The EAC-ATKH is co-anchored by two leading African institutions — ESAMI–Trade Policy Training Centre for Africa (trapca) and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) — whose partnership brings together policy, academia, and grassroots practice to drive the agroecology and trade agenda.
trapca, established under the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI), is a specialised centre of excellence in trade policy, trade law, and trade facilitation.
For nearly two decades, trapca has trained and advised governments, regional economic communities (RECs), and private sector actors across Africa in implementing WTO commitments, AfCFTA obligations, SPS and TBT measures, digital trade, and customs modernisation.
With its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, trapca operates as a hybrid institution of learning, policy research, and advisory services, delivering both academic programmes (MSc and PGD) and short professional trainings.
trapca also implements technical assistance projects with partners such as SIDA, AfDB, EIF, ACBF, GIZ, UNECA, COMESA, and TMA, focusing on strengthening Africa’s capacity for evidence-based trade policymaking.
Within the EAC-ATKH, trapca contributes to the trade, policy, legal, and institutional frameworks that underpin sustainable agroecological trade — ensuring that farmers and SMEs are equipped to navigate and benefit from regional and continental markets.
The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is a broad alliance of civil society actors working to advance food sovereignty and agroecology across the continent. Its membership includes African farmers’ organisations, NGO networks, consumer movements, faith-based groups, and environmental organisations.
AFSA’s members represent smallholder farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk, hunter-gatherers, indigenous peoples, and environmental advocates — together forming a network of networks comprising 48 member organisations working in over 50 African countries.
Together, trapca and AFSA bring to the EAC-ATKH a powerful blend of technical expertise, advocacy reach, and local knowledge — enabling the Hub to become the leading regional platform for evidence-based, inclusive, and sustainable agroecological trade in Africa.