The East African Standards Committee (EASC) officially launched the EAC Regional Quality Awards 2025 competition during its 27th Meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.
The 2025 edition of the Awards will coincide with the annual EAC SME Trade Fair later this year, which rotates among EAC Partner States.
Together, the two events will enhance the visibility of SMEs and promote practices that drive competitiveness and foster economic growth.
Speaking during the launch of the EAC Regional Quality Awards, the EAC Secretary General, Hon. Veronica Nduva, said that the EAC Quality Awards have grown into one of the most consistent and impactful regional initiatives.
“I am pleased to note that over 40 enterprises small, medium, and large – from across diverse sectors including services, have benefited from this competition. I am happy to note the introduction of a new award category in agro-processing. Given that a large portion of our region’s GDP depends on agriculture, this is a timely step in promoting value chains, boosting agro-based exports, and supporting our vision for structural transformation,” said Hon. Nduva.
Following the success of the 2024 Awards, which recognized excellence in quality among East African businesses, the focus this year will be on achieving and acknowledging even higher standards of quality across the region, including among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The 2025 EAC Regional Quality Awards will feature five main categories:
- EAC Product of the Year (Large Enterprises and SMEs)
- EAC Company of the Year (Large Enterprises and SMEs)
- EAC Service Awards (Public and Private Sectors – Large Enterprises and SMEs)
- EAC Exporter Awards (Focusing on the Agri-Processing Sector)
- EAC Standardization Excellence Awards
In the first stage of the 2025 Awards, national-level competitions will be coordinated by NSBs, in partnership with private sector stakeholders and National Quality Associations. National winners will then compete at the regional level by submitting their entries to the EAC Secretariat for the prestigious EAC Regional Quality Awards.
The EASC encourages all stakeholders, especially SMEs, to actively engage in this year’s awards cycle.
The International Trade Centre (ITC) is supporting the awards through the European Union (EU)-funded EU-EAC MARKUP II programme.