivity, macroeconomics, infrastructural and movement of people.
Currently, it has seven member states; Burundi, the DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
It has taken Somalia more than a decade of intense lobbying to become a full member.
The EAC was established in 2000 and is headquartered in Arusha.
Its mission has been to foster economic growth by, among other things, eliminating customs duties among member states.
