• Intra-EAC trade grew 22% in 2024 to over $11 billion, UN Economic Commission says.

• Growth was driven by agricultural and manufactured goods, including textiles and cement.

• Intra-African trade also rose, supported by AfCFTA and a new 35% common external tariff.

Trade within the East African Community (EAC) rose by 22% in 2024 compared with 2023, surpassing $11 billion for the first time, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in a statement released Monday, September 29, 2025.

The increase was fueled by agricultural and manufactured products such as textiles, chemicals, cement, and pharmaceuticals. The trend highlights the potential of regional value chains and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The growth comes at a time when several African countries face higher tariffs from the United States. Intra-African trade more broadly also expanded, with a 7.7% rise in 2024. The ongoing implementation of the AfCFTA is strengthening regional integration and diversifying both export baskets and destinations, reducing reliance on external markets.

To further boost regional trade, the EAC has adopted a 35% common external tariff, now applied to all goods imported into the bloc.

In 2022, then-EAC Secretary General Peter Mathuki had announced plans to introduce a single currency within four years to facilitate trade and deepen economic integration. That target has since been pushed back to 2031.

Over the same period, intra-African trade overall grew by 8.5%, far outpacing the 0.4% growth recorded in exports to markets outside the continent.