𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗔-𝗘𝗔𝗖-𝗦𝗔𝗗𝗖 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲 (𝗧𝗦𝗧𝗥) 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗶, 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘆𝗮

Nairobi, Kenya

 

Partner and Member States of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are convening a Policy Dialogue Forum with umbrella Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Business Apex Bodies from 18-19 February 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.

 

The Forum focuses on the Tripartite Simplified Trade Regime (TSTR), a regional trade facilitation framework developed under the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite arrangement. The TSTR is designed to make cross-border trade easier, faster and more affordable particularly for small-scale and informal traders, many of whom are women and youth.

 

The meeting brings together Non-State Actors (NSA), including umbrella CSOs and business organisations, to enhance their understanding of the TSTR and explore ways to support its inclusive implementation. The meeting also seeks to strengthen the advocacy role of these umbrella bodies in promoting simplified trade systems and deeper regional integration, while ensuring that the perspectives of grassroots traders are aligned with the commitments undertaken by Member and Partner States. Participating organisations are expected to cascade information on the framework to their respective member organisations.

 

In addition, the Forum seeks to promote collaboration among business councils, trader and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and youth and women’s organisations in advancing the TSTR agenda. By engaging these key stakeholders, the Forum aims to build a coordinated advocacy coalition capable of sustaining momentum beyond technical and policy discussions.

 

The TSTR builds on lessons learned from existing simplified trade frameworks within the three regional communities. It seeks to harmonise trade procedures, documentation requirements, and value thresholds in order to make cross-border trade more transparent, predictable, and accessible especially for small-scale traders.