Non-Tariff Measures Self-Assessment Tool launched at the East African Business Investment Summit + Expo 2026

Nairobi, Kenya, 25th February 2026: With the support of European Union, the East African Community (EAC) and ITC , East African companies can now access consolidated information tailored to their products and target markets without navigating multiple sources.

Certifications, sanitary rules, packaging standards, and labelling requirements can make it difficult for small businesses in East Africa to compete in export markets.

Together, these are known as non-tariff measures. Knowing how to navigate them can turn regulatory hurdles into opportunities.

The new Non-Tariff Measures Self-Assessment Tool (NTM SAT) is the first free global information hub dedicated to helping businesses understand and comply with non-tariff measures.

The tool was created by EU-EAC MARKUP II programme with support from the European Union (EU) under the Global Gateway. The tool focuses especially on health and safety requirements for food, and on technical requirements for things like packaging and labelling.

The tool was launched during a breakout panel discussion at the East African Business and Investment Summit & Expo 2026, held in Nairobi on 25 February 2026. The session jointly organized with East African Business Council and Kenya Private Sector Alliance also showcased the MSME Financing Gateway which provides enterprises with access to financing needed to meet standards, upgrade production, and expand into regional and international markets.

Sagoh Djete, Project Manager for Regional Cooperation – Infrastructure at the EU Delegation to Tanzania and the EAC, underscored the importance of working together closely to advance regional integration, strengthen intra-African trade, and improve access to global markets.

A new approach to regulatory transparency

Built on the data of ITC’s Market Access Map, the tool translates complex legal texts into clear, structured, and actionable guidance. Companies can now access consolidated information tailored to their products and target markets without navigating multiple sources.

Core Features

The platform combines three integrated functions:

  • Search: Identify import requirements applied to a specific product in a chosen export market.
  • Compare: Analyse and compare regulatory requirements particularly health and technical measures across markets or against international standards.
  • Self-assess: Conduct a step-by-step diagnostic to evaluate product compliance with detailed regulatory requirements and identify gaps before shipment.

By integrating regulatory data with a practical self-diagnostic feature, the tool enables firms to move from information to implementation.

How does it improve competitiveness and regional integration?

For small businesses, the NTM SAT reduces the time and cost required to interpret trade regulations, minimizes the risk of border rejections, and supports informed decisions about export destinations.

For policymakers, it provides structured and reliable NTM data to support regulatory reform, improve transparency, and promote regional convergence.

The launch of the NTM SAT represents a tangible step toward equipping enterprises to navigate international trade regulations with confidence and turn compliance into a competitive advantage.

Key resolutions

  1. MSMEs, trade associations, and relevant stakeholders are encouraged to adopt the NTM Self-Assessment Tool to enhance compliance, reduce export-related risks, and facilitate strategic market expansion.
  2. EAC Partner States and regulatory bodies are urged to strengthen transparency and accessibility of trade regulations, ensuring businesses can easily understand country-specific requirements and reduce compliance uncertainties.
  3. Governments, development partners, and private sector organizations to prioritize training programs for MSMEs on using digital tools for trade intelligence, compliance assessment, and market readiness.
  4. EAC Partner States commit to accelerating regulatory convergence and alignment of technical, sanitary, and phytosanitary standards to support seamless intra-regional trade.
  5. MSMEs are encouraged to leverage both the NTM Self-Assessment Tool and the MSME Financing Gateway to simultaneously strengthen compliance capacity and access investment for production and export expansion.
  6. Special focus should be placed on enabling women-led and youth-led enterprises to access trade intelligence and financial resources, ensuring equitable participation in regional and global markets.
  7. All stakeholders should establish mechanisms to monitor the effectiveness of digital trade tools and regulatory reforms, with regular feedback loops to enhance functionality, relevance, and responsiveness to market needs.
  8. EAC Partner States, development partners, and the private sector to enhance collaboration, sharing best practices, and lessons learned to improve trade facilitation, regulatory alignment, and export competitiveness across the region.