The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening trade, investment, and fiscal policy to advance regional integration and inclusive economic development across the East African Community (EAC).
The agreement, signed on Friday in Arusha, Tanzania, establishes a framework for cooperation in research, policy dialogue, legislative support, institutional capacity building, oversight, publication and dissemination of research, resource mobilization, policy monitoring, and collaboration with the EALA Women’s Caucus to promote gender-responsive trade and investment policies.
The partnership formalizes years of collaboration between SEATINI and the EALA Women’s Caucus, whose joint oversight missions to border posts documented the challenges faced by women engaged in cross-border trade. The findings have since informed policy discussions aimed at improving gender-responsive trade governance across the region.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, EALA Speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana described the MoU as a significant milestone in strengthening the Assembly’s legislative and oversight mandate.
“This partnership strengthens our efforts to advance the East African Community’s regional integration agenda through sound trade, investment, and evidence-based policymaking. SEATINI’s expertise will complement EALA’s legislative, oversight, and representative mandate as we pursue policies that improve the lives of East Africans,” he said.
Ntakirutimana added that the partnership would deepen collaboration with the EALA Women’s Caucus in research, policy advocacy, capacity building, and oversight, particularly on issues affecting women involved in cross-border trade.
The Chairperson of the EALA Women’s Caucus, Ambassador Fatuma Ndangiza, said the agreement formalizes a longstanding partnership that has already yielded tangible results in advancing trade policy advocacy and supporting women traders.
“This is not the beginning of a relationship but the formalization of one. Together, we have supported oversight work, advanced trade policy advocacy, and amplified the concerns of women traders across the region. This agreement gives us a stronger platform to continue that work,” she said.
SEATINI Executive Director Jane Seruwagi Nalunga described the signing as the next phase of a partnership built on a shared commitment to equitable regional integration.
“This Memorandum provides the framework to deepen our collaboration and turn evidence into action. Regional integration should be measured by the opportunities it creates for women traders, young entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and other citizens who depend on fair and inclusive markets,” Nalunga said.
She noted that SEATINI looks forward to working closely with EALA on research, evidence-based oversight, policy dialogue, technical support, and monitoring to ensure regional policies deliver tangible benefits to citizens across the East African Community.
Both institutions expressed confidence that the partnership will enhance evidence-informed policymaking, promote inclusive trade and investment, and contribute to a more equitable, responsive, and people-centred East African Community.
