Rwanda has joined the East African Development bank, consolidating its trade ties with the East African Community.

This comes barely two years after the Great Lakes region, together with Rwanda formally joined the East Africa trade block which has Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania as the only members.

With a history dating back to the 1960s when it was formed under the 1967 East African Cooperation treaty, the East African Development bank’s role includes catalysing regional integration through provision of development finance.

Rwanda’s new representative to the bank’s board John Rwagombwa said his country’s inclusion to the financial institution is a boost to the efforts towards an integration of the East African Community.