East African Community member states are set to convene in Moshi, Tanzania, next February to formulate trade and competition regulations, aiming to reduce protectionist measures and accelerate the implementation of the Common Market Protocol.

A fresh initiative to standardize trade regulations across East African Community member states has led regional authorities to organize a gathering focused on creating frameworks for commerce within the regional bloc.

According to an official EAC announcement, the gathering will take place in Moshi, Tanzania, from February 2 to 7, 2026.

The East African Community Competition Authority (EACCA) functions as an EAC institution created under Article 9 of the Treaty Establishing the East African Community.

Article 21(1) of the Protocol on the Establishment of the EAC Customs Union mandates member states to prohibit practices detrimental to trade, including agreements or coordinated efforts that prevent, restrict, or distort competition within the Community.

The authority emphasizes that the primary objective of the EAC Common Market is to establish a unified market seamlessly connecting all member states.

Competition policy is thus essential for preventing market exploitation resulting from the functioning of a market-driven economy. The legislation covers all economic activities and sectors with cross-border implications.

The gathering follows shortly after Kenya revealed intentions to host the East African Community MSME Expo in Nairobi, an effort designed to hasten the implementation of the unified East Africa Market Protocol, which continues to encounter obstacles.

The EAC Common Market Protocol became effective on July 1, 2010, after being signed in 2009, to allow entrepreneurs to conduct business across borders and access a combined market of over 300 million consumers. Nevertheless, implementation has progressed slowly, with most member states maintaining separate market operations, leading to fragmented regional economies against a backdrop of increasing protectionism.

In a recent development, Tanzania restricted foreign involvement in trading across 15 service categories, including the management and ownership of micro and small enterprises, this July. The nation subsequently moderated its position toward Kenya following bilateral discussions, though cross-border trade conflicts have continued, including prior disagreements between Kenya and Uganda.

This August, Kenya and Uganda committed to removing current tariff and non-tariff barriers to promote trade, despite persistent challenges.

Prior to the MSME Expo, now in its 25th year, Kenya’s Cooperatives and MSMEs Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya stated that the Nairobi gathering would urge member states to expedite the implementation of the East Africa Market Protocol, facilitating the unrestricted movement of entrepreneurs.

“This will reinforce the EAC Common Market and synchronize our regional trade structure with the broader objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), facilitating cross-border commerce, diminishing market obstacles, and creating fresh prospects for young entrepreneurs and women-managed businesses to expand beyond national boundaries,” Oparanya explained.

Tariff and non-tariff barriers impeding commerce in East Africa encompass customs and administrative procedures, tax regulations, inconsistent standards, and import restrictions. Additional difficulties include extended customs and immigration processes, numerous checkpoints, delays at weighbridges, and uncoordinated regulations, all of which elevate expenses and time required for conducting business in the area.

Kenya has reaffirmed its dedication to advocating for more accessible borders and enhanced economic integration under the EAC Treaty and the EAC Common Market Protocol. The protocol envisions a territory where commodities, services, labor, and capital flow unimpeded, establishing a favorable setting for MSMEs to grow beyond domestic frontiers.

The 25th iteration of the MSME Expo is anticipated to draw over 3,000 exhibitors from throughout the region, presenting products and services that embody East Africa’s diversity, cultural representation, and innovative capacity.

Oparanya observed that the trade exhibition has developed into the region’s most extensive and impactful marketplace for innovators, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs, fostering integration, enterprise, and collective prosperity across the eight participating nations of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.

The Economic Survey 2025 indicates that Kenya’s exports to the African continent decreased by 2.1 percent from Sh435.0 billion in 2023 to Sh425.6 billion in 2024, with shipments to the EAC amounting to Sh321.4 billion.

“The reduction was primarily due to diminished export earnings from Somalia, Egypt, Tanzania, and South Sudan. Notably, there was a decrease in domestic shipments of tomato sauces and re-exports of unassembled tractors to Tanzania,” the survey reports.

Business representatives throughout the EAC have additionally advocated for enhanced political cooperation and public-private collaborations to confront tariff and non-tariff barriers that persistently obstruct trade and investment.

This response comes amid growing market protectionism by certain member states, including tax measures viewed as excluding products from adjacent nations.

Chaired by the East African Business Council (EABC), the regional private sector is pressing member states to fully adopt the Common Market Protocol, which ensures the unimpeded movement of commodities, labor, services, and capital throughout the bloc.

“Protectionism has presented one of the obstacles to our regional integration, yet this matter demands political determination. When you choose to integrate, you must also be willing to yield a portion of your sovereignty to the regional integration commitment or objectives,” stated EABC acting executive director Adrian Njau.