The better part of the last two financial years have been marked by unprecedented global focus on COVID-19, the global pandemic that took the World by surprise. The numerous natural, economic, and intellectual resources that have been spent to contain the spread of the rapidly-mutating enigmatic disease, and to eradicate it, have been worthwhile. In the Eastern Africa region for instance, conditions for external trade and investment have tremendously improved due to enhanced focus on trade as a key ingredient for economic resilience. This, I dare state, is a direct result of joint efforts by TradeMark Africa (TMA), the region’s Governments, donors and other partners, to accelerate innovative approaches to trade in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the start of the 2020/2021 financial year, exports of most East African Community Partner States had surpassed their 2019 levels, whilst imports recovered to pre-pandemic levels, testimony of increased regional resilience. At TMA, we strove to maintain progress and associated developmental gains generated over the years, that could have been easily reversed by the effects of the pandemic. In our commitment to make meaningful and resolute impact through inclusive and sustainable trade in the region, TMA intensified focus on innovation and digital transition, simultaneously with its expansion plan. Innovation and digital transition enabled markets and borders to safely remain open for continued trade, thus speeding up recovery and promoting traders’ resilience. This contrasts with other parts of the Continent whose trade continues to be affected by the pandemic. The Safe Trade...

2021 marked an important watershed moment for global trade, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic started to subside, and countries began to post stronger economic growth. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), global trade touched a high of $28 trillion, 11% growth from pre-pandemic levels. Trade in services is however yet to fully recover. Furthermore, while the global trade growth remained uneven across countries and sectors, it was broader towards the end of the year. Its therefore still early to celebrate yet, even though the future might be promising. The global picture bears similarities with activities in TradeMark East Africa, which has continued to post impressive results in addition to expanding our geographical footprint across Africa, whilst battling COVID-19 induced disruptions. It is for instance gratifying to see many women traders from vulnerable backgrounds being able to maintain their livelihoods due to medically COVID- 19 compliant markets that were constructed during the year to safeguard them and their clients. Similarly, seeing many regional micro, small and medium enterprises reap the benefits of reducing costs of trade due to various interventions such as growing digitisation of trade services by regional Governments, and improved evacuation of cargo along key trade corridors, are heart-warming. Amidst this, TMEA’s approach to trade facilitation continued to be relevant, in high demand, and impactful. Development of physical and digital trade corridors, promotion of inclusive trade, supporting standards harmonisation, and increasing the private sector’s voice in reforming trade policies have enabled many...

2021 marked an important watershed moment for global trade, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic started to subside, and countries began to post stronger economic growth. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), global trade touched a high of $28 trillion, 11% growth from pre-pandemic levels. Trade in services is however yet to fully recover. Furthermore, while the global trade growth remained uneven across countries and sectors, it was broader towards the end of the year. Its therefore still early to celebrate yet, even though the future might be promising. The global picture bears similarities with activities in TradeMark Africa, which has continued to post impressive results in addition to expanding our geographical footprint across Africa, whilst battling COVID-19 induced disruptions. It is for instance gratifying to see many women traders from vulnerable backgrounds being able to maintain their livelihoods due to medically COVID- 19 compliant markets that were constructed during the year to safeguard them and their clients. Similarly, seeing many regional micro, small and medium enterprises reap the benefits of reducing costs of trade due to various interventions such as growing digitisation of trade services by regional Governments, and improved evacuation of cargo along key trade corridors, are heart-warming. Amidst this, TMA’s approach to trade facilitation continued to be relevant, in high demand, and impactful. Development of physical and digital trade corridors, promotion of inclusive trade, supporting standards harmonisation, and increasing the private sector’s voice in reforming trade policies have enabled many nations...

Finland Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Pirkka Tapiola says his country is committed to doubling trade with Africa over the next decade. The ambassador spoke while touring the Port of Mombasa on Friday. The envoy commended the Government of Kenya and Development Partners for supporting Port Reforms and Modernisation Programme over the last decade that has dramatically improved evacuation of cargo at the facility. It for instance used to take 11 days to process imports through Mombasa in 2010, the time had fallen to only 5.5 days by 2017. The time to transport a container from Mombasa to Bujumbura also fell by 16.5% over the period. The Government of Finland, through TradeMark Africa has over the last decade invested more than US$13.1 million to support various projects in and around the Port of Mombasa. Finland also contributed US$445,000 to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) through the Safe Trade Emergency facility by TradeMark Africa, a project that sought to keep ports, borders, and critical supply chains in the region safe for trade at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ambassador was received by General Manager Human Resources and Administration Mr. Daniel Ogutu and TradeMark Africa Deputy CEO, Allen Asiimwe.  The KPA General Manager noted that the support provided at the outset of COVID-19 was critical in keeping the port running. He further noted that port output slowed down due to COVID-19-related interruptions, calling on all stakeholders to work together to address such challenges. TradeMark Africa Deputy CEO and Chief of Programmes...

26th February, Nairobi - United Kingdom (UK) Trade Envoy to Kenya Theo Clarke has today virtually visited projects funded by UK government in Kenya among them the Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS), Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) and Regional Electronic Cargo and Driver Tracking System (RECTDS) implemented in partnership with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Speaking during the virtual visit, attended by senior government officials and officials from TradeMark Africa (TMA), through which these projects were funded, the envoy underscored the special trade relationship between Kenya and the UK. Trade between the two nations was worth Ksh 79 billion in 2019 with the trade balance in favour of Kenya. Main Kenyan exports to the UK in the year were coffee, tea and spices at Ksh 18.6 billion (£121 million), vegetables at Ksh 12.1 billion (£79 million) and live plants mainly flowers at Ksh 8.3 billion (£54 million). The UK market accounted for 43% of total exports from Kenya as well as 9% of her cut flowers. British firms sold East Africa’s leading economy goods worth Ksh 125 billion (£815 million) mainly in machinery, pharmaceuticals, and automobiles. The UK is the largest European foreign investor in Kenya, with more than 100 British firms based in Kenya among them Vodafone, BAT, Diageo, Standard Chartered Bank, GlaxoSmithKline, ACTIS, Unilever and De La Rue. The UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Kenya, Theo Clarke MP, said: “I am pleased that during the day of my first virtual visit as the Prime Minister’s Trade...

When the COVID-19 pandemic crisis started; most people were extremely pessimistic and predicted that the EAC region would drown in terms of trade declining catastrophically. But in fact, the East Africa Community economies (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda) have, by global standards, proven to be relatively resilient. The newly launched joint report by UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), TradeMark Africa (TMA) and African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) entitled “Waving or Drowning? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on East African Trade” notes that declines in imports broadly reflected the adverse trade performance of the EAC’s main trading partners during the early phases of the pandemic in April and May 2020, but the imports of all the EAC Partner States subsequently recovered to pre-pandemic levels by the second half of 2020, after governments’ lockdown restrictions were eased, and a broader global trade recovery started to take place. Nonetheless, despite showing resilience, COVID-19 has reversed some of the gains made in trade facilitation. Immediately after COVID-19 outbreak, the ship dwell time at Mombasa port increased by 48% and Berth time increased by 52%. Cargo transit from Mombasa Port to Malaba (the border between Kenya and Uganda) increased from 7 days to 11 days by the second quarter of 2020. The time taken to transport goods via the Mombasa-Busia route was nearly three times higher. On the Central Corridor, the transit time from Dar-es-Salaam to various cities in the neighbouring countries more than doubled. The marked increase in transit...