Having been considered as a dormant continent for long, Africa is now the fastest growing continent in the world. This may look as an overstatement but a keen economic survey confirms this. The rapid growth is attributed to the natural resources that dot this continent from one corner to the other. Looking at the continent economic growth without factoring the East African development will not give a true picture given that much of this growth is as a result of rapid economic expansion in East African countries.
The community consists of five countries which are Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda. The economic survey of these countries gives a picture of countries that are quickly developing in all areas be it politically, socially or economically having emerged from colonialism in just a few years ago.
The discovery of large oil deposits in both Kenya and Uganda with more exploration going on tells a story when it comes to the increasing interest in this region. The countries are also blessed with many valuable minerals with large copper deposits coming from Uganda and diamond from Tanzania.
Kenyan capital Nairobi city for instance has in the recent past seen many multinational firms set up their headquarters as the operation centers targeting to serve Eastern and Central Africa market. Nairobi remains the regional economic hub while Rwanda on the other hand is the fastest growing nation.
The real development in the region is best witness from the huge infrastructural projects that are being implemented. All the five member states currently have several contractors working on their roads to ensure that they meet the international standards. The expansion of the Mombasa port to accommodate larger ship is also part of these initiatives.
Full integration of East African Community umbrella that is at advanced stage is set to promote this development even further. Open border system and adoption of a single currency for trade among all the five countries will further stimulate the economic growth as such activities as cross border trade will be greatly boosted in addition to a major boost to tourism.
East African development is however facing several threats that threaten to slow down the overall rate of growth. High insecurity for instance resulting from terrorist activities keeps investors away. Some neighboring countries like Somalia and Southern Sudan are still unstable in terms of governance, a situation that increases smuggling of illegal firearms through the porous borders increasing insecurity.
Very high population growth rate on the other hand does not auger well with this development plan. It leads to increased poverty levels, joblessness and other social evils. High rate of HIV infection in this region worsen the situation as they are part of the threats to economic growth in the region.
The huge agricultural potential in this region can be used as an opportunity to solve the concerns of joblessness. This is only possible with the adoption of appropriate technology that will allow for proper utilization of natural resources like many lakes and rivers in the region in addition to fertile lands, good climate and large markets in the developed countries to push East African development to the next level.
The community consists of five countries which are Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda. The economic survey of these countries gives a picture of countries that are quickly developing in all areas be it politically, socially or economically having emerged from colonialism in just a few years ago.
The discovery of large oil deposits in both Kenya and Uganda with more exploration going on tells a story when it comes to the increasing interest in this region. The countries are also blessed with many valuable minerals with large copper deposits coming from Uganda and diamond from Tanzania.
Kenyan capital Nairobi city for instance has in the recent past seen many multinational firms set up their headquarters as the operation centers targeting to serve Eastern and Central Africa market. Nairobi remains the regional economic hub while Rwanda on the other hand is the fastest growing nation.
The real development in the region is best witness from the huge infrastructural projects that are being implemented. All the five member states currently have several contractors working on their roads to ensure that they meet the international standards. The expansion of the Mombasa port to accommodate larger ship is also part of these initiatives.
Full integration of East African Community umbrella that is at advanced stage is set to promote this development even further. Open border system and adoption of a single currency for trade among all the five countries will further stimulate the economic growth as such activities as cross border trade will be greatly boosted in addition to a major boost to tourism.
East African development is however facing several threats that threaten to slow down the overall rate of growth. High insecurity for instance resulting from terrorist activities keeps investors away. Some neighboring countries like Somalia and Southern Sudan are still unstable in terms of governance, a situation that increases smuggling of illegal firearms through the porous borders increasing insecurity.
Very high population growth rate on the other hand does not auger well with this development plan. It leads to increased poverty levels, joblessness and other social evils. High rate of HIV infection in this region worsen the situation as they are part of the threats to economic growth in the region.
The huge agricultural potential in this region can be used as an opportunity to solve the concerns of joblessness. This is only possible with the adoption of appropriate technology that will allow for proper utilization of natural resources like many lakes and rivers in the region in addition to fertile lands, good climate and large markets in the developed countries to push East African development to the next level.
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