Trade is not the destination. It is the vehicle. Trade has given East Africans a practical reason to believe in integration. When a young trader in Busia, Arusha or Goma has money in her pocket, poverty retreats, extremism loses its recruits, and @jumuiya integration stops being a summit declaration and becomes a daily reality. Yesterday, I joined the @TheJNLC Pan-African Symposium at @Makerere for the panel on “Interrogating the Key Elements of EAC Integration and Youth Participation,” moderated by Dr. Herman Butiime. My submission was that trade has been a central driver of @jumuiya integration. Citizens feel its value when they find customers across borders, source from neighbouring countries and earn a living through regional value chains. That everyday interdependence builds the foundation for deeper political integration, and the consultations on an EAC Political Confederation give citizens, including young people, a chance to shape that future. The economic potential is clear. In Q1 2026, EAC international merchandise trade rose 30.7% to US$46.3 billion. Exports grew 33.3%, outpacing imports at 28.1%, for a trade surplus of US$1.6 billion. The next task is to expand trade among East Africans themselves. Where do young people fit in? They are the heartbeat of EAC economic integration. They consume, produce, transport, innovate and connect businesses to customers. Women have long sustained informal cross-border trade but young traders are increasingly catching up, and supporting young traders, including young women, must be central to the next phase. But ambition alone cannot finance a business. I called on @jumuiya governments to expand financing for young entrepreneurs, with realistic collateral and repayment terms, alongside practical support to formalise, raise production, improve quality and meet regional standards. With an EAC population of about 331 million, the market is there. Our job is to make young businesses capable of serving it. Comrades, trade is a means to an end. It is how we take on poverty, raise our quality of life and grow our contribution to East Africa’s social and economic development. When young people have viable livelihoods and a stake in their communities, we also strengthen resilience against exclusion and recruitment into violence. Intra-EAC trade still falls short of its potential even though it is stronger than in most of @_AfricanUnion’s other RECs, held back by trade barriers, inconsistent regulations, infrastructure gaps and limited finance. The Youth in Trade Charter developed by CBTA and facilitated by @AGRA_Africa and @ICOYACA, aims at reducing some of the Non-tariff barriers because again, our demographic dividend will come from what we enable young people to do. #JNLCSymposium2026

Long before trading across Africa became a continental ambition, it was my family’s livelihood. As cross-border traders from Malaba border in Eastern Uganda, a border between Uganda and Kenya, they were forward thinkers and visionaries, connecting communities and markets through their everyday work. They saw opportunity beyond borders and built their lives around it. Today, I see their story woven in the ambition the @_AfricanUnion created through the @AfCFTA: an Africa connected by trade,  and I have been privileged to champion it for the last 5 years. As the son of a cross-border trader, this is why my relationship with the AfCFTA is deeply personal, not academic or employment. It speaks to my family’s story and my passion comes from knowing that behind every trade policy are families, livelihoods and people whose aspirations deserve a fair chance and that, today’s traders can pursue opportunity with dignity, safety and recognition. In this short interview, I share that journey and how it has shaped my leadership. Additionally, as my tenure as Chairperson of @ICOYACA comes to an end in November 2026, I reflect with gratitude on what we have achieved together with our team, national chapters, young traders and partners. I am proud of the institution we have helped build, and excited to see a new generation of leadership take it forward. A lasting leadership legacy includes an institution that continues to grow under those who come after us. My tenure will end and I will continue supporting ICOYACA and the cause that brought me here, the passion that began with my family’s story will endure. To God be the glory! @AUYouthProgram @AUC_PAPS @_AfricanUnion @APRMorg @AfricanUnionUN @EmolotFdn @AU_HHS @AU_WGYD @ICOYACA