By David Muwanga

THE East African region performed best in economic growth in 2004 and 2005 but experienced a decline in 2006, statistics show.

The Economic Report on Africa 2007 says higher oil prices prevented the sub-region from achieving a higher growth rate because all the member countries are oil importers.

The report “Accelerating Africa’s Development through Diversification,” indicates that the weather conditions and the export commodity prices remained largely favourable despite drought in the region.

Economic performance remained robust in Ethiopia with a growth rate of 8.5%, Kenya at 5.5%, Tanzania at 5.8% and lowest in Uganda with only 5%.