A German business delegation led by Hessian Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs and Bureaucracy Reduction, Manfred Pentz, has concluded a three-country Invest.EastAfrica! visit to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya, advancing business and investment partnerships between Germany and the East African Community (EAC).
Across the three countries, German businesses engaged directly with political leaders, regional institutions and East African companies in sectors ranging from agribusiness, trade and carbon markets to digital markets and artificial intelligence, tourism, logistics, and pharmaceuticals.
The engagements highlighted the three Partner States as complementary entry points into the wider EAC market, demonstrating the range of opportunities available to German businesses across an increasingly integrated region.
Speaking at the East Africa CEO & Investment Forum in Nairobi, Minister Pentz said:
“East Africa brings scale, talent, technology and strong growth, while Hessen brings industrial excellence, research, capital and access to the European market. This is a powerful combination. Together, we can turn innovation made in Africa and technology made in Germany into new opportunities for trade, investment and jobs.”
Rwanda: Connecting investment and innovation with regional opportunity
In Rwanda, the delegation engaged with the country’s investment and innovation ecosystem, with discussions focused on digital services, pharmaceuticals and agribusiness.
Engagement with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) focused on moving business interest towards concrete opportunities and partnerships. RDB CEO Jean-Guy Afrika called on participating companies to identify tangible next steps:
“We invite you to participate in a fast-growing market and build businesses whose success creates value for Europe and East Africa. I encourage every company here to identify one concrete opportunity, one credible partner and one practical next step. RDB is ready to move with you from discussion to decision, and from decision to implementation.”
The delegation also visited the Rwanda Bioeconomy Hub, highlighting an established German–Rwandan partnership supporting biotechnology infrastructure, skills and entrepreneurship and helping translate innovation into commercially viable solutions.

RDB CEO Jean-Guy Afrika with Hessen State Minister Manfred Pentz at Invest.EastAfrica! in Kigali, Rwanda.
Tanzania: Turning business interest into concrete opportunities
Tanzania’s Minister for Industry and Trade, Hon. Judith Kapinga, welcomed Minister Pentz and the German business delegation in Dar es Salaam. At a joint press conference, both Ministers underlined the economic opportunities for German and Tanzanian businesses and their shared interest in partnerships that benefit both sides.
Carbon markets formed key part of the engagement. Inès Oddo, Head of Nature-Based Solutions at ODDO BHF, highlighted carbon-credit opportunities and the role of finance in developing viable projects. ODDO BHF’s partnership with the Kilimanjaro Project, a Tanzanian initiative combining ecosystem restoration with carbon finance and local livelihoods, provided a concrete example of how such models can connect environmental outcomes with investment.

Tanzania’s Minister for Industry and Trade, Hon. Judith Kapinga, with Hessen State Minister Manfred Pentz at Invest.EastAfrica! in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Kenya: Connecting Hessen with East Africa’s regional economic and digital opportunity
In Nairobi, a key outcome of the East Africa CEO & Investment Forum was the launch of the Hessen Partnership with the EAC AI Alliance, connecting East Africa’s AI ecosystem with Hessen, “Europe’s Silicon Valley.”
Signed by Minister Pentz, Dr. Sylvance Okeyo Okoth, Executive Secretary of the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), and Prof. Idris A. Rai, Acting Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the partnership establishes practical cooperation across AI skills and knowledge exchange, applied research and innovation, responsible AI, and business and entrepreneurship.

Signing ceremony of the Hessen Partnership with the EAC AI Alliance at the East Africa CEO & Investment Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.
A visit to Digital Realty in Nairobi, part of Africa’s largest interconnected data-centre platform, highlighted the infrastructure underpinning East Africa’s growing cloud, data and AI economy and opportunities for deeper technology and business connections.
In talks with Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, Minister Pentz discussed opportunities to translate the longstanding German–Kenyan partnership into greater investment, technology transfer and new opportunities for German and Kenyan businesses. He also met with Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs of Uganda and Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, with discussions including the EU–EAC Economic Partnership Agreement and the opportunities that greater market access could create for trade between the two regions. Minister Pentz extended an invitation to both leaders to attend Invest.EastAfrica! 2027 in Frankfurt, continuing the engagement between Hessen and East Africa.
For Hessen, this is about doing business: bringing together two economic powerhouses and creating opportunities in both directions. Hessian companies gain connections to East Africa’s regional market of around 330 million people, with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) opening opportunities across a wider African market of more than 1.3 billion people. East African businesses, in turn, can use Hessen — home to 6.5 million people and one of Germany’s strongest economic centres — as a gateway to the wider European market.
About GIZ
GIZ works with the East African Community on behalf of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to advance regional economic integration and strengthen cooperation between East Africa and Germany.
Through Invest.EastAfrica!, GIZ connects businesses, governments and regional institutions, linking German companies with opportunities across the EAC and bringing East African businesses closer to German and European markets. GIZ also supports viable business initiatives and project pipelines, connecting them with relevant partners, expertise and financing instruments to help move business interest towards concrete partnerships and implementation.