This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
East African leaders are known for their love of international travel, but when it comes to attending regional summits, they often seem to be missing in action. The latest example is the East African Community (EAC) summit, which was scheduled to take place in Arusha, Tanzania, on November 30, but has been postponed to January or February 2020.
The postponement is reportedly due to a request from Burundi, which has a history of pulling out of regional meetings. Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza has not left the country since a botched coup in 2015, and his government has become increasingly isolated.
However, despite the challenges facing the EAC, East African economies are experiencing rapid growth. According to recent data, the region's economies, excluding South Sudan and Burundi, are growing faster than any other in Africa.
But while trade and economic integration are progressing, political integration is lagging behind. The EAC's institutions, which were set up to promote regional cooperation, are seen as irrelevant and ineffective.
As Charles Onyango-Obbo, a renowned East African commentator, notes, 'the deeper problem seems to be the EAC and its institutions as they are today, were set up for an East Africa that no longer exists, and they are irrelevant.'
Onyango-Obbo argues that the EAC needs to move beyond its current stage of development and adopt a more integrated approach to regional cooperation. However, this will require significant reforms and a willingness to address the region's deep-seated political and economic challenges.
