The East African Business Council (EABC), in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), is implementing the project titled Leveraging Integration Frameworks for Trade in Services and Civil Society Organizations in the East African Community (LIFTED). The project aims to promote deeper regional integration by empowering the private sector—particularly women and youth-led service enterprises—to actively participate in trade within the East African Community (EAC), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the European Union (EU) markets.

The overall objective of the programme is to increase trade in services within the EAC, AfCFTA, and with the EU, thereby supporting people-centred regional integration in the EAC.

The initiative seeks to improve awareness of services export opportunities, strengthen the capacity of the private sector, and enhance policy engagement to foster a more enabling environment for trade in services.