23rd EAC trade fair opens new market horizons for artisans

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA | Xinhua | The opening ceremony of the 23rd edition of the East African Community (EAC) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) trade Fair was held on Friday in the Burundian capital Bujumbura, said a statement.

The statement by the EAC headquarters in Tanzania’s northern city of Arusha noted the event, which runs from Dec. 5 to 15, 2023, has attracted more than 1,000 artisans from seven EAC member states of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

Prosper Bazombanza, Burundian Vice President, said that the trade fair was a testament to the progressive success of economic and commercial integration among the EAC member states, adding the event played a major role in bridging technological gaps among artisans, micro-entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises in the region.

The trade fair opens new market horizons for artisans’ products and, at the same time, bridges the technological gaps that still exist among them through experience and knowledge sharing, he added. ■