23rd EAC Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Trade Fair set for Bujumbura, Burundi
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 30th November, 2023: Preparations for the 23rd Edition of the East African Community (EAC) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Trade Fair, popularly known as the Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi Exhibition, are in high gear.
The 23rd edition of the annual EAC MSMEs Trade Fair, which will be held under the theme “Connecting East African MSMEs to enhance Intra EAC Trade,” is expected to attract more than 1,000 artisans from all the seven (7) EAC Partner States.
The exhibition will run from 5th – 15th December, 2023 at the Cercle Hyppique Grounds in Bujumbura, Burundi.
The main objective of the Trade Fair is to contribute towards the realisation of the region’s development goals and aspirations by lending support to this budding sector of the economy, which needs public patronage and Government support to make it sustainable.
The Trade Fairs further create considerable impact on the image of the sector, which is today seen as the panacea to the daunting question of unemployment and poverty alleviation in the region.
The 23rd edition of the EAC MSMEs Trade Fair will also feature a daily symposium aimed at enhancing awareness on and the capacity of MSMEs. The symposia will address matters such as opportunities for MSMEs in the region and under the AfCFTA, importance of Trade Associations in Partner States, tackling Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and requirements for formalising business in EAC.
Other topics to be discussed at the symposia include acquiring the Standards Mark in EAC, benefits of Value Addition and Adaptation to Appropriate Technology for MSMEs in region, and environment and food security in the EAC.
The 1st EAC MSMEs Trade Fair was held in Arusha, Tanzania in November 1999 during the historic signing of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC.
Subsequent to the success of the Arusha exhibition, the EAC Heads of State directed that the Exhibition be held annually on rotational basis among the Partner States so as to enhance and revamp the socio-economic integration of the people of East Africa.
Participation
To participate in the Exhibition, exhibitors from the EAC Partner States are required to register with their respective chapters of the Confederation of Micro and Small Enterprises Organisations (CMSEO) as follows:
Notes to Editors:
The 22nd edition of the MSMEs Trade Fair was successfully held in Kampala, Uganda in December 2022 where more than 1,000 exhibitors participated.
The exhibitions have benefited small traders in building capacity on value addition, cross border trade, the EAC Simplified Trade Regime among others through the daily symposium. Knowledge sharing, technological transfer, building new partnerships and markets are among other benefits of the exhibition. Over the years, the Region has experienced more traders formalizing their businesses, adding value to their goods, expanding and capturing new markets.
For more information about the Trade Fair please visit: www.eac.int/juakali
The trade fair will be streamed live on www.eac.int/and www.eac.int/juakali
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka
Senior Public Relations OfficerCorporate Communications and Public Affairs DepartmentEAC SecretariatArusha, TanzaniaTel: +255 768 552087Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of seven (7) Partner States, comprising the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The Federal Republic of Somalia is in the process of becoming a full member of the Community after its admission into the EAC bloc by the Summit of EAC Heads of State on 24th November, 2023.
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