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The report outlines a series of strategic interventions for the East African Community (EAC) to address poverty, inequality, and instability. Key recommendations include investing in climate-resilient WaSH infrastructure, harmonising agricultural and industrial policies, and improving regional security and governance to support a rapidly expanding population.

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional economic community comprising eight member states with a combined 2023 GDP of US$296 billion. While the EAC has established a customs union, common market, and monetary union protocol, its ultimate goal of a political federation has seen progress stall, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and regional instability.

The East African Community (EAC) has expanded its membership to include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Somalia, aiming to increase its geopolitical influence and market size. However, this growth strains the bloc's institutional capacity, particularly regarding financial sustainability, bureaucratic efficiency, and the harmonisation of economic policies among fragile states. The inclusion of conflict-prone members introduces significant security risks, though it also provides opportunities for collective regional stability and trade integration through frameworks like the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area Agreement.

This briefing provides an overview of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), detailing compliance requirements for operators and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) in meeting these obligations.

The document outlines the pathway for establishing renewable energy manufacturing in Kenya, highlighting the country's goal of Net Zero by 2050 and projected near-term investment opportunities of USD 600 billion. It provides a step-by-step guide for OEMs to incorporate legal entities, secure permits from authorities like NEMA and EPRA, and leverage Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Export Processing Zones (EPZs) for fiscal incentives. Specific policy landscapes and VAT exemptions are detailed for solar PV, batteries, and electric mobility, while identifying key government agencies such as MITI, KenInvest, and SEZA that facilitate green industrial growth.

The IISD's State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) provides research and strategic advice to improve voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) and promote sustainable production, consumption, and trade. Its strategy focuses on improving VSS design, increasing synergies between standards and policy, and enhancing transparency for small-scale farmers and MSMEs. The program offers services including benchmarking, policy formulation, and implementation support through pilots and training.

The report examines the role of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in the East African Community (EAC) to enhance coffee production and facilitate exports to the EU. It highlights that while exports from countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda have grown by approximately 60% over ten years, growers must scale up CSA practices—such as mulching and agroforestry—to comply with EU requirements regarding traceability, biodiversity, and sustainability certifications.

The report identifies soil acidity as a critical threat to food security and agricultural sustainability in East Africa, noting that over 60% of arable land in the region is degraded. It proposes a holistic approach centered on 'high-priority areas' (HPAs) where interventions can be scaled. The core strategy involves combining the application of agricultural lime with integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) practices, such as crop rotation and organic matter application. To achieve this, the report recommends scaling up soil testing via rapid kits, increasing farmer awareness through community-based extension agents, and developing a robust lime value chain by engaging private sector actors and optimizing last-mile distribution.

The report highlights that climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices, particularly mulching and agroforestry, can significantly increase coffee yields and carbon sequestration in the East African Community (EAC). It notes a growing export market in the EU, which accounted for 60.1% of EAC coffee exports in 2021, but emphasizes that producers must adopt CSA to meet stringent EU sustainability, traceability, and phytosanitary requirements. Key barriers to CSA adoption include limited finance, land tenure issues, and inadequate extension services.

The document argues that voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) can reduce poverty by improving agricultural prices, preserving natural resources, and strengthening producer organization, provided they are integrated into broader poverty-reduction strategies. While VSS can increase income through price premiums of 10% to 30% and promote sustainable land management, their impact is often limited by high certification costs, lack of direct market access, and insufficient inclusion of women and smallholders in governance. The brief recommends that VSS incorporate requirements for living incomes and climate adaptation, while governments should support these efforts through land regularization, financial resources, and the promotion of direct trade relationships.

The report analyzes the alignment between three voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs)—the East African Organic Products Standard (EAOPS), the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) Standard, and GLOBALG.A.P.—and the agricultural policies of the East African Community (EAC). It focuses on staple crops (beans, maize, rice, and wheat) which are critical for food security and regional trade. The findings indicate strong alignment with climate resilience goals and medium alignment with productivity and trade objectives. Key barriers to scaling VSSs include high certification costs for smallholders, low domestic demand for certified products, and a lack of official political recognition from national standards bureaus. The report recommends that VSS bodies use pilot projects to prove their value and that EAC policy-makers provide targeted financial support and official recognition to integrate these standards into regional trade and development frameworks.

The document analyzes the gap between the digital goals of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the actual capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia. It argues that while paperless trade and 'single window' systems aim to increase efficiency, low literacy rates and language barriers (reliance on English) create 'SPS-Plus' burdens that exclude many small-scale traders. The author recommends integrating digital skills training and AI-powered translation of trade requirements into local languages to ensure SMEs can benefit from the energy and economic transition toward a digital economy.

The research investigates the hypothesis that African agricultural exporters could substitute for US goods rendered expensive by tariffs. Using trade data from 2017 to 2019, the author finds that while African exports to China grew, the rate of growth declined over time and was significantly lower than that of competitors in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. The paper argues that Africa has been unable to fully capitalise on the trade war due to a lack of state incentives, poor manufacturing sectors, and a failure to develop specific industries like pork, despite the potential created by the African swine flu in China.

The paper examines the role of South Africa and Kenya as regional economic gateways and the impact of private sustainability standards on SME participation in value chains. It identifies significant barriers for SMEs, including high certification costs, lack of awareness, and limited technical capacity, while highlighting the potential for multinational corporations to support supplier development. The authors provide recommendations for the G20 to facilitate open markets, improve SME financing, and harmonise sustainability standards to prevent them from becoming non-tariff barriers.

Tanzania has liberalized its economy and leveraged political stability and strategic location to become a leading FDI destination in the East African Community. However, the country faces significant structural challenges, including a lack of skilled labor, cumbersome land tenure systems, and an outdated network of first-generation bilateral investment treaties that limit the government's policy space for industrial development. The paper recommends modernizing investment treaties, reforming land laws to empower smallholders, and strengthening the Tanzania Investment Centre to better integrate local SMEs into global value chains.

The document examines Kenya's potential to lead the East African Community in climate objectives, noting that while the 2016 Climate Change Act and international support provide a strong framework, progress is hindered by limited government capacity and the discovery of fossil fuel reserves. It recommends prioritising energy infrastructure, integrating micro-grids and solar home systems for universal energy access, and leveraging devolution to increase public accountability.

The report examines the transition of the exhaustion of local remedies (ELR) rule from a customary international law requirement to one that is largely waived in modern investment treaties. It analyzes how tribunals interpret silence in treaties as a waiver and explores the legal distinctions between ELR as a jurisdictional versus procedural requirement. The document also details how ELR is applied as a substantive standard in denial of justice and expropriation claims, and concludes with recommendations for states to explicitly define ELR requirements and exceptions in their treaties to safeguard state sovereignty.

The East African Community (EAC) took a lead role in managing the 2015 Burundi crisis, but its efforts were largely unsuccessful due to internal divisions among member states and a lack of binding implementation mechanisms. While the EAC initially attempted preventive diplomacy through a 'Delegation of the Wise', subsequent summits and facilitation efforts by leaders like Yoweri Museveni and Benjamin Mkapa failed to prevent violence or secure an inclusive political dialogue. The report highlights how geopolitical tensions between Rwanda and Tanzania further undermined regional cohesion, ultimately allowing the Burundian government to resist international pressure and proceed with contested elections.

The document examines the role of informal cross-border trade in Zimbabwe, particularly in response to government import bans on basic commodities. It highlights that while the informal economy provides critical employment and poverty alleviation in a country with high formal unemployment, traders face significant risks including corruption and abuse. The author argues that Zimbabwe and other SADC nations should adopt Simplified Trade Regimes and engage with trader representatives to transition informal activity into the formal sector, citing successful models from East African economic communities.

The document outlines the role of the private sector in achieving Kenya's low carbon climate resilient development pathway as defined in the National Climate Change Action Plan 2013-2017. It details sector-specific opportunities for mitigation and adaptation, highlighting existing private sector investments in geothermal power, bagasse cogeneration, and solar panel assembly. The briefing emphasizes that the plan creates new market opportunities and cost savings for businesses across agriculture, energy, ICT, and urban development.