EAC Trade on the Rise as Leaders Commit to Addressing Barriers at the 25th MSMEs Trade Fair

EAC Trade on the Rise as Leaders Commit to Addressing Barriers at the 25th MSMEs Trade Fair

Written on 12 November 2025. Posted in Trade

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 12^th November, 2025: East Africans are trading more with each other and benefiting from an increasingly connected marketplace, with intra-EAC trade growing by 27%, from USD 14.2 billion to USD 18 billion between June 2024 and June 2025.

Within the same period, total EAC trade with the rest of the world increased by 22%, rising from USD 115.4 billion to USD 140.8 billion.

This was shared during the opening of the 25th EAC Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Trade Fair held in Nairobi, Kenya, where businesses from across the region are showcasing innovation, enterprise and cross-border collaboration.

The Trade Fair was officially opened by H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Chair of the EAC Summit of Heads of State, at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, President Ruto reaffirmed the commitment of EAC Heads of State to resolve persistent non-tariff barriers that continue to constrain cross-border trade. He noted that the surge in regional trade and investment reflects a maturing internal market, one increasingly defined by innovation, competitiveness, and the shared determination of East Africans to trade more with each other and prosper together.

President Ruto further noted that the exhibition provides a critical moment to confront issues hampering trade ahead of the upcoming EAC Summit set for early December 2025. "The conversations shaping this Trade Fair are ambitious and action-oriented focusing on digital transformation, affordable finance, expanded markets, and green enterprise," he said.

Held under the theme "25 Years of EAC Integration: Advancing Innovation and Regional Value Chains for Competitive MSMEs towards Sustainable Development," the 2025 Trade Fair brings together over 3,000 exhibitors from all eight Partner States.

The Fair runs from 7^th -16^th November 2025 and is organised by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the Confederation of Micro and Small Enterprises Organisation (CMSEO-EA) and Partner States. It serves as a dynamic marketplace for showcasing products, expanding market access and building regional business networks.

Through exhibitions, workshops, and business-to-business engagements, participants gain new skills, explore emerging technologies, and strengthen their competitiveness within and beyond the region.

On his part, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Development, Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya, emphasised the need to strengthen access to finance to ensure that MSMEs can obtain affordable and inclusive financial services tailored to their realities. He also called for the removal of barriers to trade and stronger support for cross-border linkages to expand access to regional and continental markets.

"We must prioritise enabling MSMEs to adopt technology, embrace e-commerce, and embed sustainability in their business models," he said. "Fostering joint programmes and harmonised policies that deepen integration and enhance resilience will be key to ensuring that MSMEs continue driving our region's economic transformation."

On her part, the EAC Deputy Secretary General for Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs, Ms. Annette Ssemuwemba Mutaawe, urged Partner States to strengthen local production, deepen regional value chains and enhance MSME access to finance, technology, and markets.

She emphasised that transforming the region's export base from raw commodities to high-value manufactured goods is essential for sustainable industrialisation. "Manufactured exports currently account for less than 30% of total exports, while 64% of imports are manufactured goods largely from Asia. By deepening regional value chains and supporting MSMEs, we can reverse this trend and grow our own industrial capacity," she noted.

The EAC has continued to implement strategic interventions to support MSME development, including: reviewing EAC Rules of Origin to make them more facilitative and aligned with industrial growth; enhancing regional connectivity through smart infrastructure and interoperable trade systems; operationalising the EAC Payment and Settlement System to simplify cross-border transactions and enable payments in local currencies; and expanding training networks, particularly for women and youth, to enhance participation in cross-border trade.

The event also recognised 16 EAC Women in Trade Champions who have shown outstanding leadership and contribution to intra-EAC trade, and 18 winners of the Regional Quality Awards who have demonstrated exceptional innovation and product excellence in advancing competitiveness across the region.

The EAC Women in Trade Champions Initiative is a collaboration between the EAC Secretariat, the East African Business Council (EABC), and the East African Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP), supported by GIZ-LIFTED, a project co-financed by the European Union (EU) that aims to enhance women's participation in regional economic integration.

DOWNLOAD: Communique of the EAC MSMEs Ministerial Roundtable - 11 November 2025, Nairobi, Kenya

For more information, please contact:

Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, TanzaniaThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. https://http://www.eac.int

About the East African Community Secretariat:

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of eight (8) Partner States, comprising the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The Federal Republic of Somalia was admitted into the EAC bloc by the Summit of EAC Heads of State on 24^th November, 2023 and became a full member on 4^th March, 2024.

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