East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 28th January, 2026: The East African Community (EAC) recorded a strong growth in International Merchandise Trade in the third quarter of 2025, with total trade rising by 21.9 percent to USD 40.3 billion.
According to the latest EAC Quarterly Statistics Bulletin, this expansion was driven by a 32.3 percent increase in exports to USD 19.6 billion, while imports grew by 13.3 percent to USD 20.6 billion, resulting in a narrower trade deficit of USD 1.0 billion, down from USD 3.4 billion in Q3 2024.
East African Science and Technology Commission, Kigali, Rwanda, 28th January, 2026:East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) in collaboration with the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), will convene the 4th EAC Regional Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Conference from 4th to 6th March 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda under the theme Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for a Resilient, Inclusive, and Innovative East Africa at Kigali Convention Centre. The Regional Conference shall bring together high-level policymakers, researchers, innovators, private sector leaders, development partners, civil society, and youth from across the region and beyond.
The 4th EAC Regional STI Conference will be the first in the history of the East African Community (EAC) to focus entirely on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a cross-cutting driver of regional development, digital transformation, and inclusive growth. It aims to position East Africa at the forefront of responsible, people-centred, and development-oriented AI adoption in line with regional and continental priorities.
East African Science and Technology Commission, Kigali, Rwanda, 28th January, 2026: The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), in partnership with the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), has officially launched a Call for Proposals for the Youth and Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge under the Creation of Opportunities for Youth and Women in Africa (COYWA) Programme.
The Challenge aims to identify, support, and scale high-potential, youth- and women-led enterprises across the eight East African Community (EAC) Partner States: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania. The initiative is designed to empower young people and women as drivers of innovation, job creation, and inclusive economic growth, while strengthening entrepreneurship ecosystems and addressing persistent barriers such as limited access to finance, weak market linkages, and skills gaps.
EAC COMPETITION AUTHORITY MERGER INQUIRY NOTICE NO. 1 OF 2026
It is hereby notified in terms of Regulation 8 of the EAC Competition (Mergers and Acquisitions) Regulations, 2025 (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations) that the EAC Competition Authority (the Authority) after receiving a notification in terms of Section 11 of the East African Community Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023 (the Act) involving Vodafone Kenya Limited and Safaricom PLC, intends to embark on an inquiry in terms of Part IV of the Act and Part III of the Regulations.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania,22nd January, 2026: The East African Community (EAC) has officially launched its inaugural Regional Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) Policy Framework, an instrument designed to strengthen collective action against public health emergencies across the eight EAC Partner States.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 13th January, 2026: The East African Community (EAC) has today officially launched and flagged off its Election Observation Mission (EOM) to observe the General Elections in the Republic of Uganda scheduled to take place on 15th January, 2026.
The deployment of the Mission follows an invitation by the Government of the Republic of Uganda and is in line with a directive of the EAC Council of Ministers requiring the EAC Secretariat to observe elections in all Partner States.
EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 8th December, 2025: EAC Partner States have been called upon to work closely with financial institutions to design affordable, flexible loan products tailored specifically for young agripreneurs. This is a significant step toward addressing, access to finance, which is one of the biggest barriers limiting youth participation in agriculture.
The call was made in Nairobi, Kenya, during the East African Youth in Agri-Food Systems Expo 2025 (EAYASE 2025), organised by the East African Community (EAC) in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania,3rd December, 2025:The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), in collaboration with regional and global partners in the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem, announce the call for abstracts for the 4th EAC Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Conference. The Conference will take place from 4th to 6th March, 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Convened under the theme “Harnessing Responsible Artificial Intelligence for the East Africa We Envision,” the Conference will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, academicians, innovators, students, development partners and civil society to deliberate on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in advancing regional development and integration.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 1st December, 2025: The new Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) headquarters has been officially inaugurated. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Hon. Beatrice Askul, Cabinet Secretary for East African Community and Regional Affairs and Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, on behalf of H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Chairperson of the East African Community Heads of State Summit.
Hon. Askul said the new complex symbolises East Africa’s collective vision for a stronger, more integrated, and more prosperous region. She noted that the headquarters is more than a physical structure, describing it as a strategic investment in the livelihoods of the millions who rely on Africa’s largest freshwater ecosystem.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 21st November, 2025: The East African Community (EAC) has partnered with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to develop a Regional Blue Economy Strategy and Action Plan (2025–2034).
The Strategy and Action Plan was formulated with technical and financial support from the Sub-Regional Office of Eastern Africa of UNECA (SRO-EA).
The strategy provides a comprehensive framework for the sustainable use and conservation of aquatic resources, including oceans, lakes, and rivers to drive socio-economic development and enhance food security across the East African Community.
