Multimedia

External event

Workshop

Political Economy of Regional Integration in the East African Community

Joint TradeMark East Africa/World Bank Workshop

After years of stagnation, regional integration in the East Africa Community (EAC) is moving from aspiration to reality. Regional trade and investment is growing rapidly, much needed infrastructure development is coming to fruition, and impediments to the free movement of people, goods, and services are falling. What accounts for these recent achievements? What roles have governments, the private sector, and the formal structures of the EAC played in facilitating regional integration? Are gains to date sustainable and are there supportive coalitions pushing for greater integration? In order to understand the causes of these positive changes and to gain insight into strategies that can build on them, the World Bank has undertaken a series of studies on the political economy of regional integration in the EAC. This workshop will present the findings of these studies in order to encourage a broader discussion of maintaining and perhaps even accelerating progress on regional integration in the EAC.

ECDPM’s San Bilal and Bruce Byiers will act as discussants at this meeting.