The East Africa Business Council (EABC) has urged East African countries to operate as one investment ecosystem rather than competing national markets. EABC Vice Chairperson, Jas Bedi, made the call during the inaugural East Africa CEO & Investment Forum 2026 in Nairobi. He emphasized the need for deeper integration, leveraging respective strengths, and building cross-border value chains to boost regional competitiveness and attract investment.
Bedi also called for greater predictability in the regional trade framework, including clarity on the Common External Tariff and stays of application, which affect investment planning and regional sourcing decisions. He stressed the importance of stronger implementation of regional integration commitments, improved investment conditions, and greater access to finance. This, he believes, will help create a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
EABC Executive Director Ahmed Farah said the real test of regional integration was whether businesses can operate across borders more efficiently, predictably, and at lower cost. He noted that the purpose of the forum was to turn regional integration into engines of business growth and investment. Farah emphasized that East Africa has a large and growing market, but it only matters if businesses can actually use it.
The EABC is working towards a borderless East Africa for trade and investment, with a greater emphasis on evidence-led advocacy, regional value-chain development, trade facilitation, and investment mobilization. EAC Secretary General Ambassador Stephen Mbundi said the region recorded an average economic growth of 5.3 percent over the past decade. The next priority, he noted, was to convert that growth into greater trade, investment, and industrialization.
The EAC is targeting an increase in intra-EAC trade from 22.8 percent to at least 50 percent over the next five years. Mbundi called for stronger regional value chains that enable Partner States to source, process, and manufacture across borders. He emphasized the need to move decisively from volumes to value. East Africa Development Bank (EADB) Acting Director General, Benard Mono, said investment opportunities require adequate capital to become productive projects.
Discussions at the forum covered various sectors, including agribusiness, manufacturing, digital economy, telecommunications, fintech, transport, logistics, energy, mining, and critical raw materials. Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary Beatrice Moe called for stronger implementation of regional integration commitments to create predictable and competitive conditions for businesses and investors. She highlighted opportunities under the EAC common market and AfCFTA.
Moe also called for action on non-tariff barriers, tax constraints, and delays in implementing regional measures. The forum brought together stakeholders to discuss ways to promote regional integration and investment in East Africa. The EABC and EAC are working together to promote a united investment ecosystem in the region.
Key points
- East Africa needs to operate as one investment ecosystem to boost regional competitiveness and attract investment.
- EAC aims to increase intra-EAC trade from 22.8 percent to at least 50 percent over the next five years.
- Stronger implementation of regional integration commitments is necessary to create predictable and competitive conditions for businesses and investors.
