Abstract
In the face of the growth and development of Regional Economic Communities in Africa, the need for effective and reliable
management of trade disputes is imperative. Arbitration offers an Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism without
unnecessary delay or expense, where parties involved are free to agree how their disputes are resolved as compared to
the time consuming and often expensive court processes. The aspects that will be examined in this paper are: the benefits
of arbitration over court litigation within the context of international trade focusing on regional integration in the
East African Community, the dynamics that exist in its use,and opportunities that exist for its promotion in the East
African Community.