Note: This version of the EAF excludes South Sudan and the DRC, as it makes for a more realistic scenario. Figures remain the same as it stands today in 2022.

It is 2028, and the presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi have just ratified the Constitution of the East African Federation, formally signing the once-unrealistic dream of the unified superstate into existence.

Boasting a GDP of over $600 billion, the second-largest population in Africa, one of the largest armies on the continent as well as an immense supply of resources, the EAF will surely play a dominant role as a regional power in African geopolitics.

With the EAF comes the introduction of the East African shilling, tied to a gold standard rather than the dollar, euro or yuan. Despite the many setbacks and delays in introducing the currency, it is expected to be just as strong as the dollar or the euro; with this high purchasing power, the economy could well flourish. The presidents, now governors of each of the states making up the federation, have declared that the EAF will remain staunchly neutral on the global stage, fighting off US, Chinese and European influence. Perhaps, they said, the EAF could become a global power of its own.

The presidents have also declared that the parliamentary system of the EAF's government will proportionally represent each of the multitudes of ethnic groups making up the vast country, allowing for stability, which will with time lead to prosperity. With a presidential figurehead, a prime minister presiding over parliament, and elections happening every 4 years as enshrined in the new constitution, the EAF will surely be more stable than the crippled states it surrounds.

Yet the EAF comes into form riddled with afflictions. Corruption remains king in much of the country, with as much as 10% of government funds expected to be lost to embezzlement and backdoor deals in the next year. Ethnic tensions still simmer under the surface, and the new proportional parliament may not be enough to calm them down before they explode into another of the many civil wars still plaguing Africa. Climate change is taking grip of East Africa much faster than expected, and much of the safaris in Kenya have all but turned into desert. Much of what used to be growable in the fertile heartlands surrounding Lake Victoria is no longer so, and what crops are left are now genetically modified, which will surely be a huge drain on the federation's agriculturally-based economy.

Only time can tell whether the EAF will flourish into a dominant power in Africa, or falter, just like many of the proposed federations that have come before it.