Ruto to Jet Out for 21st EAC Summit in Arusha

President William Ruto will travel to Arusha, Tanzania, on Friday to attend the 21st Ordinary Summit of East African Community (EAC) Heads of State, which is scheduled for November 29, 2024.

Ruto made the announcement during his address at the 9th Annual African Special Economic Zones (SEZ) meeting held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on Thursday.

“Tomorrow, in Arusha, the Heads of State of the EAC will be meeting, and among the key issues we will discuss are how to improve the business environment, integrate our economies more effectively, and finalize the SEZ framework agreed upon by our ministers,” Ruto said.

One of the major highlights of the summit will be the approval of the newly introduced EAC Special Economic Zones Regulations of 2024. The regulations are aimed at ensuring the free movement of goods across member states, a move that will strengthen regional integration and position SEZs as key drivers of industrialization and economic growth.

“We will be expanding the scope of SEZs to enhance trade within the East African region,” the president explained, underscoring the importance of these zones in accelerating regional economic development.

Ruto's remarks come after the 20th EAC Summit, which was held in Bujumbura, Burundi, in February 2023. That summit primarily focused on the ongoing security situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), calling for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of foreign armed groups in the region.

The most recent gathering of the EAC Heads of State was the 23rd Extra-Ordinary Summit, which took place virtually on June 7, 2024. This summit was chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan, with several key issues under consideration, including the proposed appointment of a new EAC Secretary General and a judge to the First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice from Kenya.

The East African Community is a regional intergovernmental organization composed of eight partner states: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania. The community’s headquarters are located in Arusha, Tanzania.

Somalia officially became a full member of the EAC on March 4, 2024, after being admitted by the EAC Heads of State at their summit in November 2023.

As the EAC Heads of State prepare to meet again in Arusha, much attention will be on the summit’s focus on advancing economic integration, boosting the region’s business climate, and unlocking the potential of SEZs as engines of industrial and economic transformation.