The Government of Kenya has welcomed the establishment of the Horticulture Council of Eastern Africa (HoCEA), saying the regional platform will strengthen cooperation, improve market access, and position Eastern Africa as a competitive and sustainable horticultural trade hub.
Speaking during the Regional Public Private Dialogue on Horticultural Trade and the official launch of HoCEA in Nairobi, Principal Secretary (PS), State Department for Trade, Regina Ombam, said the launch marked an important step in moving the region from fragmented national efforts towards coordinated action.
“This regional platform is a timely and strategic response to the shared challenges and opportunities facing our horticulture industry. It reflects the maturity of our private sector and its readiness to move from fragmented national efforts to coordinated regional action” said PS Ombam in her speech read on her behalf by Deputy Director for Internal Trade at the State Department for Trade. Matthew Komen.
The two-day dialogue, which brings together governments, private-sector players, horticulture associations, development partners, and other stakeholders, is being held under the theme ‘Positioning Eastern Africa as an Integrated, Competitive, and Sustainable Horticultural Trade Hub.’
The event also marks the official launch of HoCEA, a private-sector-led regional platform bringing together National Horticulture Associations to advance a common agenda on trade, investment, market access, and competitiveness. The Council has been developed with support from TradeMark Africa and partners.
Ombam said horticulture remains one of the region’s most dynamic economic sectors, supporting exports, foreign exchange earnings, employment, rural livelihoods, and investment, particularly for women and young people.
She noted that Kenya exported approximately 457,700 tonnes of horticultural produce valued at Sh143.78 billion in 2025, underscoring the importance of strengthening systems that enable the sector to compete in regional and international markets.
“Our collective ambition as Eastern Africa must go beyond volume. We must increase productivity, deepen regional value chains, and ensure that a greater share of the value created through processing, packaging, branding, and other forms of value addition is retained within our region,” she said.
The PS said the horticulture industry continues to face challenges that transcend national borders, including high logistics costs, inadequate cold-chain infrastructure, lengthy border procedures, sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, non-tariff barriers, and fragmented digital systems.
She said such challenges require coordinated solutions involving governments, the private sector, and regional institutions.
“We must move from fragmentation to coordination, from raw commodity exports to value addition, and from country-by-country competition to genuine regional cooperation,” said Ombam.
She said the approach was consistent with the objectives of the East African Community (EAC), particularly efforts to deepen regional integration, remove barriers to trade, strengthen regional value chains and expand intra-EAC commerce.
Ombam said HoCEA would provide an important institutional platform through which the private sector can engage governments and regional bodies on issues affecting the movement and competitiveness of horticultural products.
The PS added that the council is expected to strengthen collective advocacy on standards and policies, promote cross-border trade, support investment mobilisation, and facilitate greater access to technology, finance, knowledge, and markets.
The Government of Kenya also sees opportunities to expand regional and international markets through existing trade arrangements, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the EAC regional market.
HoCEA Chairperson, Dr Jacqueline Mkindi, said the Council was established to give the region’s horticulture industry a stronger collective voice and address challenges that cannot be effectively resolved by individual countries or businesses.
“We established HoCEA with a clear purpose and vision: to strengthen regional private-sector coordination and advance a common agenda for horticultural trade, inclusive growth and competitiveness,” she said.
Mkindi said the Council would seek to ensure that farmers are treated as profitable business players by improving their access to markets, finance, technology, knowledge and value-addition opportunities.
She said Eastern Africa should develop an integrated production, processing and trading ecosystem capable of competing effectively in regional and global markets.
Mkindi said investment mobilisation will form another key area of focus, with HoCEA seeking to attract international investment while encouraging stronger domestic investment in horticulture across the region.
“Ultimately, our aim is to move from fragmented national efforts to coordinated regional action, creating a horticulture sector that delivers greater prosperity for farmers, stronger trade linkages, increased investment, and sustainable economic growth across Eastern Africa,” Mkindi said.
By Anita Omwenga
