The East African Community (EAC) is a trading bloc in East Africa, consisting of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It was founded in January 2001 at a ceremony held in Arusha, reviving an abandoned effort from decades earlier. This new EAC treaty paved the way for an economic and, ultimately, political union of the three countries. A further treaty signed in March 2004 set up a customs union, which commenced on January 1 2005. Under the terms of the treaty, Kenya, the richest of the three countries, will pay duty on its goods entering Uganda and Tanzania until 2010. A common system of tariffs will apply to other countries supplying the three countries with goods.

The East African region covers an area of 1.8 million square kilometres with a combined population of about 80 million and has vast natural resources. The three countries are relatively prosperous compared to their war-torn neighbours such as the Congo and southern Sudan.
 

See also

• Economy of Africa

External Links

• Africa Pages (http://www.africa-business.com/features/eac.html)
• Information from africadatabase.org (http://institutions.africadatabase.org/data/i16299.html)
• East African Community (http://www.eac.int/)
• BBC News report on the setting of the Customs Union (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4139635.stm)