It was in the air. Already during the Africa Investment Forum, held in Marrakech, Morocco, from 8 to 10 November 2023, some rumors were circulating that Somalia was likely to be admitted to the EAC by the end of November 2023. Today, during the 23rd Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of States held in Arusha, Tanzania, following the discussion of the report on the negotiations for the admission of the Federal Republic of Somalia into the EAC, the country has been officially admitted to the East African bloc becoming the 8th member of this Community.

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A new report published by the African Development Bank (AfDB) raises the need to upscale investment in road infrastructure to unlock cross-border trade and reap the benefits of the AfCFTA. While roads are the primary mode of transport, the report notes (as they carry 80 percent of goods and 90 percent of passenger traffic), only 43 percent of the African population has access to an all-season roads. Moreover, only 53 percent of roads on the continent are paved, isolating people from access to basic social services including healthcare, education, trade hubs and economic opportunities. Africa is the less connected continent in the world (for the coverage of its infrastructure network, see the Africa Development Corridor Database). This leads to increased transaction costs and low level of Intra-Africa trade, estimated at less than 20% according to several sources and at 18% by the AfDB in its report.

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