Somali Magazine – Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of Somalia, has arrived in Arusha, Tanzania, to attend the East African Community (EAC) conference, a regional grouping of six countries. He hopes to persuade the EAC leaders to accept Somalia’s membership application, which was presented in 2016.
Somalia, which has been recovering from decades of civil war and insecurity, sees membership in the EAC as a means of accelerating its economic and social growth. President Mohamud told the summit that Somalia has made tremendous progress toward restoring peace, security, and governance, and that the country has enormous natural resources and economic prospects that may benefit the region.
He also reminded the EAC leaders of the lengthy delay in considering Somalia’s request and asked them to take action. He stated that the Horn of Africa countries’ future lies in their cooperation and integration, and that Somalia is prepared to play a part in the regional integration process.
Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda are members of the EAC, which was founded in 2000. It intends to establish a common market, a customs union, a monetary union, and, eventually, a political federation. The EAC has a combined population of over 177 million people and a GDP of approximately $193 billion.