(JUBA) – East African Community member states have approved new measures aimed at strengthening regional trade and industrialisation, in a move expected to improve business activity across East Africa, including South Sudan’s growing import and manufacturing sectors.
The reforms were agreed during a meeting of regional ministers and focus on reducing trade barriers, improving cargo movement, and supporting value addition for locally produced goods.
For South Sudan, which relies heavily on imports from Uganda and Kenya for processed food, cement, steel, beverages, and household goods, the measures could reduce transport delays and lower the cost of imported products.
One of the main outcomes from the meeting was a renewed commitment by EAC states to remove non tariff barriers and speed up regional integration measures that have slowed trade for years.
The reforms are expected to benefit trade corridors linking Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.
EAC Secretary General Amb. Stephen P. Mbundi said the region was meeting at a time of rising geopolitical tensions, disruptions in global maritime trade routes, increasing protectionism, and growing supply chain weaknesses affecting international trade.
He said stronger regional trade and lower business costs were necessary to protect East African economies from external shocks.
Mbundi also called for faster implementation of regional trade commitments, including the removal of all remaining non tariff barriers affecting businesses and exporters.
A major agreement reached by ministers was the harmonisation of trade documentation and the expansion of electronic cargo tracking systems across EAC borders.
The move aims to reduce delays caused by duplicated paperwork and manual cargo inspections, which have affected transporters moving goods between ports, factories, and regional markets.
Under the proposed arrangement, traders would use a single set of documents for cargo movement across EAC states instead of facing repeated checks at different borders.
Ugandan authorities and manufacturers have previously identified border delays as one of the biggest cost drivers for exports.
Faster clearance procedures could reduce transport and storage expenses for products such as maize, dairy products, cement, steel, and consumer goods entering South Sudan markets.
The Council also approved new regional incentives targeting agro processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and building materials manufacturing.
The strategy is intended to encourage East African countries to process raw materials within the region instead of exporting unprocessed commodities abroad.
Uganda is expected to benefit from the reforms because of its large agricultural sector and expanding steel and cement industries.
For South Sudan, the changes could improve the supply of lower cost manufactured goods from neighbouring countries while also creating opportunities for future local processing industries.
Regional ministers said businesses operating under the new framework could access tax incentives and lower production costs, helping East African made goods compete more effectively against imports from outside the bloc.
The reforms form part of the EAC’s wider industrialisation strategy aimed at increasing manufacturing jobs and strengthening regional supply chains.
Another major step approved by ministers involves product standards and certification.
Under the agreement, products approved by national standards agencies in one EAC country would be recognised across other member states without requiring repeated testing.
The measure is expected to reduce costs for manufacturers and small businesses trading across the region.
A manufacturer producing soap, beverages, processed foods, or household products in Uganda would be able to sell goods more easily in South Sudan and other EAC markets after receiving certification once.
Regional officials said inconsistent standards have remained one of the biggest obstacles to increasing trade within the bloc, with intra EAC trade still accounting for only about 20% of total trade activity.
The meeting also adopted a framework aimed at helping small and medium sized businesses access regional financing and credit guarantees.
Limited access to affordable loans has remained a major challenge for many East African businesses seeking to expand production and enter export markets.
Under the proposed arrangement, smaller manufacturers and workshops could obtain guaranteed financing to purchase machinery, increase production, and meet larger regional supply contracts.
The programme is intended to ensure that small businesses, not only large regional companies, participate in East Africa’s growing industrial supply chains.
The EAC Secretariat has been given six months to report progress on border clearance times and the number of industrial projects registered under the new incentive framework.
For businesses in South Sudan that depend on imported goods moving through Uganda and Kenya, the effectiveness of the reforms will largely depend on implementation at border points and transport corridors across the region.