From 26 October to 2 November 2025, a delegation of 24 representatives from East African e-commerce and private sector associations embarked on a study tour to Europe to foster strategic partnerships with European counterparts. Taking place in Brussels and Berlin, the visit aimed at promoting knowledge exchange and strengthen business linkages between East Africa and the EU.
This mission took place in the framework of the EU–EAC Digital Economy, E-Commerce, E-Payment and Public E-Services Programme (DEEP) – co-funded by the European Union (EU), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia – and the Sustainable Business for Uganda (SB4U) project, funded by the EU Delegation to Uganda. It is jointly organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, including through its Pan-African E-Commerce Initiative, the International Trade Centre (ITC), and in close collaboration with the East African Business Council (EABC).
The engagements focused on a broad range of themes, including the structure and governance of national and regional private sector associations, coordination mechanisms among them, and practical strategies for advocacy and strategic positioning.  These discussions enabled stakeholders to identify best practices that can strengthen e-commerce associations within the East African Community (EAC). Further, they explored approaches to building consumer trust in e-commerce – such as trust seal mechanisms and consumer protection measures – and examined the EU’s policy and regulatory frameworks governing cross-border e-commerce. Most importantly, the mission aimed at laying the foundation for long-term strategic partnerships and business linkages between the private sectors of the EU and the EAC, fostering increased investment and trade.
The delegation met with leading organisations including e-commerce Europe, the Europe Business Network, the Belgian Association for E-Commerce (Becom), the German E-commerce Association (BEHV), the German-African Business Association (Afrika-Verein), the German IT association (Bitkom), Trade Promotion Europe, TrustedShops (a trust mark for e-commerce) and Logistics Natives (a global network of logistics companies).
They also engaged with representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE) and Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP), the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub and BMZ. Networking events in both Brussels and Berlin also provided opportunities for direct interaction with selected European private-sector representatives and business associations.
About the EU-EAC DEEP Project
EU-EAC DEEP is a four-year programme running from July 2025 to June 2029, jointly co-financed by the EU, BMA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. The programme is implemented by GIZ, Expertise France (EF) and the Estonian Centre for International Development (EstDev).
The programme contributes to the Team Europe Initiatives “Supporting African economic integration towards the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)” and “Digital Economy and Society in Sub-Saharan Africa” to provide comprehensive support for trade and digitalisation towards a sustainable setup of an African single digital market with a robust cybersecurity environment.
A key area of the programme is designed to enable, expand, enhance, and foster inclusive cross-border digital trade in East Africa and with Europe. This includes supporting the nascent e-Commerce ecosystem in East Africa, which holds tremendous potential to improve access to high-quality consumer goods, and to open new markets to East African and European private sectors.