East Africa is known for its vibrant landscapes, including Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria, and Mount Kenya. It’s a part of Africa that houses the most expansive plateaus and the Kenyan and Ethiopian highlands. The region is also characterized by cultural richness, with over 160 different ethnicities populating it.
Despite this, East Africa is plagued with inequality. Wealth is concentrated within a handful of the population in the region, while the poorer individuals are barely getting by. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the region lost an estimated $15.7 billion in GDP. Governments within the region have been forced to prioritize repaying external debts rather than investing in health to assist the citizens.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development classifies these countries as part of the Eastern Africa region: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.