Local manufacturers produce only 17 million pairs annually, leaving much of the market supplied by imports.
In late October, East Africa's business community will gather in Kigali for the 26th EAC MSME Trade Fair, where the distance between what a region produces and what it consumes becomes the measure of both its vulnerability and its possibility. With local manufacturers supplying fewer than one in seventeen pairs of shoes demanded across the region, the fair's focus on leather and horticulture is less a celebration of achievement than a candid reckoning with industrial potential long left unrealized. Policymakers are wagering that targeted convening — connecting investors, producers, and buyers around specific sectors — can begin to close a gap that has for decades sent East African currency flowing outward in exchange for goods that local hands could, in principle, make.
- East Africa consumes 290 million pairs of shoes a year but manufactures only 17 million locally — a gap so vast it functions as both an indictment of the status quo and an open invitation to regional industry.
- Demand is projected to reach 385 million pairs by 2030, meaning the window for local manufacturers to claim market share is narrowing even as it widens in scale.
- The fair in Kigali will serve as a live marketplace and policy forum, pulling entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and development partners into the same room to accelerate deals and share knowledge.
- Running alongside the trade fair, the EAC Quality Awards 2026 signal that the region intends to compete on craftsmanship and standards — not merely on cost — as it builds its manufacturing identity.
- The 'Buy Made in East Africa' initiative frames the entire effort as a cultural and economic shift: redirecting consumer loyalty toward homegrown brands as a deliberate act of regional solidarity.
Late October will bring East Africa's business community to Kigali for the 26th East African Community Trade Fair for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, running from October 30 through November 8, 2026. The event, approved by the EAC's Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment, reflects a deliberate regional pivot: rather than continuing to import what local industries could produce, policymakers are betting on homegrown manufacturing as the path to jobs, reduced import dependence, and a durable economic base.
This year's fair centers on leather and horticulture — two sectors chosen for their immediacy and scale. The leather story is striking in its proportions: East Africa consumed roughly 130 million pairs of shoes in 2017, a figure that had more than doubled to 290 million pairs by 2024, while local production remained at just 17 million pairs annually. With demand projected to reach 385 million pairs by 2030, the gap between appetite and output represents one of the region's most consequential industrial opportunities. Horticulture carries comparable weight — agriculture accounts for more than a quarter of East Africa's GDP, and as producers adopt new technologies and meet international standards, the sector is being repositioned as a source of high-value exports rather than subsistence alone.
Organizers describe the fair as a convergence point for entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, researchers, and development partners, designed to foster business development, innovation, and knowledge exchange. EAC Deputy Secretary General Annette Ssemuwemba emphasized the event's role in promoting locally produced goods as part of broader efforts to strengthen domestic industries and sharpen regional competitiveness. Running in parallel, the EAC Quality Awards 2026 will recognize enterprises excelling in standards compliance and innovation — a signal that the region is building toward quality, not just volume.
Taken together, the Kigali fair and its accompanying awards represent a narrowing of strategic focus: the EAC is identifying specific sectors where raw materials and unmet demand already coexist, and using targeted events to accelerate the transition from import-reliant economies toward regional manufacturing hubs capable of supplying their own people.
Late October will bring East Africa's business community to Kigali for an event that reveals how seriously the region's governments have begun to think about making things instead of buying them from abroad. The 26th East African Community Trade Fair for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will run from October 30 through November 8, 2026, following approval by the EAC's Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment. The timing and focus signal a deliberate pivot: regional policymakers are betting that by strengthening local supply chains and developing homegrown industries, East Africa can create jobs, reduce its reliance on imports, and build the kind of manufacturing base that has long eluded the region.
This year's fair will center on two sectors that officials believe hold the most immediate promise: leather and horticulture. The choice is not arbitrary. East Africa's appetite for leather goods—particularly footwear—has grown dramatically. In 2017, the region consumed roughly 130 million pairs of shoes annually. By 2024, that figure had more than doubled to nearly 290 million pairs. Yet local manufacturers produce only about 17 million pairs each year, meaning the vast majority of shoes worn in East Africa come from overseas. Demand is expected to climb further, reaching 385 million pairs by 2030. For regional manufacturers, this gap between what people want and what local factories can supply represents an enormous opportunity. If East African producers could capture even a fraction of that market, the economic ripple effects would be substantial: new factories, new jobs, new export revenue.
Horticulture, the fair's second focus, carries similar weight. Agriculture accounts for more than a quarter of East Africa's gross domestic product and provides livelihoods for millions of people across the region. As producers increasingly adopt new technologies and work to meet international quality standards, horticulture is being repositioned not merely as subsistence farming but as a source of high-value exports and value-added growth. The sector sits at the intersection of what East Africa already does well and what global markets are willing to pay for.
Organizers say the fair will function as a marketplace where investors, producers, and buyers can connect directly, while also serving as a promotional platform for the "Buy Made in East Africa" initiative. Annette Ssemuwemba, the EAC's Deputy Secretary General for Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs, described the event as bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, researchers, and development partners in a single space designed to foster business development, innovation, and knowledge sharing. "It will also promote the consumption of locally produced goods as part of broader efforts to strengthen domestic industries and enhance regional competitiveness," she said. Running parallel to the trade fair will be the EAC Quality Awards 2026, which recognize enterprises that have demonstrated excellence in standards compliance, innovation, and quality management—a signal that the region is serious about competing on quality, not just price.
The twin events represent part of a larger strategic push by the EAC to build stronger regional industries, increase trade among member states, and position local enterprises to capture a growing share of East Africa's expanding consumer market. Last year's edition, held in Nairobi, focused on innovation and regional value chains for competitive MSMEs. This year's shift to Kigali and the emphasis on leather and horticulture suggests the bloc is narrowing its focus, identifying specific sectors where the region has both raw materials and unmet demand, and using targeted events to accelerate the transition from import-dependent economies to manufacturing hubs.
Separately, Burundi will host the fifth World Swahili Language Day celebrations and the third international conference of the East African Kiswahili Commission from July 5 to 7. The conference will bring together delegates from across East Africa and beyond to discuss Kiswahili's role in the age of artificial intelligence—a recognition that as African languages gain prominence in machine translation, speech recognition, and large language models, Kiswahili, now an official language of both the African Union and the EAC, stands at the forefront of that shift. UNESCO first proclaimed World Swahili Language Day in 2021, making Kiswahili the first African language to receive its own international day within the United Nations system, a distinction later endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2024.
Citas Notables
The fair will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, researchers and development partners, creating a platform for business development, innovation and knowledge sharing, and will promote the consumption of locally produced goods as part of broader efforts to strengthen domestic industries.— Annette Ssemuwemba, EAC Deputy Secretary General for Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why focus on leather and horticulture specifically? Why not other sectors?
Because the gap between demand and local supply is so stark in leather—nearly 290 million pairs needed annually, but only 17 million made locally. That's not a problem to solve; it's an opportunity sitting in plain sight. Horticulture is different but equally strategic: it's already woven into the region's economy and livelihoods, but it's being repositioned as a source of high-value exports rather than just subsistence farming.
So this is really about import substitution—replacing foreign goods with locally made ones?
Partly, yes. But it's also about building something that didn't exist before. East Africa has the raw materials and the labor. What's been missing is the infrastructure, the investment, and the regional coordination to turn those inputs into finished goods that compete globally.
The leather numbers are striking. How did demand double in just seven years?
Population growth, rising incomes, urbanization. More people in cities means more people buying shoes. The region's consumer market is expanding faster than local production can keep up, which is why imports have filled the gap. But that gap is also where the money is.
What does the EAC Quality Awards piece signal?
That they're not just trying to make things cheaper. They want to make things better. If East African leather or horticultural products are going to compete regionally and globally, they have to meet international standards. The awards recognize that quality is the real differentiator.
And the Swahili conference—how does that fit into this economic story?
It's a different thread, but connected. As African languages gain prominence in AI and technology, Kiswahili becomes more valuable as a tool for innovation and communication across the region. You can't build strong regional industries without strong regional communication.
What happens if the fair succeeds?
You'd see more investment flowing into leather tanneries and horticultural processing facilities across East Africa. More jobs. More intra-regional trade. Fewer dollars leaving the region to pay for imports. By 2030, when footwear demand hits 385 million pairs, maybe local manufacturers are producing 50 or 60 million instead of 17 million. That's the bet.