Tackling Non-Tariff Barriers: East Africa Urged to Move Beyond Talk as Leaders Set Sights on Nairobi Forum

What the report says

East African Community members are being urged to move beyond repeated commitments and take practical steps to remove non-tariff barriers that continue to hinder trade across the region. SoftPower News reports that the issue is gaining renewed attention as leaders and stakeholders prepare for a forum in Nairobi focused on easing cross-border commerce and improving regional integration.

The publisher says intra-regional trade in the EAC has been rising, citing the bloc’s Quarterly Statistics Bulletin for October to December 2025. The bulletin is reported to show intra-EAC trade increasing by 28.0 percent, to USD 19.3 billion in 2025 from USD 15.1 billion previously. The report presents that growth as evidence of stronger business activity, while also highlighting that persistent trade barriers still limit the full potential of the market.

Non-tariff barriers can include administrative delays, overlapping regulations, inspection bottlenecks and other non-tariff obstacles that raise the cost of moving goods and services across borders. In general, removing such barriers is seen as important for smaller businesses as well as larger traders because it can reduce friction and make regional supply chains more efficient.

SoftPower News frames the Nairobi forum as a chance for leaders to turn policy statements into implementation. The broader significance is that deeper trade integration could support economic growth, improve market access and strengthen the EAC’s effort to operate as a more seamless regional bloc.