East Africa’s economies are among the fastest-growing
in the world, with technological change sweeping across
the region and offering tremendous opportunities in
agriculture, financial services, medicine, the manufacturing
of textiles and apparel, and trade. Labor and capital are
moving faster and more easily across borders. East African
businesses are better able to access regional and global
markets. Opportunities abound, but the stability and
prosperity of the region will depend on continued regional
economic integration supported by USAID and led by
East African regional institutions.

Food insecurity remains a significant barrier to greater
regional security, growth and prosperity. Over 27 million
people in the greater region are food insecure and
require humanitarian assistance, a 39 percent increase in
food insecurity over 2016.11 The World Bank estimates
that East Africa grows enough food to feed itself, but
increased regional economic integration is necessary to
enable staple foods to move from surplus to deficit areas
to improve food security, especially during times of great
stress such as drought.

Through the U.S. government’s Feed the Future Initiative,
USAID is helping to reduce chronic food insecurity by
strengthening markets and lowering barriers to trade
in East Africa, which has increased access to affordable,
nutritious food. Regional Feed the Future activities focus
on expanding access to staple foods – crops and animal
products produced by millions of smallholder farmers –
that form the basic diet for most East Africans. USAID
is increasing farm productivity for staple foods through
improved agricultural inputs and improving access to
markets by reducing trade barriers and enacting regional
policies and standards for staple foods. Additionally,
USAID’s regional partnerships and programs are building
resilience, to enable communities to withstand and bounce
back from shocks such as droughts that threaten their
well-being and food security.