Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has lauded the remarkable expansion of the East African Community (EAC) following the admission of Somalia as its eighth member during the recent EAC summit held in Arusha.
Highlighting the monumental milestone achieved at the summit, President Museveni emphasized the significance of the EAC now encompassing a combined population exceeding 300 million people and a vast land area totaling 2,104,210.82 square miles. Drawing a comparison, he noted that this collective territory accounts for approximately 56% of the landmass of the United States.
In his address, President Museveni articulated the fundamental goal of economic integration within the EAC, stressing that sustained prosperity originates from individual engagement in productive activities. He emphasized the necessity for every adult to participate in producing goods or services, thereby generating income and addressing their prosperity needs.
While acknowledging the role of government in creating an enabling environment for wealth creation through infrastructure development, policy initiatives, and maintaining peace, President Museveni underscored the limitation of government spending in solving all prosperity-related issues beyond social aspects like health and education.
President Museveni raised a critical question about the adequacy of internal markets in sustaining sustainable prosperity, drawing attention to the necessity for African countries to compete globally in selling their products. He cited the examples of China and India, each with substantial internal markets but still striving to access and compete in other markets.
The President expressed immense pride in the effort undertaken by Uganda’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) since 1986, in collaboration with Kenya and Tanzania, to restore the EAC, which had disbanded in 1977 due to tensions arising from political changes in Uganda.
Commending the key figures instrumental in revitalizing the EAC, including former leaders such as Mwalimu Nyerere, Hassan Mwinyi, Arap Moi, Ben Mkapa, and Mwai Kibaki, President Museveni extended gratitude to the leaders of Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the DRC for their contribution to the EAC’s growth.
He also acknowledged Somalia’s long-awaited entry into the EAC, highlighting how political events in Uganda during the late ’60s had previously interfered with Somalia’s initial bid to join the community.
President Museveni’s remarks underlined the EAC’s evolution as a testament to regional collaboration and expressed optimism about the collective growth and prosperity opportunities it could yield for member nations.
