{"id":118560,"date":"2025-07-22T09:03:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T09:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/22\/it-aint-feasible-ethiopia-rules-out-eac-bid-roots-for-continental-free-trade\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T09:03:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T09:03:16","slug":"it-aint-feasible-ethiopia-rules-out-eac-bid-roots-for-continental-free-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/it-aint-feasible-ethiopia-rules-out-eac-bid-roots-for-continental-free-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It ain\u2019t feasible\u2019: Ethiopia rules out EAC bid, roots for continental free trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 \u2014 Ethiopia has ruled out joining the East African Community (EAC) in the near future, saying its immediate focus is on implementing the long-delayed African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to The Reporter Ethiopia<\/em>, a local news publication, senior officials at the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration said the country is not prepared for EAC accession and warned of possible economic disruption if it rushed the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cEthiopia has neither conducted the necessary research nor undertaken the required preparations to join the EAC,\u201d said Samuel Gizaw, coordinator of AfCFTA implementation at the ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cSignificant studies and groundwork are needed before accession can be considered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gizaw said the government intends to operationalize AfCFTA before the Ethiopian New Year in September, describing the deal as Ethiopia\u2019s immediate trade priority.<\/p>\n

He explained that EAC Member States have already attained advanced levels of integration, including duty-free movement of goods and labor and a functioning customs union, which would require Ethiopia to undertake substantial reforms to align.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven this, it is not feasible for Ethiopia to join at this stage,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

Realignment strain <\/h2>\n

Gizaw also noted that joining the EAC would demand harmonization of trade policies and revenue-sharing frameworks\u2014changes that could strain Ethiopia\u2019s economic structure if implemented prematurely.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoining the EAC now could harm Ethiopia\u2019s economy,\u201d he warned. \u201cExtensive analysis and preparations will be necessary before such a step can be taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Ethiopia has not formally applied for EAC membership, there has been growing interest from sections of the business community. Still, the government appears cautious.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt present, our focus is on launching the African Free Trade Area,\u201d Gizaw told The Reporter Ethiopia<\/em>. \u201cThe timeline for joining the EAC will depend on Ethiopia\u2019s economic development and regional integration capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the current position, he noted that the government may reconsider EAC accession in the future, depending on evolving economic and political dynamics.<\/p>\n

The EAC, headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania, was established in 1967 by three founding State \u2013Kenya, Uganda Tanzania \u2014 but currently includes Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Somalia.<\/p>\n

In April 2024, Kenya\u2019s then Cabinet Secretary for EAC, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Development, Peninah Malonza, had claimed that Ethiopia was poised to become the EAC\u2019s ninth member, stating that talks with EAC Heads of State were in the final stages at the time.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 \u2014 Ethiopia has ruled out joining the East African Community (EAC) in the near future, saying its immediate focus is on implementing the long-delayed African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. According to The Reporter Ethiopia, a local news publication, senior officials at the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118560\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}