African Community (EAC). The move seems driven by the elite, risking further political polarization in the nation

After two previous failed attempts in 2012 and 2019, Somalia finally became a member of the East African Community (EAC) on Nov. 24, bringing the number of member states to eight. It joins Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called it a “beacon of hope” for Somalia, but it sparked fury and public debate among Somali people.

Despite all the criticism thrown at Africa’s integration efforts, the EAC is widely regarded as a successful regional bloc. EAC launched a Custom Union (A free-trade zone with common tariffs) in 2005. It also achieved the milestone of establishing a Common Market (free movement of resources) in 2010. EAC is making great strides in establishing a monetary union and ultimately a political union.

However, the bloc is not without its challenges. One major challenge facing EAC is the lack of a well-functioning dispute settlement system to address divergent views, whether it be socio-economic or political. And it is one of the contributing factors behind the collapse of the first East African Community (1967-1977).

One big unresolved issue is the disagreement about the EU-EAC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) by the two largest economies of EAC; Kenya and Tanzania. Tanzania refused to sign the EPA, claiming that it has a considerable negative effect on its agricultural exports, among other things. As a result, the signing of the EU-EAC EPA has been stalled.

On the other hand, Kenya entered into bilateral trade agreements with extra-regional partners, the U.K. and EU on Dec. 8, 2020, and on June 19, respectively, bypassing the provisions of Article 37 of the EAC Common Market Protocol. Article 37 stipulates that “The Partner States shall coordinate their trade relations to promote international trade and trade relations between the Community and third parties.”

Other limitations to acknowledge are funding problems and financial commitments to the Community. As of June 14, there were approximately $72 million outstanding in EAC’s annual membership fees.