Arusha, 24 December 2021 (TDI): The 18th Extra-Ordinary Summit of the East Africa Community Heads of State took on 22nd December 2021. It was a virtual summit. President Uhuru Kenyatta chaired the occasion. The theme of the summit is deepening integration and widening cooperation.
The Summit was preceded by the 45th Extraordinary Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers. This took place on Monday, 20th December 2021.
The East African Community
The East Africa Community is the fastest growing regional intergovernmental organization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its headquarters is located in Arusha, Tanzania. Members of the community are the Republics of Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. The Democratic Republic of Congo will soon join the community as the seventh member.
Moreover, the vision of the community is to be a prosperous and competitive, secure, stable, and politically united East Africa. As well, the mission of the community is to widen and deepen economic, political, social, and cultural integration to improve the quality of life of the people through competitiveness, value-added production, trade, and investments.
Also, the values of the community are professionalism, accountability, transparency, teamwork, unity in Diversity, and allegiance to EAC ideals.
The 18th Extraordinary East Africa Community Summit
In that sense, the virtual meeting included Presidents Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), and Samia Suluhu Hassan (Tanzania).
Likewise, Presidents Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi and Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan were represented by Vice President Prosper Bazombaza and EAC Minister Deng Alor respectively.
At the beginning of the meeting, a minute silence was observed in honor of the late Tanzania president John Magufuli. He died in March 2021.
Two items remain at the top of the Summit. First, the report of the Council of Ministers on the admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo into the EAC. Then, the amendment of the Quorum Rule of the Summit of EAC Heads of State.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s opening statement
In his opening statement, President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the current Chairperson of the Summit, emphasized the importance of the East Africa Community integration process. He affirmed that the community provides a strong platform for regional socio-economic transformation. Furthermore, he re-affirmed the commitment of the Summit to the EAC integration process. “We are certainly sure that this is an effective vehicle for the economic development and prosperity of the people of East Africa,” President Kenyatta said.
EAC considers the Application of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
At the summit, the application of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to join the regional body was applauded, discussed, and considered.
President Kenyetta said that the interest by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to join the EAC is a testament to not only the success of the regional economic bloc but also the opportunities that remain untapped. According to him, the move by DRC affirmed the efforts of the EAC member states to deepen integration and widen cooperation.
Asides from President Uhuru Kenyetta, Presidents Museveni, Kagame, and Suluhu Hassan publicly welcomed DRC’s expression of interest to join EAC in their speeches.
In addition, the Heads of State urged the EAC Council of ministers to hasten up the process of admitting DRC into the regional community and report to the community at the next summit. At the summit, President Kenyatta urged all member states to continue prioritizing the EAC agenda.
Different speakers at the virtual summit were Kenya’s EAC and Regional Development CS Adan Mohamed and the community’s Secretary-General Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki.
The Summit closed with a Joint Declaration which emphasizes the cooperation between the countries.
