Kalundu, 25 March 2024: The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in partnership with TradeMark Africa (TMA), is pleased to announce the completion of the infrastructure upgrades at the Kalundu Port, situated in Uvira, Sud-Kivu Province. This initiative is part of a broader effort to boost regional trade and economic development along the shores of Lake Tanganyika and the Great Lakes Region. Funded by the Kingdom of Netherlands to the tune of $3.3 million, the phased renovation has made considerable advancements since the first phase of the project kicked off in 2018. The works involved dredging of the port to increase the depth to accommodate larger vessels, enhanced capacity from 800 tonnes to 4,000, and enabling more cargo ships to dock. The enhancements have facilitated trade expansion and streamlined operations at one of the most important ports in the DRC. “These improvements have reduced operational times and costs, enhanced the working conditions and security of the port environment. As a result, the time to offload ships has declined by 50% as ships can now get closer to the harbours,” TMA Country Director for DRC, Aime Nzoyihera, said. “We are delighted that the partnership between TMA, the Netherlands and the Government of the DRC, is a shared commitment to furthering regional integration and sustainable economic development.” Continuing through 2019 to 2024, the project focused on overhauling the port’s infrastructure. This encompassed setting up a new administrative building, public toilets, a dispensary, two new warehouses as well as restoration two...

Zambia Government and TradeMark Africa Initiate a ZMK 197 million (£7.1) Million Project    Lusaka, March 20, 2024: The Government of Zambia, represented by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and TradeMark Africa (TMA), have entered into a Partner Support Agreement (PSA) to upgrade the Nakonde One Stop Border Post, a key trade route between Zambia and Tanzania.  Funded by the UK government, the ZMK 197 million (£7.1 million) project will improve the flow of goods and people along the Dar es Salaam Corridor, promising to streamline operations and reduce cargo clearance times by more than 100% on both sides of the border. Currently, it takes more than two days to clear cargo trucks crossing the border, leading to significant delays and losses for businesses.    Zambia's Finance Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, and TMA's CEO, David Beer, launched the programme.   Minister Musokotwane highlighted the project's potential to upgrade infrastructure, decrease congestion, and improve trade flows across the region, saying, “This agreement paves the way for transformative interventions aimed at upgrading infrastructure at Nakonde OSBP, improve border efficiency, reduce congestion and enhance trade facilitation.” He added: “By improving infrastructure at the Nakonde OSBP, we aim to enhance clearance efficiency along the Dar-es-Salaam corridor, reduce time taken to clear both cargo and passengers and ultimately facilitate trade flows.”   The Nakonde Border Post, will see improvements, including upgrade of road infrastructure within the OSBP and truck parking yard, construction of additional office buildings and warehouse, and the installation of a modern, cargo scanner. The initiative...

Accra, Ghana – March 14, 2024 – TradeMark Africa (TMA) officially inaugurated its first Country Programmes Oversight Committee (CPOC) in Ghana on March 13, 2024. The Committee will play a critical role in overseeing trade and facilitation development programmes designed to enhance trade growth and competitiveness not only within Ghana, but also along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor.   This initiative builds upon a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Government of Ghana (Ministry of Trade and Industry) and TMA on January 27, 2023. The agreement outlines a collaborative effort to strengthen Ghana's trade infrastructure and environment, ultimately contributing to the country's competitiveness within the framework of the National African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Policy Framework and Action Plan.  Under the terms of the agreement, TMA Ghana will provide comprehensive support, including financial resources, technical expertise, capacity building initiatives, and logistical assistance. This support will benefit various stakeholders, such as Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) within Ghana, the private sector, and civil society organisations. It will specifically focus on aiding the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the National AfCFTA Coordination Office in implementing the support programme.  With support from UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, the programme is already demonstrating momentum with a range of initiatives underway. Some of these initiatives include:  Supporting the design and implementation of continental frameworks for transit management and customs, Standards, Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, trade facilitation strategies, and inter-Regional Economic Communities (REC) technical coordination. This will involve collaboration with Regional Economic Communities, the AfCFTA Secretariat, and...

ZANZIBAR, March 11, 2024: The Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce (TWCC) and TradeMark Africa (TMA) have today united over 500 women in Zanzibar, for the Economic Empowerment of Women Conference. This significant convention coincided with the global celebration of International Women's Day, a testament to the commitment to advancing women's economic participation. Under the theme "Invest in Women for Sustainable Development," the conference spearheaded by TWCC and TMA aims to catalyse economic empowerment by providing women with invaluable insights into trade opportunities, fostering knowledge exchange, celebrating women leaders in business, and nurturing emerging talents through mentoring programmes. The guest of honour, Hon. Hemed Suleiman Abdulla, Second Vice President of Zanzibar underscored the government's commitment to women's empowerment. "Zanzibar is dedicated to ensuring women's full participation in economic activities," he affirmed, citing initiatives such as the establishment of the Institute for Economic Empowerment and the formulation of the Blue Economy Policy. Ms. Mwajuma Hamza, CEO of TWCC, emphasised the collaborative effort, stating, "In partnership with TradeMark Africa and other stakeholders, this conference serves as a critical platform to equip women with the tools and networks necessary to thrive in trade and commerce." TradeMark Africa, a champion of Aid-for-Trade initiatives since 2010, reaffirmed its commitment to women's economic empowerment with a substantial investment of over $3 million in Tanzania over the past seven years. Mr. Elibariki Shammy, Country Director of TMA, announced an additional investment of $1.5 million to support 12,000 women entrepreneurs across Zanzibar and the mainland. "TradeMark Africa's engagement extends...

ABU DHABI, February 27, 2024: In 2015, TradeMark Africa (TMA) presented the Trade Logistics Information Pipeline (TLIP) idea during the World Trade Organisation MC10 forum in Nairobi and in 2019, TMA and IOTA foundation partnered to build a secure and trustworthy international trade system that removed bottlenecks associated with paperwork, access to information and slow approvals, to reduce the time and costs taken to trade. With TMA funding of $4 million, IOTA developed TLIP, a system built on the distributed ledger technology providing a transparent and secure electronic exchange of trade information in international supply chains. TMA and IOTA have showcased the TLIP's proof of concept across various scenarios, highlighting its scalability and efficiency in documenting diverse trade flows. From the conducted pilots, this initiative has demonstrated outcomes such as an 80% decrease in trade costs and a reduction in cross-border processing times from 25 days to just one day. Traders benefit from greater predictability of access to customs facilities while crossing borders, which in-turn reduces their administration costs and effort. The average cross-border transaction requires the exchange of 36 documents and 240 copies involving up to 30 actors. TLIP received acclaim from government agencies and supply chain organisations for its ability to promote transparency, enhance data sharing and snowball cost savings. The infrastructure has already been used in Kenya and been tested in the UK. Building on this success, today at the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi, TMA is partnering with IOTA, the World Economic Forum, the...

Nairobi, 8 February: The Government of the Netherlands, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a significant boost to global trade development, has announced a $63 million funding to TradeMark Africa, a leading aid-for-trade organisation. This strategic investment will fuel TradeMark Africa's Strategy 3, covering the period till 2030, aimed at driving green, sustainable economic growth, fostering innovative trade practices, and promoting inclusive trade across Africa. This move underscores the Netherlands' commitment to enhancing economic opportunities, job creation and facilitating sustainable trade throughout the continent. Marchel Gerrmann, Ambassador for Business and Development Cooperation at Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “TradeMark Africa will significantly contribute to a more inclusive and prosperous trade landscape for the African continent, benefitting both African and Dutch businesses." The Netherlands’ contribution will be invested in strengthening trade systems so that they benefit local exporters, foster economic growth, and create sustainable livelihoods across diverse sectors. This investment will be instrumental in improving market access for local products at the global level, in addition to bolstering initiatives that drive innovation, research, and development within the African market, enhancing competitiveness and green trading practices. As part of its Africa Strategy, the Netherlands contributes towards the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The AfCFTA is expected to boost intra-African trade over 30% by 2045 and is projected to provide an average extra 2.7% GDP boost across the continent. The AfCFTA could lift 30 million Africans out of poverty by 2035, offering market opportunities to both African...

Bungoma, February 01, 2024: The Canadian Government, through TradeMark Africa (TMA), has provided aflatoxin decontamination plants to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots in Bungoma and Nairobi. This will enhance food security by creating the capability to significantly reduce aflatoxin contamination in grains like maize. Aflatoxins are recognised by the World Health Organisation as highly toxic substances affecting grains, pose health risks to animals and humans, including cancer. Most countries implement strict regulations and monitoring to control their levels in food and feed products. Canada contributed CA$ 1.6million (about Ksh190 million) for the purchase and installation of these decontamination units, which will improve the safety and increase the trade of grain in Kenya and broader East Africa region. These state-of-the-art machines are designed to efficiently remove contaminants while preserving the nutritional value and integrity of the food. The two large-scale decontaminators, a first of their kind in commercial use in Africa, can eliminate up to 98% of aflatoxins in various food commodities, including grains, pulses, nuts. This development is a game-changer for the region, where maize is a primary food source for an estimated 300 million people. Western Kenya was deemed a strategic location to set them up, as the country’s grain basket, and because it plays a crucial role in regional grain trade, with significant inflows from neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania. Over 600,000 metric tons of maize are traded annually from Uganda to Kenya, and about 400,000 metric tons from Tanzania to Kenya. Ensuring that only grain...

Nairobi, Kenya, January 23, 2024 –The United States government, through USAID’s Economic Recovery and Reform Activity (ERRA) program delivered by TradeMark Africa (TMA) with funding from Feed the Future, has awarded a three-year grant worth US$2 million to the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC). This funding will strengthen the competitiveness of export-oriented staple food value chains in East Africa. Through the five-year ERRA US$75 million program, USAID and TMA are driving transformative trade and investment reforms in the East and Horn of Africa to create jobs in the staple crops and textiles sectors, especially for women and youth. A core part of this is to increase the ability of grain producers to export both regionally and to the rest of the world. East Africa’s immense potential for food grain production and trade has been hindered by low production rates, poor post-harvest management, and climate pressures. These challenges contribute to the low competitiveness of its staples in regional markets, reduced cross-border trade, production deficits, and postharvest losses that threaten the region’s food security. This facility with EAGC will directly tackle these challenges, removing trade impediments and building grain exporters’ capacity in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda across export value chains such as Maize, Beans, Millet, Sorghum, and Rice. Speaking during the signing ceremony, TMA’s CEO, Mr. David Beer, revealed that the strategic collaboration with EAGC and USAID will boost grain exports within the region. “This includes spearheading innovative strategies such as Grain Business Hubs, or G-Hubs. These are operated by farmers, who...

Caption: EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs, Ms. Annette Ssemuwemba speaking during the launch of EAC NTB App in Bujumbura Bujumbura, Burundi, 08 December 2023: In a groundbreaking development for regional trade, the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat today unveiled a new mobile application (App) dedicated to the elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) – the EAC NTBs App. This innovative App is set to revolutionise the region’s trading landscape by streamlining the reporting, monitoring, and resolution of impediments traders face as they conduct business across borders. The development of the EAC NTBs APP was funded by the Netherlands through TradeMark Africa (TMA). The EAC NTBs App, seamlessly blending SMS, email, and phone reporting methods, offers economic operators a one-stop solution for effectively reporting Non-Tariff Barriers to trade. By streamlining the NTB reporting process, the App will aid traders and producers in tackling obstacles that impede their trade efficiency and competitiveness. Additionally, it ensures transparency and quick resolution of issues by engaging technical and policy-level mechanisms, such as National Focal Points, the National Monitoring Committees (NMCs) and the Regional Monitoring Committee (RMC). Speaking during the launch of the App, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs, Ms. Annette Ssemuwemba said the EAC NTBs App marks a pivotal moment in creating a smooth trading environment across the EAC region. “We are dedicated to eradicating the barriers that impede economic growth, and integration. This innovative solution serves as a powerful tool to...

Caption: Principal Secretary, State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action Ms Anne Wangombe Nairobi, Kenya, 5 December 2023: A recent study by TradeMark Africa (TMA) reveals a startling statistic: 40% of women traders at East African border crossings have experienced harassment in the past year, - including sexual and verbal abuse - highlighting the pressing issue of gender-based violence (GBV) in trade. The study also underscores the correlation between unpaid care work, GBV and its implications for women’s participation in cross-border trade underpinning the critical need for sustainable solutions through partnerships. This alarming reality underscores the urgent need for action and was a focal point during a high-level stakeholder dialogue convened by TMA, following the 'UNiTE! Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls’ campaign. The campaign advocates increased financial backing for preventive strategies and transforming societal norms to end violence against women and girls. The dialogue brought together policy makers, private sector entities, civil society representatives, development partners, and women in business. The stakeholders articulated commitments and called upon governments to move swiftly in adopting GBV-specific legislation, trans-regional collaboration, establishment of secure centres, data management at borders, and the integration of private sector and community empowerment in efforts to combat GBV. "While trade holds the promise of prosperity, inclusivity, and sustainability in Africa, the shadows of gender-based violence persists, impeding the empowerment of women in trade," said Principal Secretary, State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action Ms Anne Wangombe. “This dialogue stands not just as an advocacy platform but...