EA business body, Kenyan Consulate strengthen cooperation to boost intra-EAC trade
East African Business Council (EABC) Executive Director Ahmed Farah speaks with Kenya’s Consul in Arusha, Mohamed Ruwange, during a meeting aimed at strengthening private sector cooperation. PHOTO | COURTESY
Arusha. The East African Business Council (EABC) and the Kenyan Consulate in Arusha have pledged closer cooperation to promote trade, investment, and regional integration within the East African Community (EAC).
The commitment emerged during talks between EABC chief executive officer Ahmed Farah and Kenya’s Consul in Arusha, Mr Mohamed Ruwange.
According to a statement issued by EABC on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Mr Ruwange reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to working with the private sector to advance the EAC integration agenda and improve the ease of doing business across the region.
He commended the resolutions of the 25th EAC Heads of State Summit, particularly directives aimed at accelerating economic growth and prosperity through the free movement of goods, services, capital and people.
Mr Ruwange also praised EABC’s role in advocating barrier-free regional trade and called for stronger collaboration to identify and address challenges affecting cross-border commerce, especially at the Namanga border between Tanzania’s Arusha Region and Kenya’s Kajiado County.
For his part, Mr Farah said the EAC integration process remains market-driven and citizen-centred, underscoring the private sector’s role in deepening regional economic cooperation.
He reaffirmed EABC’s commitment to reducing barriers to trade and investment in support of the EAC Heads of State’s target of increasing intra-EAC trade from the current 12.3 percent to 40 percent by 2030.
Mr Farah said EABC continues to monitor and report non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and is preparing to launch a digital platform aimed at improving the regional business environment.
He also highlighted preparations for the East Africa CEO and Investment Forum, scheduled for September 17–18, 2026, in Kenya.
The forum is expected to bring together business leaders, investors and policymakers from across the region to facilitate investment deals, strategic partnerships and business networking opportunities.
It will also feature the launch of the EABC Trade and Investment Performance Report.
The meeting forms part of EABC’s broader strategy of engaging EAC member states’ consulates based in Arusha and establishing a collaborative framework to strengthen intra-regional trade and investment.
Also attending the meeting were Kenya’s Second Secretary, Rolyne Kendi Mworia, Economic Affairs Adviser Richard Kinyanyi, and EABC representatives Patrick Moshi, Hidaya Mkwizu and Amoniche Mlelwa.
Other EAC member-state consulates represented in Arusha include those of Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda.
