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Regional Info: EAC

EAC

Bilateral Trade by Sector: United States - EAC

Value ('1000 dollars), US 'domestic exports' *, US 'imports for consumption' / Includes year-to-date data AGOA beneficiary countries only

Economic Background

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have enjoyed a long history of co-operation under successive regional integration arrangements. These have included the customs union between Kenya and Uganda in 1917, which the then Tanganyika (now Tanzania) later joined in 1927; the East African High Commission (1948-1961); the East African Common Services Organisation (1961-1967); the East African Community (1967-1977) and the East African Co-operation (1993-2000).

Following the dissolution of the former East African Community in 1977, although the member states agreed at the time to explore areas of future co-operation and to make concrete arrangements for such co-operation.

Subsequent meetings led to the signing of the Agreement for the Establishment of the Permanent Tripartite Commission for East African Co-operation on November 30, 1993. Full East African co-operation operations started on March 14, 1996 when the Secretariat of the Permanent Tripartite Commission was launched at the Headquarters of the EAC in Arusha, Tanzania.

Subsequently, a regional summit in Arusha on 29 April 1997 directed the Permanent Tripartite Commission to start the process of upgrading the Agreement establishing the Permanent Tripartite Commission for East African Co-operation into a full treaty. This process was concluded within 3 years with the signing of the treaty on 30 November 1999. 

The treaty entered into force on 7 July 2000 following the conclusion of the process of its ratification and deposit of the instruments of ratification by all the three Partner States. (Source: EAC Secretariat)

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