This report reviews the economic performance of the 13 countries under the African Development Bank’s East Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. East Africa is the only region in Africa that avoided a recession in 2020, thanks to better performance in agriculture, sustained public spending on large infrastructure projects, and increased regional economic integration. But political fragility in some countries and limited economic diversification in others were major impediments to growth. East Africa’s GDP growth is projected to recover to 3.0 percent in 2021 from 0.7 percent in 2020, supported by the global economic recovery. However, the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and risks of spikes in infections could dampen that outlook.
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