With four of them landlocked and all of them having relatively small and fragmented domestic markets, regional economic integration is a developmental imperative for the 6 Partner States (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan) that make up the East African Community (EAC)). By integrating, the EAC-PSs pooled a total population of around 174M, with a Gross National Product (GDP) of USD 157 billion thereby creating a larger market that can enjoy scale economies, promote intra-EAC trade and investment, spur local manufacturing and economic diversification; and greater mobility of factors of production. They also created a platform for shared legislative and regulatory reform on economic, political, social, defence, security, legal and judicial affairs.
To fully realise the potential of regional integration as a driver for growth, EAC Partner States must adopt their legal and regulatory environment, as well as put in place other trade and investment facilitative measurers conducive to private sector competitiveness and increased trade and investment.
Under our regional integration, trade policy and regulatory reform, ATEAS provides advisory services aimed at 1) promoting economic integration across EAC and between EAC and other regional blocs and 2) creation of more predictable, transparent and enabling environment for the business community. Over the last 11 years, we have been working with East African policy makers, trade facilitation institutions, trade associations and development partners with an interest in the making regional integration an engine for growth of the EAC and African region.