East Africa turns payments and roaming reform into digital corridors

East Africa became a compelling test case for regional digital integration during Q2, with policy coordination and connectivity reforms advancing in tandem. The East African Community progressed a regional mobile roaming framework to support cross-border connectivity, making telecoms integration a practical part of regional digital trade. Kenya and Rwanda also deepened digital economy ties, reinforcing bilateral cooperation in digital services and market connectivity. The regional picture widened as East Africa moved to address cross-border connectivity barriers, signalling a shift from fragmented national systems towards more interoperable digital corridors. Unlike broader pan-African digital integration narratives, this demonstrates how a specific region works across roaming policy, bilateral cooperation and infrastructure coordination. East Africa’s experience suggests that regional scale is increasingly built through coordinated policy and interoperable infrastructure rather than isolated national initiatives.