Earlier this year African heads of state, gathered for the annual African Union summit and approved the new Protocol on Digital Trade (the “Digital Protocol”) under the auspices of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).  Approval of the AfCFTA’s Digital Protocol is a pivotal step for African nations, their citizens, private sector, and other stakeholders in Africa’s ongoing development as a player the global economy. The Protocol is intended to support continent-wide digital trade and help both individual African countries, and the continent as a whole, participate fully in the digital economy of the future by harmonizing rules, standards, and practices. The urgency and speed with which the Digital Protocol was developed, negotiated, and approved is a model for continental diplomacy. Summary of the Digital Protocol The Protocol is comprehensive and has far-reaching implications. The Digital Protocol applies to all African states who have signed on (expected to be most or all member states eventually) and covers all market sectors. All parties to the agreement must comply with the Digital Protocol within five years. Key areas addressed include improving market access, facilitating digital trade, enhancing data governance, fostering business and consumer trust and transparency, improving digital inclusion and literacy, tackling emerging technologies such as AI, and building continent wide capacity to participate fully in the global digital economy. The Digital Protocol has the potential to transform Africa into a major global hub for digital products and services In focusing on improving trade across African countries with each other and,...

Close to 70 per cent of the Eastern and Southern African countries will continue to import food to meet their deficit following the increased effects of climate change. The countries are feared to continue to grapple with the high cost of living and increased import bills as the nations endeavour to feed their population. During an Eastern and Southern Africa public-private policy dialogue and grain trade business-to-business forum held last week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania noted that more than 60 per cent of the region’s countries are facing low maize production levels following interruption of the crop by effects of climate change. Despite the low supply of food, Eastern and Southern African governments committed to facilitating the private sector to undertake trade following the signing of grain trade contracts valued at $409 million (Sh52 billion). The forum organised by TradeMark Africa in collaboration with the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), noted that the region will have to rely on markets enjoying surplus to feed their population. Trade contracts EAGC executive director Gerald Masila explained the regional forum resulted in the signing of trade contracts amounting to 748,854 tonnes of assorted grains and pulses valued at $409 million expected to be traded across the region. “This demonstrates the enormous potential and demand for staple foods from surplus to deficit regions, emphasising the importance of seamless trade. The traders have started executing the new trade deals with EAGC connecting them to...

What you need to know: The National Trade Policy 2023, set to be officially launched tomorrow by Deputy Prime Minister Dr Doto Biteko, replaces the 2003 version and incorporates provisions for regional trade agreements, technological advancements and climate change Dar es Salaam. The government has come up with a revised trade policy that seeks to accommodate new developments such as regional trade agreements, technological advancement and climate change, among other local and global issues. The National Trade Policy 2003 was revised last year and will be officially inaugurated by deputy Prime Minister, Dr Doto Biteko, tomorrow, according to the Minister for Trade and Industry, Dr Selemani Jafo. “The National Trade Policy 2023 will enhance the country’s participation and integration in trade with neighbouring countries, regionally and internationally,” Dr Jafo told reporters. Read:Tanzania government creates team to craft new macroeconomic policy framework in the context of Vision 2050 The 2023 edition aims to establish a robust framework and strategy to improve the business environment, promote economic growth, and enhance citizens’ welfare, he said, adding that some evolving trade opportunities were covered in the revised policy. In September 2021, Tanzania ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which was not highlighted in the 2003 policy. The government said it is also completing domestic legal procedures before endorsing the Comesa-EAC-Sadc Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) agreement, which commenced on July 25, 2024, with 14 out of the 29 member states. Dr Jafo said some evolving trends, such as growing e-commerce, innovation, copyright, and...

Accra, July 31, GNA – The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a United States Trade Act, remains a cornerstone of the United States’s trade and investment relationship with Sub-Saharan Africa, Ms. Constance Hamilton, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa, Office of the Trade Representative, has reaffirmed. She said AGOA had made a tangible difference in the lives of millions of Africans in the past 24 years, creating new jobs, and new business opportunities. Addressing journalists at a digital presser organised by the Africa Regional Media Hub of the U.S. Department of State, she acknowledged that AGOA could “do much better in the coming years.” The press briefing followed the 21st African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Washington on the theme: “Beyond 2025: Reimagining AGOA for an Inclusive, Sustainable and Prosperous Tomorrow.” Discussions at the forum focused on how to modernize AGOA and make the partnership more effective, inclusive, and tailored to the realities of a 21st-century U.S. – Africa economic partnership. The forum brought together senior government officials from the United States, and AGOA-eligible countries, as well as representatives from continental and regional economic organizations, the private sector, labour, and civil society. As the 2025 expiration date for AGOA approaches, there is a strong push for its early reauthorization through the U.S. Congress, which has the authority to extend the legislation. Ms Hamilton, who highlighted the forum’s success in fostering dialogue on how to bolster worker-centric trade policies and strengthen economic opportunities, said, “We explored barriers that...

Trade facilitators and experts in Africa have cautiously welcomed the recently signed Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) that brings together three trading blocs in East and Southern Africa, saying it is meaningless without a security protocol. According to experts from TradeMark East Africa and East Africa Business Community (EABC), although the inter-regional deal that came into force on July 25 has an Annex on cooperation on trade and customs matters and general infrastructure, there is none on security. In a statement, the trade facilitators said a security pact would enhance other integration aspects by erasing existing suspicion amongst some member states. "There is a strong link between security and trade so, in the future, TFTA members may need to negotiate a protocol on security whose implementation will be challenging considering the large membership." "Despite the challenges, we remain optimistic that the deal will achieve desired objectives." Creck Buyonge Mirito, an international customs and international trade policy, reform, and modernization expert says that trying to ensure that the 26 countries expected in the TFTA are reading from the same script is a tall order – but it can and must be done if security matters are addressed. In his report dubbed 'Prospects for Africa’s Tripartite Free Trade Agreement in the Light of lessons learned from the East African Community', Mirito says countering the terrorist threat requires cooperation between governments at the bilateral, regional and global levels. "Such cooperation includes exchanging intelligence, common training, and capacity building." He adds that political challenge is also another threat...

L'Initiative de Commerce Guidé (GTI) de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine, lancée le 7 octobre 2022 pour piloter et accélérer les dispositions de l'AfCFTA, a connu un premier succès avec huit pays participant à sa phase inaugurale : Cameroun, Égypte, Ghana, Kenya, Maurice, Rwanda, Tanzanie et Tunisie. L'Afrique du Sud a rejoint le groupe en janvier 2024. Alors que la deuxième phase de la GTI prend de l'ampleur, le Nigéria est prêt à y participer, ce qui laisse présager de nouvelles possibilités d'expansion commerciale. Cette étape est cruciale car les exportateurs nigérians, qui sont actuellement aux prises avec des difficultés économiques internes, considèrent l'initiative technologique mondiale comme une lueur d'espoir, une porte d'accès à des marchés africains plus vastes.  Un rapport récemment publié, intitulé « Economic Impact of Nigeria's GTI Participation : A Comprehensive Analysis », évalue l'impact économique de la participation du Nigeria à cette initiative. Il examine la dynamique commerciale actuelle, les gains potentiels des réductions tarifaires et les stratégies visant à optimiser les avantages. Les principales conclusions révèlent que si les volumes commerciaux actuels du Nigeria avec les pays de de la GTI sont modestes, des secteurs tels que les noix de cajou, le gingembre et les produits manufacturés présentent un potentiel de croissance substantiel dans le cadre de l'élimination des droits de douane. Cette mesure pourrait accroître de manière significative les exportations et les importations nigérianes, favorisant un effet d'entraînement économique positif et un avenir prometteur pour le commerce nigérian. Pour relever les défis potentiels,...

Le Forum B2B sur les céréales de l'Afrique orientale et australe qui s'est récemment tenu à Dar es Salaam a été un succès notable, avec 400 millions de dollars d'aliments de base échangés. Organisé par TradeMark Africa (TMA), le Conseil des céréales d'Afrique de l'Est (EAGC) et l'Alliance pour une révolution verte en Afrique (AGRA), l'événement a rassemblé 150 délégués de neuf pays pour deux jours de dialogue et de réseautage. Organisé les 16 et 17 juillet, le forum a attiré un groupe diversifié de parties prenantes, notamment des producteurs, des négociants, des meuniers et des exportateurs du Kenya, de l'Ouganda, de la Tanzanie, du Rwanda, du Burundi, de la RDC, du Malawi, de la Zambie et de l'Éthiopie. Au-delà de l'établissement de relations d'affaires, les participants ont abordé des questions urgentes telles que les interdictions d'exportation et les barrières non tarifaires qui continuent d'entraver le commerce régional. Les délégués ont également exploré les possibilités régionales de faciliter les échanges entre les pays excédentaires en denrées alimentaires et leurs voisins confrontés à des pénuries. Par exemple, les discussions ont mis en évidence la manière dont la Tanzanie et l'Ouganda, avec leur production excédentaire, pourraient répondre à la demande de denrées alimentaires de base de pays tels que le Malawi et le Kenya, qui sont confrontés à des pénuries. Financé par les gouvernements des Pays-Bas et le programme Economic Recovery and Reform Activity (USAID-ERRA) de l'USAID, ainsi que par la Food Trade Coalition for Africa et UK International Development, le forum...

Le gouvernement des États-Unis, dans le cadre du programme USAID Economic Recovery and Reform Activity (USAID-ERRA), mis en œuvre par TradeMark Africa (TMA) et financé par Feed the Future, a signé un accord de subvention d'une valeur de 199 988 dollars avec l'Alliance du secteur privé du Kenya (KEPSA). Cette collaboration permettra à 160 petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) kenyanes, en particulier celles détenues par des femmes et des jeunes, de tirer parti des opportunités offertes par la zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (AfCFTA) en mettant en relation les acheteurs et les vendeurs sur l'ensemble du continent.  La zone de libre-échange continentale africaine offre un marché continental unique, favorisant la libre circulation des biens et des services et l'intégration économique. Cette initiative vise à renforcer les capacités d'exportation agricole de ces PME en relevant des défis majeurs, tels que la préparation à l'exportation et les barrières commerciales, afin de leur permettre d'être compétitives et de prospérer sur ce vaste marché. Le projet renforcera les capacités de commerce électronique des PME en les préparant à l'exportation, à collaborer avec les agences de facilitation du commerce pour s'attaquer aux barrières commerciales, à développer et mettre en œuvre des stratégies d'accès au marché adaptées aux secteurs agricoles à forte valeur ajoutée tels que le thé, le café, le riz et les légumes, et à faire connaître les opportunités commerciales offertes par l'AfCFTA, telles que l'initiative de commerce guidé (GTI) et le livre des tarifs électroniques, par le biais d'une plus grande sensibilisation. Une...

Le jeudi 25 juillet 2024, un Accord tripartite de libre-échange COMESA-CEA-SADC (TFTA) est officiellement entré en vigueur après avoir été ratifié par le nombre requis d'États membres. L'accord exigeait qu'au moins 14 des 29 pays de la région composée du Marché commun de l'Afrique orientale et australe (COMESA), de la Communauté de l'Afrique de l'Est (CAE) et de la Communauté de développement de l'Afrique australe (SADC) déposent leurs instruments de ratification avant d'entrer en vigueur. Selon le secrétaire exécutif de la SADC, Elias Magosi, cette étape a été franchie lorsque l'Angola a déposé son instrument de ratification le 25 juin. Il a indiqué que les autres pays ayant ratifié l'accord étaient l'Afrique du Sud, le Botswana, le Burundi, l'Égypte, l'Eswatini, le Kenya, le Lesotho, le Malawi, la Namibie, l'Ouganda, le Rwanda, la Zambie et le Zimbabwe. Il a souligné que ces pays représentaient collectivement 75 % du PIB tripartite en 2022. Cette annonce a été faite lors de la 37e réunion du groupe de travail tripartite le 20 juillet 2024, en marge de la 6e réunion de coordination semestrielle de l'Union africaine à Accra, au Ghana. Le secrétaire général du COMESA, Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, la secrétaire générale de la CAE, Veronica Nduva, et M. Magosi ont assisté à la réunion. L'accord de libre-échange vise à créer un marché intégré couvrant 29 pays d'Afrique orientale et australe, dans le cadre d'une initiative audacieuse de l'Afrique visant à réformer le commerce intérieur. Communément appelé Zone de libre-échange tripartite (TFTA), le marché intégré...

ARUSHA: THE East African Community (EAC) together with the Republics of Kenya and Uganda are in the process of upgrading the Lwakhakha border post on the border between the two Partner States into a One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) as part of efforts to reduce congestion at the Busia and Malaba OSBPs. The transformation of the Lwakhakha border into an OSBP seeks to streamline customs procedures, reduce clearance times for goods and vehicles and enhance collaboration between border agencies from both Kenya and Uganda. The upgrade is expected to reduce the traffic from Malaba and Busia OSBPs, boost trade along the northern corridor and improve cross-border security. The initiative is a testament to the commitment of the EAC in fostering and promoting cross-border cooperation between the two countries. By implementing the OSBP concept at the Lwakhakha border. The two countries are set to create a more conducive environment for trade and commerce, ultimately benefiting businesses and communities on both sides of the border. ALSO READ: Is East Africa’s currency dream on hold? Speaking during a site visit to review the status of the ongoing feasibility study of the multinational Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia Expressway, on behalf of the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Aguer Ariik Malueth, Eng Godfrey Enzama, the Principal Civil Engineer at the EAC Secretariat, said that upgrading the Lwakhakha border post into an OSBP is part of the 256km feasibility study of project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Eng Enzama, who represented EAC...