Tuesday, Arusha, Tanzania – 30 September 2025: The East African Business Council (EABC) hosted a delegation from the African Development Bank (AfDB), led by Mr. Bubacarr Sankareh, Lead Operations Adviser, East Africa Regional Office. The discussions focused on the Mid-Term Review of the Bank’s East Africa Regional Integration Strategy Paper (EA-RISP 2023–2027) and the Regional Portfolio Performance Review (2025).
In his remarks, Mr. Bubacarr Sankareh elaborated that the consultative mission aimed to assess progress toward the implementation of the EA-RISP, extract lessons learned, and review the performance of AfDB-funded projects across the region.
EABC Acting Executive Director, Mr. Adrian Raphael Njau, lauded AfDB projects in regional infrastructure development – energy and transport interconnectivity, as well as trade facilitation and value chain development. He emphasized that these efforts have enabled regional trade, reduced the cost of doing business, and enhanced the competitiveness of East African products.
He further appreciated AfDB for partnering with EABC under the project “Accelerating Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialization in the EAC”, aimed at deepening integration, growth, and the competitiveness of priority manufacturing value chains in edible oil, leather, and textiles.
Key topics of discussion included:
- Progress on regional integration, including the movement of goods, services, and persons.
- Non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs) and measures to address them.
- Regional value chain development and industrial integration.
- Strategic approaches to advancing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) within the region.
- Lessons learned from AfDB-funded projects and recommendations for improved portfolio performance.
Mr. Njau also emphasized the importance of local content in infrastructure projects and the holistic involvement of stakeholders to identify investment opportunities along transport corridors such as economic zones and warehouses.
He also noted that the EAC has made significant progress on initiatives such as the East African Bond, East African Payment and Settlement System, and the One Network Area for telecommunications. Efforts are now underway in data harmonization.
Key proposals put forward by EABC include:
- A borderless East Africa and full implementation of the EAC Single Customs Territory.
- Value addition of raw commodities and resources, with specific interventions per industrial value chain to boost job creation.
- Air transport liberalization.
- Free movement of services.
- Enhanced land link connectivity between countries and dry ports to connect trade.
- Political commitment to the Customs Union, ensuring no new NTBs are imposed.
- Harmonization of domestic taxes and charges of equivalent effect.
- Leveraging AfCFTA amid Global trade dynamics such as AGOA
- Utilities such as telecommunications, data, and ICT infrastructure.
EA-RISP, two priority areas are : regional infrastructure development and trade facilitation with a focus on value chain development.
The AfDB delegation included: Eva Ruganzu – Regional Implementation Support Manager, Patrick Kanyimbo – Chief Regional Integration Coordinator, Samuel Kamara – Chief Regional Program Officer, Dirk Binen, Samson Houetohossou, Emmanuel Nyirinkwaya – Regional Fragility and Resilience Office from East Africa Regional Office.
