Stakeholders chart new path for Eastern Africa horticulture

NAIROBI, KENYA: Horticulture stakeholders have met in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss various issues affecting the sector, including how to enhance cross-border trade among African countries and position Eastern Africa as an integrated production, processing and trading ecosystem capable of competing effectively in regional and global markets.

Delivering her speech at the Regional Public-Private Dialogue on Horticultural Trade and the official launch of the Horticulture Council of Eastern Africa (HoCEA) on Tuesday, the council’s chairperson, Dr Jacqueline Mkindi, said the aim of the dialogue was to go beyond discussion and prioritise a clear, actionable agenda that cuts across countries, with the shared ambition of transforming Eastern Africa into a more integrated, competitive and investment-ready horticulture ecosystem.

The HoCEA chairperson said the well-attended event also focused on elevating farmers as profitable business players in horticulture by strengthening their access to markets, finance, technology, knowledge and value-added opportunities.

“We also aimed at unifying the voice of Eastern Africa’s horticulture sector in standards and policy formulation, negotiations and harmonisation processes, both within Africa and beyond the continent,” Dr Mkindi noted.

The stakeholders also met to adopt a holistic and innovative approach to investment mobilisation, attracting international investment into the region while simultaneously catalysing and strengthening local investment in their respective countries.

“As we now embark on these two days of meaningful engagement, let us build on the momentum we have created and translate our shared vision into concrete actions, stronger partnerships and lasting impact for the horticulture sector and, most importantly, for the people of Eastern Africa,” she said.

Regarding the launch of HoCEA, Dr Mkindi described it as a platform with a clear purpose and vision to strengthen regional private-sector coordination and advance a common agenda for horticultural trade, inclusive growth and competitiveness.

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The launch took place during the Regional Public-Private Dialogue on Horticultural Logistics and Trade Facilitation, bringing together government representatives, national horticulture associations, private-sector leaders, development partners, logistics and cold-chain operators, regulators and regional institutions from across Eastern Africa.

According to her, national platforms bring considerable expertise, while HoCEA gives the collective voice needed to address challenges that cross borders, insisting: “Our regional strength rests on our unity.”

The HoCEA chairperson, who also doubles as Chief Executive Officer of the Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA), appreciated various stakeholders, including TradeMark Africa (TMA), for their contributions, including technical and financial support throughout the journey, from its inception to the successful realisation of the important event.

HoCEA Secretary General Clement Tulezi highlighted five strategic priority areas for HoCEA: market access and trade facilitation, including SPS harmonisation and reducing trade barriers; cold-chain infrastructure and trade corridors; digital trade, traceability and paperless systems; inclusive value-chain development, particularly for smallholders, women and youth; and climate resilience and sustainable production standards.

Representing the Principal Secretary at the event, Mr Mathew Komen, Deputy Director for Internal Trade at the State Department for Trade, said the challenges affecting horticultural trade could not be addressed by individual countries or businesses acting alone, calling for coordinated public-private action at the regional level.

“These challenges cannot be resolved by any single country or firm acting alone. They demand coordinated public-private action at the regional level.”

HoCEA brings together horticulture associations from nine Eastern African countries under the theme, “Nine Countries. One Region. One Vision.” The Council is intended to provide the sector with a unified regional voice on issues that transcend national borders and to strengthen coordination on trade, logistics, market access, investment and sustainability.

Komen highlighted horticulture’s contribution to foreign exchange earnings and employment, particularly for women and young people.

Kenya exports approximately 467,000 metric tonnes of horticultural produce valued at about US$1.143 billion annually, according to government remarks delivered at the launch.

The Government outlined several areas of action to strengthen the systems supporting horticultural trade, including expanding cold-storage capacity along the Northern Corridor and at Inland Container Depots, and strengthening single-window systems and electronic cargo tracking.

Anataria Uwamariya, Director of Business Competitiveness at TradeMark Africa, noted that global and regional shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and rising logistics costs, had underscored the importance of regional collaboration.

She highlighted four areas requiring greater attention: logistics efficiency, climate-smart and resilient supply chains, digital trade adoption, and integration of horticulture into the AfCFTA framework.

Mr Edwin Chachi, Programme Manager at the Royal Danish Embassy, stressed that green logistics, effective cold chains and environmental considerations need to be incorporated into commercial strategies from the outset. He also called for HoCEA to establish concrete, time-bound priorities and deliver measurable results for farmers and exporters.

Representing the European Union (EU) delegation to Kenya, Rodrigo Romero Van Cutsem, Connectivity Team/Investment Officer, highlighted the importance of strengthening competitiveness across the entire horticulture value chain, including cold chains, warehousing, SPS compliance, quality infrastructure and the transition from air to sea freight where commercially viable.

He also highlighted the Northern Corridor as a critical trade artery connecting Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda to global markets.

For his part, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya, Henk Jan Bakker, highlighted the complementarity between Eastern Africa’s horticultural production capacity and the Netherlands’ expertise in logistics and greenports.

The diplomat also pointed to the EU–Netherlands co-financed FRESH (Fostering Resilient Exports in Sustainable Horticulture) programme, which is supporting cold-chain infrastructure, digital corridors and sustainable transport along the Northern Corridor.