The East African Business and Investment Summit & Expo 2025 is set to gather over 600 business leaders, investors, SMEs, and high-level Government representatives in Nairobi, Kenya, from October 16 to 17, 2025. It is organized by the East African Business Council (EABC).
Under the theme, “Promoting Private Sector-Driven Regional Integration for Increased Intra- and Extra-EAC Trade and Investment,” the Summit will focus on unlocking SME opportunities and strengthening crucial trade ties between the East African Community (EAC) and Europe.
A key feature of this year’s summit, supported by the LIFTED project (co-financed by Germany’s BMZ and the European Union and implemented by GIZ), will be a series of High-Level CEOs Dialogues. These sessions will directly address the region’s most pressing economic challenges:
- Driving Industrialization in East Africa: A dialogue focused on practical strategies to boost the region’s manufacturing base.
- Unlocking the Potential of Trade in Services: Experts will discuss pathways to remove barriers and accelerate the liberalization of services trade across the EAC, a vital step toward a more dynamic and competitive regional economy.
The Summit will showcase successful public-private dialogue across critical sectors, including technology, finance, agriculture, energy, and infrastructure, to galvanize innovation and investment.
The two-day event will also feature expert-led sessions on emerging digital and continental trade frameworks, including:
- Digital Trade and e-Commerce
- The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol
- Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) to facilitate the cross-border movement of skilled professionals.
A major goal of the Summit is to foster concrete business links between East Africa and Europe.
“During the Summit, over 25 export-ready service companies will exhibit and engage in B2B sessions with their EU counterparts to strengthen business linkages,” said Mr. Adrian Raphael Njau, Acting Executive Director, EABC. This initiative is done in partnership with the German-African Business Association (Afrika-Verein) and the European Business Council for Africa (EBCA).
Mr. Bjoern Richter, Cluster Coordinator GIZ-EAC, underscored the commitment to this partnership: “We are proud accelerating private sector engagement… We are committed to strengthen our co-operation with private sector in policy dialogues, removal of barriers, and promoting business to business linkages between the EAC and Europe.”
The Summit comes at a pivotal time, coinciding with the implementation of the AfCFTA and the commencement of the Tripartite Free Trade Area Agreement.
Recommendations and resolutions from the high-level dialogues will be formalized in a communiqué by the EABC and presented to the Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers for consideration in policy decision-making.