ARUSHA, Aug. 8 -- THE East African Community (EAC) recorded a trade surplus of 0.8 billion US dollars (about 1.98tri/-) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to a trade deficit of 4.0 billion US dollars (about 9.9tri/-) during the same period in 2024.

According to information posted on the EAC Secretariat website, this significant shift is linked to strong export performance, improved trade within the African continent and growing competitiveness across Partner States.

The EAC Quarterly Statistics Bulletin for the period of January to March 2025 shows that total exports increased by 47.3 per cent to 17.7 billion US dollars (about 43.89tri/-), while imports rose modestly by 4.6 per cent to 16.8 billion US dollars (41.6tri/-).

The bulle...