KAMPALA — Intra-regional trade within the East African Community (EAC) is growing steadily as the regional bloc comes under pressure to dismantle non-tariff barriers and make cross-border business easier.
According to the EAC Quarterly Statistics Bulletin dated October-December 2025, intra-EAC trade also grew by 28.0 percent, reaching USD 19.3 billion in 2025 from $15.1 billion in 2024 and accounting for 12.3 percent of total trade.
Annette Ssemuwemba, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Trade, Customs and Monetary Affairs, said the growth was evidence that regional integration was gaining traction, although businesses continued to face delays, discriminatory fiscal measures, regulatory inconsistencies and inadequate border infrastructure.
Ssemuwemba represented EAC Secretary General Amb. Stephen P. Mbundi at the EABC CEOs Trade and Investment Roundtable held at Mestil Hotel, Kampala, on Thursday under the theme “Enhancing Competitiveness in the EAC to Boost Intra and Extra EAC Trade and Investment.”
She said intra-EAC trade now accounts for about 28% of total trade within the bloc. “The evidence for that is the queues that you see at the borders, the facilities that are not sufficient for the volume that is coming into the country.”
She said the EAC Secretariat was strengthening mechanisms for resolving persistent non-tariff barriers and escalating unresolved matters to political structures. “At a political level, we also considered the first-ever extraordinary meeting of the Ministers of Finance to address discriminatory fiscal measures,” she said.
Ssemuwemba said the EAC Heads of State Summit had directed that outstanding barriers be resolved, while the Secretariat continued to demand stronger accountability from member states. “We are continuing to monitor this process, but from the Secretariat side, we are calling for stronger accountability,” she said.
The bloc is also turning to technology to reduce congestion at border crossings through its smart corridors programme.
“We now need to deploy technology. Let’s take advantage of technology,” Ssemuwemba said, pointing to plans to expand scanners, risk management, connectivity and capacity at high-volume borders.
She also said the EAC had concluded mutual recognition agreements covering professions including accountancy, engineering and veterinary services.
On tariffs, Ssemuwemba said the bloc was moving towards a more transparent and time-bound system for applications under the Common External Tariff, with regional production capacity increasingly being considered before protective measures are approved.
She said the EAC was also promoting its regional payment system to reduce foreign-exchange costs, while efforts were continuing to liberalise regional air transport.
East Africa must become one market
EABC Vice-Chair Simon Kaheru pushed the integration argument further, saying East African countries needed to stop treating their economies as separate markets.
“All of us should now adopt the mindset that East Africa needs to be one country. We need to federate as quickly as possible,” Kaheru said.
He argued that businesses had discussed the same barriers for decades and that the region now needed to move from meetings to measurable action.
Kaheru also challenged the private sector to take responsibility for some of the barriers affecting regional commerce. “We have spoken before about non-tariff barriers not being occasioned by governments and partner states’ political leadership. They are actually triggered in most cases by we, private-sector players,” he said.
He said the region’s interconnectedness meant that problems in one country could quickly become problems for all. “If we do not ensure that every individual East African prospers, then we cannot focus on making only Ugandans prosper… We need to think East Africa,” Kaheru said.
EADB offers long-term capital
Francis Ogwang, Uganda Country Manager for the East African Development Bank (EADB), said the bank was ready to provide long-term and affordable financing to businesses seeking to expand production and invest across the region.
He said EADB finances sectors including agro-processing, tourism, mineral beneficiation, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, education, healthcare, housing, water and sanitation.
“That is why we come to the development institution of the region: to provide long-term, patient, affordable capital,” he said.
Ogwang said EADB could extend credit for periods of up to 30 years and was exploring blended-finance structures to reduce borrowing costs. “We do not just give you the funding, but we will also share knowledge as part of our investment advisory resources,” he said.
He also announced an EADB-supported Kiswahili programme, describing the language as important to regional commerce. “Swahili is the language of business in our region,” he said.
Private sector demands measurable results
Ahmed Farah, East Africa Business Council (EABC) Executive Director, said the roundtable should produce a focused list of barriers and specific interventions rather than another catalogue of complaints.
He cited Uganda Investment Authority figures showing about 4,014 licensed investment projects with planned investment of slightly more than US$3 billion and expected employment of more than 53,000 people, but questioned how much of the planned investment was actually being realised.
“This is a challenge that needs to be addressed,” he said.
Farah urged participants to identify where projects become stuck, including problems related to utilities, capital, technology, strategic partners and duplicative regulatory requirements.
“At the end of the day, we should be able to come up with a clear assessment of the commercial costs of our lack of competitiveness within the economy,” he said.
He also cautioned businesses against blaming government for every competitiveness problem. “Many of the challenges affecting our competitiveness are within the private sector itself,” Farah said, citing quality, creativity and corporate governance.
Ronny Mulongo, representing PSFU Executive Director Stephen Asiimwe, said regional integration must translate into practical benefits for businesses. “It must ultimately make business easier,” Mulongo said.
He said companies should be able to trade across East Africa without unnecessary barriers, unpredictable regulations and excessive costs. “Our message from the private sector is therefore simple. We must move from identifying these challenges to resolving them,” he said.
The event culminated in the launch of the East Africa CEO & Investment Forum 2026 scheduled for 17–18 September 2026 at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya.