Report by the WTO Secretariat

The East African Community (EAC) consists of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Sudan (which is not yet a WTO Member). Agriculture remains the key driver of the economies of the EAC countries but the services sector is the main contributor to their GDP. In fact, most of the populations (about 80%) live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood. High costs of doing business limit the importance of manufacturing to these economies, while recent oil discoveries, mainly in Kenya and Uganda, are expected to boost the economic development of the countries. Nonetheless, EAC countries face various socioeconomic challenges despite their favourable conditions for agriculture, their important sources of renewable energy, and their total population of over 168.2 million. With the exception of Kenya, they all remain least developed countries (LDCs) and are yet to significantly diversify their economies.