Nairobi, Kenya 15th October, 2025: The East African Business Council (EABC), in collaboration with East African Community (EAC) Secretariat and partnership with the European Union (EU) and GIZ, under the Leveraging Integration Frameworks for Trade in Services (LIFTED) Project successfully concluded a two-day national training workshop on Trade in Services in Nairobi, Kenya
The workshop, held from 14th–15th October 2025, brought together 50 participants drawn from Kenya’s vibrant private sector, including representatives of women- and youth-led enterprises across key service sectors such as ICT, tourism, financial services, education, health, professional services, and transport.
The EABC expressed profound appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Kenya for graciously hosting the workshop, underscoring Kenya’s continued leadership and commitment to advancing regional economic integration.
The EAC Secretariat was equally acknowledged for its unwavering partnership in supporting the EABC’s policy advocacy agenda aimed at creating a more open, harmonized, and competitive regional services market.
Special thanks were also extended to the European Union and GIZ for their financial and technical support, which has enabled the implementation of the LIFTED Project across the East African region. The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) was commended for its steadfast support in representing the interests of the private sector and collaborating closely with EABC to strengthen Kenya’s position in services trade.
The workshop also reaffirmed EABC’s commitment to ensuring that women and youth entrepreneurs are not left behind in the growing services trade landscape. The LIFTED Project is being implemented across four EAC Partner States, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya and targets the profiling and training of at least 200 export-ready service companies, with a strong focus on women- and youth-led enterprises.
Through this initiative, EABC and GIZ aim to bridge the capacity gaps that hinder service sector growth, promote regional competitiveness, and advance the objectives of the EAC Common Market Protocol and Agenda 2050.
The Nairobi national training workshop forms part of a regional capacity-building initiative under the LIFTED Project, which seeks to enhance awareness and readiness of the private sector, especially women and youth to export services across the East African Community and beyond.
Speaking at the opening session, the representing the State Department of Trade and Investment, Ms. Rachel Akoth, emphasized that “services are the backbone of our economies, contributing immensely to GDP, job creation, and innovation.” She further noted that the workshop comes at a critical time when many service providers, particularly women and youth, face challenges accessing export markets due to complex regulations, fragmented policies, limited financing, and lack of awareness of opportunities.
The two-day sessions equipped companies with practical knowledge on the application of rules, regulations, and business concepts for the export of services, as well as tools to strengthen their competitiveness under the EAC Common Market Protocol and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The workshop featured interactive training and dialogue sessions focusing on:
- Understanding regional and international rules governing trade in services;
- Building export strategies and business models tailored to EAC priority service sectors;
- Addressing challenges to the mutual recognition of professional qualifications;
Leveraging digital trade opportunities to access new markets; and - Strengthening policy advocacy linkages between the private sector and EAC institutions.
Participants benefited from expert facilitation and peer learning sessions that linked local service providers with regional best practices, trade frameworks, and potential business partnerships. The key outcomes are;
- By the conclusion of the Nairobi workshop, participants had:
- Enhanced their understanding of export procedures, regulatory compliance, and service standards;
- Strengthened networks and collaboration among Kenya’s service exporters;
- Developed tailored export strategies for regional and global markets; and
- Reaffirmed their role as key contributors to Kenya’s and the EAC’s shared vision of a competitive, integrated, and inclusive services economy.
In her closing statement, Ms. Akoth urged participants to use the knowledge gained as a foundation for expansion “This workshop is more than a technical exercise, it is an investment in people, in the creativity of our youth, and in the resilience of our women entrepreneurs. The free movement of services is not just a protocol clause; it is a promise of jobs, innovation, and prosperity for East Africa.”
EABC reaffirmed its readiness to continue working closely with governments, development partners, and private sector associations like KEPSA to remove barriers, harmonize policies, and unlock the full potential of services trade in the EAC region.
