Standards and SPS harmonisation in the EAC

Why harmonise

Divergent technical standards or sanitary and phytosanitary requirements between partner states can act as non-tariff barriers to intra-EAC trade, even after tariffs are eliminated. The EAC promotes common East African Standards (EAS) to reduce this friction.

The national bodies involved

Each partner state has its own standards body, for example the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) or the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB). These bodies take part in the regional technical committees that develop EAS standards.

Limits of this guide

The list of EAS standards harmonised by value chain, product-specific SPS requirements and conformity assessment procedures are not detailed here: verify with the standards body of the relevant country and, for SPS measures, with the competent technical ministries (agriculture, health).