Wednesday, 28th August 2025, Bujumbura, Burundi: The East African Business Council (EABC), in collaboration with the Association of Traders of Burundi (ACOBU) and the Burundi Bureau of Standards and Quality Control (BBN), with support from GIZ EAC via the Support to East Africa Integration Programme II, has empowered 50 SMEs and youth entrepreneurs with skills and knowledge on the AfCFTA Trade in Goods Protocol, focusing on the Annexes of TBT and SPS.
The training workshop was officiated by Mr. Servais Kubwarugira, ACOBU Board Director, and Mr. Jean Samandari, Secretary General of ACOBU.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Jean Samandari expressed his gratitude to the EABC Secretariat for organizing this timely workshop, which addresses the challenges related to compliance with standards, mostly affecting SMEs’ export contributions to regional and continental trade.
In his remarks, Mr. Misigaro Simeon, Head of Standards at BBN, committed to working with the EABC, SMEs, youth entrepreneurs, and associations in Burundi to capacitate them with standards and SPS requirements to boost cross-border trade.
On his part, Moses Kanyesigye, Coordinator of the EABC SME Women & Youth Platform, representing the Executive Director, urged the entrepreneurs to not only focus on the EAC market but also on the continental one. He encouraged SMEs and youth entrepreneurs to leverage the power of numbers by collaborating and forming partnerships with counterparts in the region.
The training was also attended by the Chairperson of the Burundi National Youth Council and the EAC Youth Ambassador.
