The East African Business Council (EABC) with support from TradeCom Facility has embarked on a regional private sector sensitisation programme aimed at educating private sector players on ways of harnessing business opportunities under the World Trade Organisation.

Entrepreneurs in East Africa have most times been left out of lucrative world trade opportunities, since they have limited knowledge on how the new trade regime- Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) can impact on their businesses.

According Mr Adrian Njau, the project coordinator, Framework Economic Partnership Agreement (FEPA), the East African Community and European Union to form two economic blocs whose potential can be tapped to the benefit of the citizens of the two blocs.

Mr Njau said: "EAC-EC EPA is another form of integration between the EAC and the European Union with the aim of creating an EAC-European Union Free Trade Area."

"This integration pattern will have substantial impact on the private sector in the EAC region."

East African Community, in 2007, initialed a Framework Economic Partnership Agreement (FEPA) with the European Commission which was expected to be concluded on July 31, 2009.

However, the signing was postponed to a later date yet to be agreed. The FEPA contains market access offers on trade in goods made by both the EAC and EC.

EU's market access offer consists of duty and quota free access to imports from the EAC partner states except for rice and sugar for which a transitional arrangement was put in place. Exports of rice will continue to attract a tariff until January 1, 2010.