The primary objective of the EAC Regional Quality Awards is to foster a culture of quality within the East African Community by encouraging the adoption of standards and quality management practices across EAC enterprises. This, in turn, enhances competitiveness and stimulates trade.

The Awards seek to achieve the following specific objectives:

1. Stimulate interest in quality management practices and excellence among EAC enterprises.
2. Encourage sustainable competitiveness by recognizing organizations that excel in adopting international standards.
3. Inspire SMEs and large enterprises to pursue continuous improvement and innovation.
4. Raise public awareness of the benefits of participation in quality-related activities.
5. Enhance cross-country experience-sharing on quality promotion, enterprise visibility, competitiveness, regional integration and access to wider markets.
6. Complement and align with Quality Award efforts at the national level.

Winning a Quality Award at the national or regional level can bring a range of benefits, including:

• Regional and national recognition
• Increased trust and credibility with customers
• Positive media exposure
• A strong sense of pride and morale boost across the organization
• Potential to unlock new business and market opportunities

National-level winners automatically qualify to compete in the EAC Regional Quality Awards.

To be eligible for the Awards, applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a legally registered enterprise operating in any of the EAC Partner States
2. Implementing a management system or has valid product certification mark
3. Comply with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements
4. If applying as a subsidiary or business unit of a larger entity, the unit must operate as a clearly defined, stand-alone business with financial autonomy and independently managed accounts

In 2025, participants will be recognised in five categories of Regional Quality Awards:

1. EAC Product of the Year: for both Large Enterprises and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
2. EAC Company of the Year: for both LEs and SMEs
3. EAC Service Awards: Divided into (a) Public and (b) Private sectors (Applicable to both LEs and SMEs)
4. EAC Exporter Awards: focused on enterprises in the agri-processing sector
5. EAC Standardization Excellence Awards: Recognizing outstanding contributions to the adoption and promotion of standards

The competition follows a two-stage process:

1. STEP 1: Submit your application to the National Standards Body (NSB) in your country to participate in the national level competition.
2. STEP 2: Winners at the national level in each Partner State will be nominated by their respective NSBs to compete in the EAC Regional Quality Awards

Additional information regarding how to apply for the awards can be obtained from the respective NSBs in each of the Partner States.

The competition follows a two-stage process:

1. 14th April 2025 – Applications open for National Level competitions.
2. By 15th July 2025 – Deadline for submission of applications at National Level.
3. By 15th September 2025 – Selection of National Winners.
4. By 20th September 2025 – National Winners to be Submitted as Nominees for Regional Competition.
5. By 15th November 2025 – Selection of Regional Winners.
6. November / December 2025 – EAC Regional Quality Awards Ceremony - Nairobi, Kenya.

The 2025 Regional Quality Awards are based on the seven Quality Management Principles that promote a systems-based approach to achieving consistent quality and sustained organisational success. These principles form the foundation of the ISO 9001 quality management system standards and can be applied by any organisation seeking to integrate quality into its core processes and drive continuous improvement.

The Seven Quality Management Principles are:

• Customer focus
• Leadership
• Engagement of people
• Process approach
• Improvement
• Evidence-based decision making
• Relationship management

• The closing date for entries follows the official competition timeline listed above.
• All submitted applications and materials become the property of the EAC Secretariat and will not be returned to the applicant.
• Applicants should avoid including confidential or price-sensitive information, as confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
• The decision of the Regional Quality Awards Committee (RQAC) is final. The RQAC reserves the right to determine the winners at its sole discretion and is under no obligation to disclose scores evaluation details.

Winners of 2025 EAC Regional Quality Awards will be honoured at a formal ceremony to be held in November or December 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya.

The ceremony will take place alongside the annual EAC MSME Trade Fair, providing a platform to celebrate quality excellence and inspire more SMEs to embrace quality management best practices that enhance competitiveness and drive sustainable growth.

Interested companies, organizations or individuals can obtain the Application Guidelines for the 2025 EAC Regional Quality Awards from the websites of their respective National Standards Bodies (NSBs) websites or by contacting the designated national focal points listed below: