The 59th Extraordinary Meeting of the East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers took place today, March 5, 2026, in Arusha as part of final preparations for the 25th Summit of EAC Heads of State, scheduled for March 7, 2026.
The meeting, which reviewed and discussed the report of the Council of Secretaries as well as other critical matters, completed the finalization of agendas to be deliberated and decisions to be issued by the EAC Heads of State Summit the highest decision-making organ of the Community.
During the opening session, Beatrice Askul Moe, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs and Chairperson of the meeting, emphasized that the prepared agendas will provide new directions for addressing current challenges facing the Community.
These include limited financial resources for running various activities of the EAC Secretariat and staff shortages.
She urged members to continue strengthening and maintaining cooperation within the Community, noting that such collaboration has enabled member states to withstand global economic shocks, including rising prices of essential commodities such as food.
Key issues expected to be presented and discussed at the 25th Summit include progress in implementing the EAC Common Market Protocol, removal of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs), agreement on contributions rules for Community funds, and enhancement of cooperation in tourism, infrastructure, and energy sectors.
Currently, the East African Community comprises eight member states Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Somalia with a combined population of over 300 million people and a collective estimated GDP exceeding USD 300 billion.
Tanzania’s delegation to the meeting was led by Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo (MP), Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, and included Deputy Ministers from various sectors, including Engineer Mshamu Ali Munde, Deputy Minister of Finance; Regina Ndege Qwaray, Deputy Minister in the President’s Office, Public Service Management and Good Governance; and Dennis Lazaro Londo, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, along with other senior government officials.