SCTIF’s experts call for practical solutions EAC’s long-standing trade challenges

ARUSHA: THE 48th Conference for Sectoral Council of Ministers on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) of the East African Community (EAC) has officially begun in Arusha, bringing together experts, senior officials and ministers to discuss key regional economic priorities.

The meeting, which has began today, May 29, 2026 at the EAC headquarters, will run through a series of sessions, beginning with experts’ meetings from May 29 to June 1, followed by Permanent Secretaries’ sessions from June 2 to 3, before concluding with the ministerial meeting on June 4, 2026.

The meeting will feature key issues on the agenda including reviewing the implementation of previous SCTIFI decisions, reports from customs, standards, investment, competition and industrial development committees, as well as progress on reducing non-tariff barriers within the region.

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Speaking at the opening, EAC Director of Customs, Flavia Busingye, urged experts to focus on practical solutions to long-standing trade challenges, stressing the need for member states to eliminate barriers such as tax-related constraints and fully implement decisions made by regional leaders.

The meeting is expected to accelerate economic growth, improve the investment climate, boost cross-border trade and strengthen industrial development across member states.

Tanzania’s delegation to the experts’ level meeting is led by Benjamin Mwesiga, Director of Trade, Investment and Productive Sectors at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, alongside senior officials including Ambassador Thobias Makoba and other government representatives.