Rwanda Business and EAC (East African Community)

The EAC (East African Community) is the regional intergovernmental organization of the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania . The treaty establishing the East African Community was signed on 30 November 1999 and came into force on 7 July 2000 upon ratification by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The Republic of Rwanda and the Republic of Burundi acceded to the EAC Treaty on 18th June 2007 and became full Members of the Community with effect from 1st July 2007.

With Rwanda, the East African Community will offer investors a significant market of over 100 million consumers. Unlike other regional organizations in Africa, the East African Community may actually move relatively quickly towards its goal of economic integration.

The East African Community aims at widening and deepening co-operation among the Partner States in, among others, political, economic and social fields for their mutual benefit.

To this extent the East African Community countries established a Customs Union in 2005 and are working towards the establishment of a Common Market by 2010, subsequently a Monetary Union by 2012 and ultimately a Political Federation of the East African States.

The East African Community treaty creates seven main organs to enable the Community to fulfill its mission, including the Summit (the highest organ of the Community), the East African Court of Justice, the East African Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat.

The Community is headquartered in Arusha and its official language is English, although it recognizes Kiswahili as a lingua franca.