With Africa’s development agenda increasingly constrained by inadequate infrastructure and persistent non-tariff barriers (NTBs), the East African Community (EAC) Secretary General, Hon. Veronica M. Nduva, has called for a harmonized, continent-wide approach to resource mobilization. This comes as the EAC assumes the leadership of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA).
Speaking during a high-level roundtable convened by the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Hon. Nduva underscored the strategic importance of modern infrastructure, efficient cross-border systems, and a robust maritime sector as critical enablers of Africa’s industrialization and trade growth. She noted that fragmented resource mobilization frameworks have delayed key regional infrastructure investments, exacerbating logistical bottlenecks, maintaining costly NTBs, and limiting the development of Africa’s maritime transport capacity.
“Africa must now adopt a unified resource mobilization strategy if we are to deliver the infrastructure backbone essential for unlocking intra-African trade and supporting sustainable industrialization,” Hon. Nduva said.
Her remarks come as the EAC takes over as Chair of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Task Force (TTF), positioning itself to drive the operationalization of the TFTA, seen as a foundational step towards full realization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In force since July 2024, the TFTA seeks to harmonize regional trade through the removal of barriers, streamlined customs processes, and investment in key trade infrastructure across road, rail, maritime, and inland logistics networks.
Hon. Nduva emphasized the urgency of concluding the TFTA’s outstanding protocols, including finalizing tariff schedules, rules of origin, and agreements on the free movement of goods and businesspersons—elements she termed essential for reducing NTBs and lowering trade costs across African borders.
“Our leadership will prioritize the implementation of these agreements, fast-tracking critical infrastructure projects, and systematically addressing non-tariff barriers that hinder regional trade flows,” she said, further identifying the revitalization of the TFTA’s Industrial Development Pillar as central to achieving the bloc’s trade and industrialization objectives.
Recognizing the maritime sector as a strategic trade enabler, Hon. Nduva called for targeted investments in port modernization, logistics corridor development, and digitalization of marine operations to enhance efficiency and strengthen connectivity, particularly as the EAC consolidates its role as the primary gateway for Africa’s landlocked economies.
African Union Commission Chairperson H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf reinforced the call for African-led solutions, stressing the need for the continent to reduce dependency on external donors and take full ownership of its industrialization and trade agenda.
The meeting affirmed commitment to establishing a permanent Tripartite Secretariat tasked with steering the coordination and implementation of TFTA programmes, particularly those focusing on infrastructure expansion and NTB elimination.
“As we move towards the formal launch of the TFTA during the upcoming 4th Tripartite Summit, infrastructure development, trade facilitation, and industrial growth remain our strategic priorities,” Hon. Nduva concluded.
This article was published by Githua Kihara, an editorial consultant for FEAFFA’s Freight Logistics Magazine. For any inquiries, please contact us via email at editorial@feaffa.com or freightlogistics@feaffa.com, or reach out to Andrew Onionga directly at onionga@feaffa.com / +254733780240.
