The East African Business Council (EABC) is conducting a three-day coaching programme for 20 export-ready service companies from diverse sectors as part of the LIFTED Project, supported by GIZ and the European Union (EU). The coaching is taking place from 24th–26th August 2026 at the Elgon Conference Room, GIZ Office, Plot 1–4, Nyonyi Gardens, Kololo, Kampala.
The coaching is designed to strengthen the capacity of participating companies to strategically position, package and export their services beyond the East African Community (EAC) market to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and, ultimately, the global market. The programme is equipping participating companies with practical knowledge and tools to develop and implement individual Service Export Strategies, enhance their overall export readiness, and identify and prioritize appropriate target markets.
The coaching places particular emphasis on helping companies understand how to translate their existing capabilities into competitive, scalable and market-responsive service export offerings.
Key areas covered during the coaching include:
· Developing Individual Service Export Strategies – enabling companies to define their export ambitions, value propositions, priority markets and practical market-entry approaches.
· Enhancing Export Readiness – strengthening companies’ understanding of the capabilities, systems, standards and commercial requirements necessary to successfully serve international markets.
· Target Market Selection – introducing practical approaches for identifying, assessing and prioritising markets based on demand, competitiveness, accessibility, regulatory considerations and commercial potential.
The 20 participating companies represent a broad range of service industries, demonstrating the growing diversity and innovation within Uganda’s service economy. These include logistics and freight forwarding, AI integration and digital solutions, digital medical solutions, tourism and hospitality, professional consulting services, digital payment solutions, among other emerging and knowledge-intensive services. The diversity of participants reflects the significant potential for Uganda and the wider EAC region to expand services exports, particularly in sectors driven by technology, innovation, professional expertise and digital transformation.
The coaching session forms part of EABC’s broader efforts under the LIFTED Project to strengthen the capacity of private sector players to take advantage of opportunities created by regional integration, AfCFTA and global trade in services. While the EAC provides an important first market for service exporters, the programme seeks to encourage companies to look beyond the regional market and develop the capabilities, strategies and partnerships required to compete across Africa and internationally.
The service sector is increasingly becoming a critical driver of economic growth, employment, innovation and competitiveness across the EAC Partner States. Strengthening the ability of service providers to export therefore has the potential to contribute significantly to increased foreign exchange earnings, business growth, job creation and broader economic transformation.
EABC appreciates the Government of Germany through GIZ and the European Union for their continued support to the implementation of the LIFTED Project and, in particular, for supporting initiatives that build the capacity and competitiveness of service sector enterprises. Through this partnership, EABC is able to work directly with businesses to address practical constraints affecting services exports and support enterprises to move from simply providing services domestically to deliberately developing exportable, competitive and internationally marketable services.
The LIFTED Project will continue supporting EABC to proactively promote and enhance services exports as a key contributor to the service sector and national GDPs of EAC Partner States. This will include strengthening private sector capacity, promoting awareness of available market opportunities, supporting export readiness and contributing to an enabling policy and regulatory environment for trade in services.
The ultimate objective is to build a stronger, more competitive and export-oriented East African services sector that can seize opportunities within the EAC, across Africa and in global markets.