Dar es Salaam. The East African Community (EAC) has taken over the rotating chairmanship of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Task Force (TTF) at a crucial time, reigniting hopes for a more unified and integrated regional trade system. However, a central question remains: can this leadership role help the EAC overcome its internal challenges and lead to a genuinely tariff-free region? The TTF unites three major Regional Economic Communities (RECs): the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It was created to coordinate the implementation of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA). Launched in 2015, the TFTA aims to promote market integration, industrial growth, and infrastructure development across 29 African countries, serving a population of over 700 million. Yet, almost a decade later, progress has been slower than anticipated due to ongoing non-tariff barriers, delayed ratifications, and a lack of unified customs systems among member states. On July 25, 2024, the TFTA Agreement officially came into effect after securing the necessary 14 ratifications. However, the real challenge lies in putting the agreement into practice, a task now entrusted to the EAC as it assumes the TTF's leadership. EAC Secretary General, Ms Veronica Nduva, speaking at a high-level roundtable in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on July 14, 2025, advocated for a continent-wide resource mobilisation strategy to replace fragmented efforts that have hindered progress. "We must abandon disjointed approaches. Africa needs a harmonised strategy for resource mobilisation to effectively implement Agenda 2063," she stated. "We see the TFTA as a strategic tool to deepen integration, boost competitiveness, unlock intra-African trade, and advance inclusive industrialisation," she added. Ms Nduva also highlighted the importance of blended financing models involving public, private, and philanthropic capital, along with the use of technology to enhance coordination and accountability. The big question While the EAC’s assumption of leadership is diplomatically significant, the bloc has faced difficulties in implementing its integration protocols. Several EAC Partner States have previously failed to uphold agreed tariff removals, leading to internal trade disputes and delays in harmonisation efforts. Trade tensions between Kenya and Tanzania over products such as sugar, maize, and milk have revealed the inconsistent application of EAC trade rules, undermining the bloc’s credibility in broader integration efforts. According to Dr Paul Omollo, a regional trade policy analyst based in Dar es Salaam, the EAC must first address its shortcomings. "The EAC has made impressive commitments on paper. But implementation remains its biggest weakness," Dr Omollo told The Citizen by phone. "Taking over TTF leadership is significant, but the EAC must back that up with real reforms at home. It must demonstrate that regional integration can work, starting with its borders." What does chairing the TTF mean? Assuming the TTF chairmanship places the EAC in charge of guiding the finalisation of tariff offers, adoption of rules of origin, and encouraging ratification by the remaining states. The bloc is also expected to lead the revival of the TFTA’s industrial development pillar, one of its key components. "Our focus is to ensure that the TFTA becomes fully operational, not just in name but in action," said Ms Nduva. "We are pushing for the ratification of both the trade and movement of businesspeople agreements," she said. Experts believe this leadership position could allow the EAC to influence harmonised customs policies, coordinated infrastructure investments, and the development of joint industrial zones, provided there is strong political will among member states. "The TFTA could be a game-changer if it builds synergies across the three RECs," said a policy adviser at TradeMark Africa, Mr Humphrey Ramela. "The EAC’s leadership is timely. But success depends on aligning national interests with regional ambitions," he added. Another key theme from the Malabo roundtable was financial independence, with Ms Nduva reiterating the need for African nations to reduce reliance on external donors and adopt African-led financing models. "Austerity must go hand-in-hand with innovation. Resources allocated for development must be managed with discipline and efficiency," she noted. The African Union Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, echoed this sentiment, urging member states to finance their development agendas and adopt the instruments required to operationalise the TFTA by the time of the next Tripartite Council of Ministers meeting. "African ownership is not optional; it is the only path to sustainable development," said Mr Youssouf. With preparations for the fourth Tripartite Summit underway, during which the TFTA will be formally launched, expectations are high. The EAC’s challenge will be to not only champion regional integration at the tripartite level but also prove its commitment to seamless trade within its borders.
Friday
Can EAC Conquer Its Challenges to Lead Africa's Largest Trade Bloc?
Dar es Salaam. The East African Community (EAC) has taken over the rotating chairmanship of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Task Force (TTF) at a crucial time, reigniting hopes for a more unified and integrated regional trade system. However, a central question remains: can this leadership role help the EAC overcome its internal challenges and lead to a genuinely tariff-free region? The TTF unites three major Regional Economic Communities (RECs): the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It was created to coordinate the implementation of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA). Launched in 2015, the TFTA aims to promote market integration, industrial growth, and infrastructure development across 29 African countries, serving a population of over 700 million. Yet, almost a decade later, progress has been slower than anticipated due to ongoing non-tariff barriers, delayed ratifications, and a lack of unified customs systems among member states. On July 25, 2024, the TFTA Agreement officially came into effect after securing the necessary 14 ratifications. However, the real challenge lies in putting the agreement into practice, a task now entrusted to the EAC as it assumes the TTF's leadership. EAC Secretary General, Ms Veronica Nduva, speaking at a high-level roundtable in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on July 14, 2025, advocated for a continent-wide resource mobilisation strategy to replace fragmented efforts that have hindered progress. "We must abandon disjointed approaches. Africa needs a harmonised strategy for resource mobilisation to effectively implement Agenda 2063," she stated. "We see the TFTA as a strategic tool to deepen integration, boost competitiveness, unlock intra-African trade, and advance inclusive industrialisation," she added. Ms Nduva also highlighted the importance of blended financing models involving public, private, and philanthropic capital, along with the use of technology to enhance coordination and accountability. The big question While the EAC’s assumption of leadership is diplomatically significant, the bloc has faced difficulties in implementing its integration protocols. Several EAC Partner States have previously failed to uphold agreed tariff removals, leading to internal trade disputes and delays in harmonisation efforts. Trade tensions between Kenya and Tanzania over products such as sugar, maize, and milk have revealed the inconsistent application of EAC trade rules, undermining the bloc’s credibility in broader integration efforts. According to Dr Paul Omollo, a regional trade policy analyst based in Dar es Salaam, the EAC must first address its shortcomings. "The EAC has made impressive commitments on paper. But implementation remains its biggest weakness," Dr Omollo told The Citizen by phone. "Taking over TTF leadership is significant, but the EAC must back that up with real reforms at home. It must demonstrate that regional integration can work, starting with its borders." What does chairing the TTF mean? Assuming the TTF chairmanship places the EAC in charge of guiding the finalisation of tariff offers, adoption of rules of origin, and encouraging ratification by the remaining states. The bloc is also expected to lead the revival of the TFTA’s industrial development pillar, one of its key components. "Our focus is to ensure that the TFTA becomes fully operational, not just in name but in action," said Ms Nduva. "We are pushing for the ratification of both the trade and movement of businesspeople agreements," she said. Experts believe this leadership position could allow the EAC to influence harmonised customs policies, coordinated infrastructure investments, and the development of joint industrial zones, provided there is strong political will among member states. "The TFTA could be a game-changer if it builds synergies across the three RECs," said a policy adviser at TradeMark Africa, Mr Humphrey Ramela. "The EAC’s leadership is timely. But success depends on aligning national interests with regional ambitions," he added. Another key theme from the Malabo roundtable was financial independence, with Ms Nduva reiterating the need for African nations to reduce reliance on external donors and adopt African-led financing models. "Austerity must go hand-in-hand with innovation. Resources allocated for development must be managed with discipline and efficiency," she noted. The African Union Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, echoed this sentiment, urging member states to finance their development agendas and adopt the instruments required to operationalise the TFTA by the time of the next Tripartite Council of Ministers meeting. "African ownership is not optional; it is the only path to sustainable development," said Mr Youssouf. With preparations for the fourth Tripartite Summit underway, during which the TFTA will be formally launched, expectations are high. The EAC’s challenge will be to not only champion regional integration at the tripartite level but also prove its commitment to seamless trade within its borders.