After threats of expulsion from the East African Community, South Sudan has announced remittance of its annual membership fee.
“The Government of South Sudan through the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the Ministry of East African Community Affairs has the pleasure to inform the interested parties that we have successfully remitted $7,000,000…to the East African Community which is spread across the arrears and the current financial year 2023-2024, respectively,” reads a statement from the Ministry of East African Community Affairs.
Recently, a lawmaker representing Uganda at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) asked the members to take action against states that do not contribute to the unity of the East African Community.
Each member state contributes approximately $8 million per year. This year, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda have paid.
However, the regional economic bloc said South Sudan, Burundi and DRC Congo had not yet paid, adding that South Sudan “owes a lot of arrears since it joined”.
In December 2022, the EAC reported that South Sudan remained the biggest defaulter of remittances to the community, with arrears of $22 million, followed by Burundi at $5 million in arrears.
The implementation of East African Community’s programs, according to EALA, is increasingly being hindered by funding gaps as some of the member states struggle to remit their statutory subscription fees.
South Sudan acceded to the EAC Treaty on 15 April 2016 and become a full member on 15 August 2016. The community’s newest member, the Democratic Republic of the Congo acceded to the EAC Treaty on 8 April 2022 and became a full member on 11 July 2022.