This archive report was first published on 10 August 2019.
When Rwandan President Paul Kagame took over the leadership of the East African Community in February, expectations were high. Having just completed a successful tour as chairperson of the African Union, where the African Continental Free Trade Agreement was signed and a single aviation market launched, Kagame was seen as the ideal candidate to drive EAC integration forward.
However, nearly a year into his tenure, the bloc's integration agenda remains stalled. Several key projects, including the implementation of a common external tariff, an economic partnership agreement with the European Union, and a push for a single currency regime, have yet to be implemented.
According to Mwambutsya Ndebesa, board chair of the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiation Institute, for Kagame to effectively work with EAC Secretary General Liberat Mfumukeko, Rwanda would need to be at peace with its neighbor, Burundi. The two countries have had icy relations since Bujumbura accused Kigali of trying to destabilize Burundi.
Additionally, Rwanda has had political differences with Uganda, which have yet to be resolved and are blamed for the closure of the common border. Kenya and Tanzania have also been embroiled in trade disputes that have strained relations between the two countries.
As a result, projects like the EPA, which require mediation, cannot be implemented at a time when relations among partner states are not cordial. Only Rwanda and Kenya have signed the agreement, out of the five EAC partner states that negotiated it.
Speaking to the Nyakundi Report, Rwanda's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe acknowledged that the political tensions between Rwanda and its neighbors have affected the progress of the bloc's integration agenda. 'You cannot say you support implementation of the Common Market Protocol when people cannot move freely,' he said.
