Eastern Africa Association
Eastern Africa Association
The Eastern Africa Association is the leading organisation for corporations and investors in Eastern Africa, providing information, guidance and networking to our Members. Our belief is that private sector investment plays a critical role in enabling social and economic development in Eastern Africa and our mission is to support this in a long-term, sustainable way.
We are the premier voice for international businesses in the region, having created an open and candid forum for business leaders to engage with senior decision-makers and experts. Founded in 1964, we draw on almost 60 years of experience to be an authoritative and invaluable source of information and guidance to our members. The Association is distinguished by its strong network physically based in the region. As a not-for-profit organisation, funded by members’ subscriptions, we are entirely independent and apolitical.
Unlike other business associations, which often prioritise bilateral relations or focus on a single destination country, the EAA uniquely covers the whole Eastern Africa region and draws on a membership from around the world.
The Eastern Africa Association acts as a first port of call for companies looking for information and advice, when entering the markets of Eastern Africa or expanding their operations there. We seek to promote and support sustainable and ethical investment, to the long-term sustainable benefit of countries in the region and the advantage of our Members. We draw upon our 60 years’ of experience in the region and extensive network of contacts and members there.
In addition to providing insights and intelligence, we act as a platform for members to interact as a community and engage with senior decision-makers and experts.
We support our Members in the following areas:
The Association acts as a forum for its members to meet and network with their peers and other leaders from business, government and politics, the diplomatic community, industry leaders and regional experts. We are a first port of call for members investing in Eastern Africa, and we are an open and candid environment in which members are invited to share and hear views and advice on matters of importance to their business in the region.
We are an authoritative and invaluable source of information on developments in the countries of the region, drawing on years of experience in East Africa, on the knowledge and contacts of our Board and Advisors and a wide range of sources across the region. We provide regular newsletters and other publications, and our broad membership also acts as a unique source of insights and intelligence.
The EAA seeks to be the premier voice for business in the region, and while not lobbying for individual interests, we will represent common concerns of its members through government and other channels wherever we can. Our meetings and networking sessions will also give members access to decision-makers allowing them to speak on the opportunities and challenges they face in their investments.
We help promote and support long-term, sustainable and ethical investment in the region by giving members insights into the region. We draw attention to business opportunities as well as discussing risks. We interact with the region’s host government representatives and agencies responsible for attracting investment and we act as a two-way channel of communication wherever possible. The membership network is a powerful source of support for other members requiring assistance or advice.
We also lead business missions to individual countries as a means of joining investors with opportunities and leaders in the countries concerned.
The EAA was established in 1964, originally as the East Africa Association, on the initiative of several prominent mainly UK-based companies with business interests in the region. The majority of these companies remain members to this day. It quickly expanded from those roots to bring together companies from many countries around the world, with operations all across the region. It was renamed the Eastern Africa Association to reflect the wider regional interests of its members, outside of the East Africa Community (EAC), and today the Association’s regional activities cover Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Eritrea, South Sudan and Djibouti.
It is incorporated as a UK not-for-profit company with a branch in Kenya which acts as the regional headquarters for the Association.