EAC heads of state to launch new five-year plan

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The 25th East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit will take place this coming Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Tanzania’s tourism capital, Arusha.

According to a statement the EAC secretariat has issued today (Monday), the summit will, among other activities, mark the official launch of the 7th EAC Development Strategy (2026/27–2030/31), which sets the strategic direction for accelerating regional integration and socioeconomic transformation over the next five years.

The Strategy builds on achievements and lessons from the previous development cycle and aligns with EAC Vision 2050, the African Union Agenda 2063, and the UN  Sustainable Development Goals.

South Sudan President, Kiir, handing over the instruments of power to Kenyan President Ruto. (Courtesy)

The summit will be held under the theme of Deepening Integration for Improved Livelihoods of EAC Citizens. The 25^th summit was supposed to have taken place last year in November, but it was called off.

The choice of the theme reaffirms the partner states’ commitment to advancing regional integration and sustainable development of the Community.

The Summit, which is the highest decision-making organ of the EAC, will bring together Heads of State from the eight partner states of Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, DR Congo, Kenya and Tanzania to deliberate on key matters shaping the future of the regional bloc.

Participants including ministers, top technocrats, diplomats, development partners and investors from the EAC countries attentively listening to the EAC Presidents on June 30, 2024, at Arusha International Conference Centre. (Courtesy)

Discussions during the summit will include progress in the implementation of regional programmes, institutional reports and strategic initiatives aimed at deepening integration and improving the livelihoods of East African citizens.

During the Summit, the Heads of State are expected to launch the EAC Customs Bond; a single regional customs guarantee that replaces the current requirement for multiple national bonds along transit routes.

Under the new arrangement, traders and clearing agents will secure one bond recognised across all EAC partner states, instead of arranging separate guarantees in each country of transit.

The Bond links customs administrations, insurers and financial institutions under a unified regional framework, reducing compliance costs, cutting border delays, protecting government revenue, and facilitating faster and more secure movement of goods across the Community.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the EAC Secretary General, Veronica Nduva, emphasised the importance of the Summit as a platform for collective leadership and regional decision-making.

“The Summit of the EAC Heads of State remains the most important platform for guiding the Community’s integration agenda. Convening in Arusha provides an opportunity for our leaders to take strategic decisions that strengthen cooperation, promote trade, and advance shared prosperity for the people of East Africa,” she explained.

The Secretary General further noted that the launch of the EAC Customs Bond and the 7th Development Strategy demonstrates the Community’s continued shift toward practical solutions that enhance regional competitiveness and economic resilience.

“These milestones reflect our collective resolve to remove barriers to trade and to implement a forward-looking development framework that responds to emerging regional and global priorities,” Nduva elucidated.