Tanzanian President John Magufuli and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday directed their ministers to resolve disputes affecting trade between the two East African countries.

A statement by the Directorate of Presidential Communication at State House in Dar es Salaam said the two leaders directed the ministers to resolve the trade dispute in Kampala shortly before the start of the East African Community (EAC) heads of state summit.

The statement said Magufuli and Kenyatta were keen on seeking thriving trade between the two neighbours, adding that the leaders were disappointed to learn that the dispute arose from very minor issues.

Earlier this month, the two countries agreed to end their trade disputes, paving the way for increase in intra-EAC trade.

According to data published by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the two countries have had a bumpy trade relation in the last few years, culminating in a significant drop of Kenya’s exports to Tanzania by 60 per cent in the first six months in 2017.

Report says trade between Kenya and Tanzania constitutes over 45 per cent of the entire trade within the EAC, data from the Kenya Economic Survey 2017 shows.

Stories by Simon Ugwu