When Noel Nkurikiye’s truck drivers cross into neighbouring countries such as Tanzania, their cargo keeps moving, but communication becomes costly. “Nowadays, when you are in neighbouring countries, people can still call you on your SIM card while it is roaming. But when you want to make a call yourself, it becomes expensive,” said Nkurikiye, Secretary General of the Rwanda Professional Truck Drivers Union and Managing Director of Consultant Tarzan of Transport Rwanda (COTATRARWA). He recalls spending Rwf3,000 on a single call for a few minutes during a single trip to Tanzania three years ago. But he says mobile internet remains the bigger challenge, especially for travellers unable to easily access local SIM cards and forced to rely on unreliable public Wi-Fi. ALSO READ: Why strengthening East African regional integration matters in a turbulent global economy For transporters moving goods across East Africa, communication is essential for coordinating deliveries and responding to emergencies. “That communication helps me when my driver is in a difficult situation, like an accident zone, because I can quickly call them or get updates,” he said. Yet for millions of East Africans travelling, trading, or working across borders, crossing into another country can still mean expensive calls, unreliable internet, and delayed payments despite years of promises around regional integration. Officials from the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) say they are now trying to address those barriers through the East Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP). Backed by $25 million in World Bank funding, the initiative seeks to align digital systems and policies across 11 countries, from Djibouti to Tanzania, with the aim of reducing roaming charges, improving internet access, strengthening data protection, and simplifying cross-border payments for more than 260 million people. Roaming still expensive Among the most immediate concerns for businesses and travellers is the continued cost of communication across borders. ALSO READ: Kagame, EAC boss discuss regional trade, integration Kennedy Okong’o, who leads the EAC’s connectivity work under EARDIP, said the problem persists despite reforms introduced through the One Network Area initiative launched in 2014. “The moment you cross, for example, the Uganda border, you start asking yourself one question: should I call, should I text, or should I message?” he said. “What looks like a simple telecom pricing issue has killed efficiency of trade across the borders.” Although roaming costs have fallen between some member states, implementation remains uneven. In some cases, officials say, calls between neighbouring African countries are still routed through Europe before reaching their destination, increasing costs and reducing quality. “A call from Juba to Nairobi can pass through Switzerland,” Okong’o said. Under EARDIP, the blocs are developing an Enhanced Regional Roaming Framework to harmonise regulations and establish transparent pricing models. “Connectivity should follow the citizen, not the border,” he added. One regional approach For the first time, EAC and IGAD are attempting to jointly coordinate digital integration efforts instead of pursuing parallel systems. Speaking during a regional media workshop in Nairobi, Gordon Kalema, the EAC’s digital integration expert, said overlapping membership between the blocs has often created duplication and fragmented policies. “If you belong to EAC, you cannot be working on a law with EAC and then have the same project with IGAD working on the same thing,” Kalema said. Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, and South Sudan belong to both organisations, often operating under different regional frameworks on telecommunications, data governance, and digital trade. EARDIP aims to create a common approach covering connectivity, cybersecurity, digital payments, e-commerce, and data governance. Connectivity gaps persist Even if roaming charges fall, major internet coverage gaps remain across rural parts of the region. Daniel Deng Malok, IGAD’s telecommunications advisor under EARDIP, said about 30 percent of the region’s population still lacks broadband access. “We are not going to close this divide through public budgets alone,” he said. According to Malok, installing a single telecom tower can cost up to $200,000 before electricity and maintenance costs are added. In remote areas, many operators still depend on diesel generators. “The consequence is that you have near instant connectivity in capitals, but near total silence a few hundred kilometres away,” he said. The programme is promoting infrastructure sharing among telecom operators and encouraging public-private partnerships to expand rural connectivity. Data and payments Officials say regional integration will also depend on whether citizens trust how their personal information is handled across borders. Rose Mosero, EARDIP’s data protection and cybersecurity advisor, said countries remain at different stages of data governance. While Rwanda and Kenya have relatively advanced systems, South Sudan still lacks a comprehensive data protection law. “For digital integration to happen, data must move across borders,” Mosero said. “But if I’m transferring my information to another country, I need to know that country has a way to protect me.” Cross-border payments remain another obstacle. Julius Mutemi, the EAC’s payments systems expert, said many transactions still depend on costly bilateral arrangements between banks and mobile money operators. “The idea is to move from bilateral arrangements to multilateral arrangements,” Mutemi said. Officials say the long-term goal is to make cross-border transactions as seamless as domestic payments, regardless of the country, bank, or mobile network involved. For traders and transporters moving across East Africa daily, that could mean fewer delays, lower costs, and easier movement of money and information across borders.
