The Greater Horn of Africa consist of 8 countries in one of the African Union recognised Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in the continent. The HoA region possesses considerable advantages including its strategic location, the large size of landmass with ecological diversity and extended coastal lines, and youthful large population with diverse and rich cultural heritage, and vast agricultural and mineral resources. The region has about 7,000 Km of coastline and a population of about 275 million in as of 2018, according to the World Bank data. Average population density is relatively low, at 30 persons per square km, with considerable variations among the countries.