First Independent Mena Newspaper
The East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) have substantially restructured their joint mediation initiative for the Democratic Republic of Congo conflict, expanding the panel of negotiators and enhancing its regional representation. Following Monday’s virtual summit, the two influential regional organizations increased the mediation team from three to five members, appointing additional […]
The East African Community (EAC) is grappling with a severe financial crisis, with member states failing to remit over $62 million in contributions for the 2024/25 financial year. The bloc, which comprises Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, has seen its programs delayed, while salaries for staff […]
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC) have appointed three distinguished former leaders to facilitate peace negotiations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a joint statement released Monday evening. Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will lead the […]
The East African Community (EAC) is considering the admission of Ethiopia and Djibouti into the bloc following the joining of Somalia, but experts warn regional leaders not to prioritize “expansion at the expense of addressing pressing internal issues and security concerns.” The admission of Ethiopia and Djibouti into the EAC could potentially create new opportunities […]
Four East African Community (EAC) member states — Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan — have joined the joint project by Kenya and Uganda to develop a modern railway to ease movement of goods on the Northern Corridor. The decision was made during a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee on […]
Relations between Burundi and Rwanda have taken another downturn after the former announced on Thursday (18 January) that it had suspended diplomatic ties with its neighbor and unilaterally closed its border. The move came last week, after the Burundi government accused Rwanda of supporting a Burundian rebel group known as RED-Tabara that is based in […]
Somalia’s entry into the East African Community (EAC) and the re-election of the Congolese president are likely to provide an important impetus to the financial services, banking and tourism, as well as to investments in renewable energy, oil, transport and logistics, all of whom are set to drive business opportunities in the East African region […]
East African countries have been hit hard by higher freight costs and longer cargo delivery time, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels step up attacks on ships traveling through the Red Sea to the western end of the Indian Ocean. Ports in Kenya and other East African ports should expect slower business in the immediate future as […]
Somalia has finally been admitted to the East African Community (EAC) as its eighth member, thirteen years after its original application to join, as the economic bloc seeks to expand free trade across the region. Somalia was officially admitted to the East African Community (EAC) at the Summit of the East African Community (EAC) Heads […]
Difficulties in securing foreign currencies and lack of affordable credit in the wake of rising interest rates are major challenges facing traders in the East African Community, according to a new report on the Ease of Doing Business in the EAC 2023, that also highlights traders still facing challenges at borders and markets despite harmonized […]