DRC overtakes Kenya, Uganda as Tanzania’s leading export market

Tanzania is now sending more of its goods to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) compared to Kenya and Uganda, marking a shift in trade patterns. This change is due to the entry of new members into the East African Community (EAC) and ongoing trade conflicts involving tariffs and non-tariff barriers.

According to the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), DRC has become the top destination for Tanzanian exports, surpassing Kenya and Uganda. The DRC joined the EAC in 2022, and Somalia followed in 2024, expanding the bloc to eight members, which now includes Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan.

The BoT report shows that Tanzania’s exports to the DRC increased from 3.7% to 4.4% over the last three fiscal years, while exports to Kenya and Uganda decreased. Tanzania’s exports to Kenya dropped from 6.7% in 2021/2022 to 4.1% in 2022/2023, and exports to Uganda also saw a decline.

Exports to Burundi, however, remained stable at around 3% during the same period.

South Africa and the DRC are now Tanzania’s largest export markets, with South Africa accounting for 14.8% and the DRC for 4.4% of Tanzania’s total exports.

Tanzania mainly exports cereals like rice and maize, along with iron, steel, fertilizers, and cement to other EAC countries. Imports from the EAC include items such as iron, steel, soap, detergents, medicines, and food products like sugar.

Most of Tanzania’s international trade is conducted with China, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which together made up about 43.5% of Tanzania’s exports and 49.1% of its imports in 2022/2023.

EAC member states are working on reducing fees and charges on essential goods and services to ease trade in sectors such as transport and agriculture. The goal is to harmonize tariffs and remove costs seen as unnecessary or discriminatory in key industries like trade, finance, energy, and tourism.

Intra-EAC trade grew by 11.2% in 2022, reaching $10.91 billion, with key traded items including cereals, iron and steel, cement, and petroleum products. During the 2022/2023 fiscal year, Tanzania exported goods worth $1.61 billion to Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, mainly gold, textiles, fertilizers, and glassware, with most of the gold going to South Africa.

Despite growth in exports, Tanzania’s exports to the EAC region dropped by 9.4% in 2022/2023, and imports from the region also saw a decrease. As a result, Tanzania’s trade surplus with the region fell to $755.2 million from $879.6 million the previous year.

Tanzania’s overall export growth slowed, rising by only 3.8% in 2022/2023, driven mostly by non-traditional exports like minerals, including gold and coa