US, East African bloc seals trade framework pact

WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday sealed a trade framework with a bloc of five east African nations aimed at bolstering economic ties.

US Trade Representative Susan Schwab signed a trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA) with the East African Community, which groups Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, her office said.

The EAC's director general for customs and trade, Peter Kiguta, signed the agreement on behalf of the EAC. "The EAC is one of the leading regional economic organizations in sub-Saharan Africa," Schwab said in a statement.

"It is making significant progress in opening up regional trade and advancing economic integration among its members. We see the TIFA as a major step toward deepening the US-EAC trade and investment relationship, expanding and diversifying bilateral trade, and improving the climate for business between US and East African firms."

Established in 1999, the EAC has a free trade area among its members and a customs union and is working toward a common market. Bilateral trade between the United States and the EAC region topped 1.2 billion dollars in 2007.