East Africa has largely managed to buck the trend of low growth that has affected some of the continent’s largest economies.
But it faces a diverse range of challenges, such as rising state authoritarianism, the management of recent oil and gas discoveries, diversifying heavily agriculture- and commodity-dependent economies, and growth that is not benefitting the poorest in society.
Major research work on East Africa focuses on inclusive development in Kenya and on Tanzania’s apparent re-orientation towards the developmental state.