EAC Announces 2026 Regional Quality Awards to Honour East Africa’s Top Enterprises

EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania,13^th May, 2026: The East African Community (EAC) has today officially announced the upcoming 2026 EAC Regional Quality Awards set to fete outstanding enterprises across the region that demonstrate excellence in quality management, standards compliance, innovation and continuous improvement.

The Awards seek to promote a strong culture of quality among East African enterprises, enhance the competitiveness of locally produced goods and services, facilitate regional trade, and support deeper regional integration.

The initiative also aims to encourage the adoption of internationally recognised standards, strengthen innovation and improve market access for businesses across the region. The announcement was made during the 28th Meeting of the East African Standards Committee (EASC) held in Arusha, Tanzania.

Speaking during the event, EAC Director of Customs and Acting Director of Trade, Ms. Flavia Busingye, called on enterprises across all EAC Partner States, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to participate in the 2026 Awards cycle and showcase their commitment to quality and excellence.

Ms. Busingye underscored the important role of the private sector in driving quality improvement and regional competitiveness and stressed the need for inclusivity in the Awards process.

"We want to encourage greater participation of the private sector in the Awards process. We trust that the next phases will be more inclusive, especially for SMEs, women-led enterprises and emerging businesses, so that no one is left behind," she said.

She further challenged implementing institutions and stakeholders to establish a monitoring and mentorship mechanism to support Award winners beyond recognition and help them grow into stronger regional and international brands.

"We need a monitoring process that follows up on the winners and supports them to move from where they are to another level of excellence and competitiveness," she added.

Ms. Busingye further lauded the Republic of Kenya for successfully hosting the 2025 Awards cycle in Nairobi, which attracted participation from 252 organisations and drew an audience of more than 3,000 people, with 25 organisations receiving recognition at the regional level.

"The 2026 Awards cycle aims to further raise the bar for quality excellence across East Africa, including among SMEs, while promoting innovation, competitiveness and consumer confidence in East African products and services," she noted.

The EAC Regional Quality Awards are implemented under the EAC Regional Quality Awards Framework approved by the East African Standards Committee in 2022. The Awards recognise outstanding achievements by enterprises in both the manufacturing and service sectors across the region.

Following the success of the 2025 Awards, the 2026 EAC Regional Quality Awards will feature four main categories:

• EAC Product of the Year Award
• EAC Company of the Year Award
• EAC Service Awards
• EAC Exporter Awards for the Agri-Processing Sector

Each category will include both Large Enterprises and Small and Medium Enterprises.

The Awards process will be conducted in two stages. National competitions will first be coordinated by National Standards Bodies in collaboration with private sector stakeholders and relevant partners. National winners will then advance to the regional competition coordinated by the EAC Secretariat.

The timeline for the 2026 Awards is as follows:

• Launch of National Competitions - April 2026
• Submission of Entries at National Level - by 30 June 2026
• Selection of National Winners - by 30 August 2026
• Submission of National Winners for Regional Competition - by 30 August 2026
• Selection of Regional Winners - by 30 September 2026
• Regional Awards Ceremony in Kigali, Rwanda - October 2026

The EAC has urged enterprises across all Partner States to take advantage of the Awards platform to strengthen quality standards, improve competitiveness and expand access to regional and international markets.

The EAC Secretariat acknowledged the support of the European Union through the EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP II) as part of Global Gateway, implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), in collaboration with regional and national stakeholders including the East African Business Council (EABC).