East African Community (EAC) partner states traded more with external markets than among themselves last year, underscoring the continued drag from non-tariff barriers and limited diversification of goods and services.

A new report shows that EAC members traded more with countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) than within the bloc. Intra-EAC trade slipped from 12.7 percent in the third quarter of 2024 to 12.0 percent in the three months to September 2025.

The data, contained in the latest EAC Quarterly Statistics Bulletin, shows that member states increased exports to SADC countries and the rest of the world.

The shift coincided with renewed disputes over non-tariff barriers, including the blocking of goods, congestion along transport corridors and security incidents that forced temporary border closures.

EAC partner states – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia – exported more merchandise to the rest of Africa and China during the period.

The region also imported more from China, the UAE, South Africa, Hong Kong and Singapore, which together absorbed 58 percent of EAC exports, up from 42.7 percent a year earlier.

Trade growth“In the third quarter of 2025, the East African Community (EAC) recorded strong growth in international merchandise trade, driven by an increase in exports and continued improvement in regional production capacity,” the July–September 2025 bulletin says.“Trade within Africa continued to play a major role, with trade with African countries rising to $10.1 billion (32.2 percent of total trade). Imports grew at a slower pace, with China remaining the largest supplier ($5.5 billion). Other major import origins included the UAE, India, Japan, South Africa and the United States.”

As several EAC and SADC countries also belong to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), higher trade volumes outside the bloc do not necessarily reflect weak integration, but rather members exploiting wider market opportunities.

The report notes that trade links with Comesa and SADC remained stable, pointing to growing integration between the EAC and neighbouring regional blocs.“Total trade increased by 21.9 percent, rising from $33.0 billion in Q3 2024 to $40.3 billion in Q3 2025. Exports grew by 32.3 percent to $19.6 billion, while imports rose by 13.3 percent to $20.6 billion,” the bulletin said.

Trade with other African countries rose to $10.1 billion, accounting for 32.2 percent of total trade.

Export mixAccording to the EAC Quarterly Statistics Bulletin, emerging destinations such as Indonesia, Italy and Greece increased demand for the region’s products.“The export basket remained highly concentrated in base metals, precious stones and metals, mineral fuels and traditional agricultural commodities such as coffee, tea and cut flowers,” the report said.

Imports were dominated by petroleum products, machinery, vehicles, plastics, iron and steel, and cereals, reflecting rising infrastructure investment, industrial activity and food needs.

“Overall, the Q3 2025 performance highlights a strengthening external sector, marked by robust export growth, deeper regional integration and an improving balance of trade across Partner States,” the report said.

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