President Museveni Highlights Benefits of EAC Expansion, Economic Integration

In a letter addressed to Ugandans, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni highlighted the recent admission of Somalia as the eighth member of the East African Community (EAC) during his participation in the EAC summit in Arusha. This development brings the EAC’s combined population to over 300 million people and spans a land area of 2,104,210.82 square miles, representing approximately 56% of the size of the United States.

President Museveni emphasized the need for economic integration, stressing the importance of sustainable prosperity rooted in individuals engaging in the production and sale of goods and services. He underscored the role of creating an enabling atmosphere for wealth creation through factors such as peace, infrastructure, and policy stimuli, beyond government spending on social issues.

Additionally, he raised the critical question of whether the internal markets of individual countries are sufficient to support sustainable prosperity, arguing against it and drawing parallels with the challenges faced by populous nations like China and India in selling their products only within their borders.

The President commended the efforts since 1986 to revive the EAC, expressing satisfaction at the community’s growth and acknowledging the support received from various figures and leaders in resurrecting the EAC.

President Museveni extended his salutations to the leaders and people of Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the DRC, and newly admitted Somalia, while also recounting the historical context of Somalia and Zambia’s previous attempts to join the EAC in 1968, disrupted by political events in Uganda.

Shifting focus to security matters, President Museveni provided an update on the hunt for insurgents in Congo, with details of recent operations and ongoing efforts to neutralize specific groups. He emphasized the need to enhance detection and search techniques, noting a shift in the terrorists’ strategy and highlighting the task of detecting and dismantling small groups in both Uganda and Congo.