President William Ruto has congratulated Tanzania for surpassing Kenya in the volume of goods and services traded within East Africa.
Speaking at the 25th anniversary celebration of the East African Community (EAC) in Arusha, Tanzania, Ruto acknowledged Kenya’s lag in trade within the region.
“I must commend Tanzania for the progress it is making. The numbers are growing in trade between our countries. It is what it is. For us to prosper, we need a large enough market to support trade and investment for our people,” Ruto stated.
Historically, Kenya has been Uganda’s largest trading partner. However, recent data shows that Tanzania has now taken the lead, becoming Uganda’s largest source of imports within Africa.
According to the Bank of Uganda, during the year ending June 2024, Uganda imported goods worth $4.17 billion from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the rest of Africa, with nearly half of that coming from Tanzania.
Uganda’s imports from Tanzania include gold, rolled iron, non-alloy steel, groundnuts, and various glass containers like carboys and flasks.
Tanzania has surpassed Kenya in the volume of goods and services traded within East Africa.
Notably, gold accounts for more than half of Uganda’s imports from Tanzania, with Uganda importing gold valued at Shs1.08 trillion in 2023.
Data from the Uganda Revenue Authority shows that in the year ending June 2024, 42.56% of Uganda’s imports from Africa came from Tanzania, compared to 19.55% from Kenya and 6.43% from South Africa. Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso were the next largest sources, contributing 5.27% and 5%, respectively.
Furthermore, Bank of Uganda statistics reveal that Uganda’s expenditure on imports from Tanzania reached $1.77 billion for the year to June 2024, more than triple the $450.46 million spent in the previous year.
Meanwhile, Kenya, which had been Uganda’s leading import partner for years, now ranks second with $816.71 million in imports, a slight decrease from $860.71 million in 2023.
President Ruto with his colleagues, Samia Suluhu (Tanzania) and Yoweri Museveni (Uganda).
Uganda’s main imports from Kenya include cement, rolled iron, non-alloy steel, petroleum oils, scrap materials, and plastic products.
