Turning Trade, Capital, Diplomacy, and Digital Growth into Structural Transformation in Eastern Africa

Executive Summary

Eastern Africa region is entering a transformative phase where access is no longer the main constraint. Preferential trade under AGOA, rising venture capital flows anchored in Nairobi, high-level diplomacy through the Africa–France Summit, and fast-growing digital and e-commerce markets all signal the region’s rising relevance. Yet access alone does not deliver transformation. Trade preferences must drive value chain upgrading, venture capital must scale firms regionally, summit diplomacy must yield tangible outcomes, and digital growth must raise productivity beyond consumption. The next growth chapter will be defined by aligning policy, infrastructure, capital, and institutions for durable, inclusive structural transformation.