Accra, 19 March 2025. Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare joined senior representatives from Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Centre d'étude et de coopération internationale (CECI) and TradeMark Africa for the launch of a project that targets Women Traders across 6 countries in West Africa. The colourful event marked the official kick-off of activities for the CAD$ 19.7 million Making Trade Work for Women in West Africa (MTW) project that will be implemented in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo and Nigeria. The project’s strategy, to be implemented by CECI and TMA through 2030, includes use of digital tools, financial literacy programmes, and advocacy for gender-responsive trade policies. Additionally, it intends to institutionalise impactful innovations within regional economic plans and strategies, ultimately contributing to inclusive, environmentally sustainable growth. These efforts will address identified economic and social disparities by promoting sustainable trade practices that uplift marginalised groups, with a particular focus on women. Presently, women continue to earn lower incomes, run smaller-scale businesses compared to their male counterparts, face harassment, gender-based violence (GBV), and systemic barriers at border crossings. These issues are exacerbated by women’s additional burdens of productive and reproductive roles. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of women traders, enhance their access to markets, and promote sustainable business practices. Making Trade Work for Women in West Africa will directly impact an estimated 80,000 beneficiaries, 70% being women traders. It will also indirectly benefit around 20,000 additional traders and sensitise more than 50,000 individuals through...

Accra 18 March 2025. The Africa Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA Secretariat and TradeMark Africa TMA announced strategic cooperation formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding MOU marking a significant step towards advancing action on AfCFTA plans and commitment to promote intraAfrican trade. The MOU signing took place at the AfCFTA Secretariat headquarters in Accra Ghana and was headlined by HE Wamkele Mene AfCFTA SecretaryGeneral of the AfCFTA Secretariat and Dave Beer TMA CEO. The partnership is built on the shared commitment of the AfCFTA Secretariat and TMA to accelerate Africas economic integration and trade expansion ensuring that trade facilitation efforts translate into real economic impact across the continent. By addressing barriers to trade thus improving border efficiency and enhancing digital trade infrastructure, this collaboration will support businesses especially MSMEs in accessing new markets and strengthening regional value chains. The AfCFTA which aims to create a single market of 13 billion people with a combined annual GDP of US34 trillion is designed to both eliminate tariff and nontariff barriers to Intra Africa trade thereby improving market access and increasing productivity leading to the socioeconomic development of Africa. On the other hand TMA works to increase sustainable and inclusive intra African trade and exports to the rest of the world through improved trade facilitation leading to trade growth and prosperity of the African Continent. The Secretariat and TMA will cooperate towards the implementation of this MoU in ten 10 areas customs transit and trade Facilitation trade and transport corridors...

Naivasha, Kenya, 19 March 2025 – TradeMark Africa had the honour of welcoming Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to the Naivasha Inland Container Depot (ICD) today, celebrating more than 14 years of transformative trade facilitation along East Africa’s Northern Corridor. The visit reaffirmed the strong trade partnership between Kenya and the Netherlands and the support by the Netherlands through TradeMark Africa to implement initiatives for reducing trade barriers and lowering the time and cost of doing business. During the visit, TMA’s Deputy CEO, Allen Sophia Asiimwe, highlighted the organization’s transformative trade initiatives along the Northern Corridor, showcasing efforts to reduce cross-border trade times, lower business costs, and create a more efficient and sustainable trading environment. The Netherlands has been a key supporter of these programs, reinforcing Kenya’s position as a major export hub in the region. “The state visit by Their Majesties underscores our shared commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation—not just between Kenya and The Netherlands, but across Eastern Africa in partnership with organisations such as TradeMark Africa,” said Asiimwe. “With the Netherlands’ support, we continue to implement programmes that have significant impact on the ease of doing business and facilitating access to export markets, from reducing non-tariff barriers to scaling innovative programmes in Africa.” The Netherlands, a major partner in these programs, has demonstrated its long-standing commitment to supporting Kenya’s trade development. Dutch companies are among the largest investors in Kenya and East Africa, with significant contributions in major sectors such as horticulture, logistics,...

Accra, 18 March 2025. As Africa marks five years since the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement came into force, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, TradeMark Africa’s Board Chair and former Prime Minister for Ethiopia, delivered a thought-provoking public lecture on ‘AfCFTA as a Catalyst for Agenda 2063: Seizing Opportunities in a Changing World’. During the hybrid session broadcast live from AfCFTA Secretariat offices in Accra, Ghana, H.E. Desalegn explored successes and delivered provocative arguments on why Africa struggles to trade with itself. The outlook for the AfCFTA remains overwhelmingly positive with infrastructure development, such as improved transport and communication networks, underway to support increased trade activities. In addition, between 2017 and 2023, intra-African trade saw and estimated 27% increase, reaching approximately  $190 billion a sign of progress in reginal trade integration, despite persistent structural challenges. However, intra-African trade at just 15% of total African trade African countries have historically traded less with each other than other regions due to binding constraints including but not limited to deficits in trade-related infrastructures, overlapping and multiple Regional Economic Communities (RECs), lack of complementarity of goods and services and supply side constraints. He outlined practical strategies to reshape both narrative and approach to Africa leadership on self-reliance, with trade as the driving force. At a critical juncture, amid ongoing socio-economic shocks such as global supply chain disruptions and shifting donor priorities, Africa must position itself to respond to an evolving global landscape. “The past five years have seen the COVID-19 pandemic which hugely...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – 14 March 2025: Ireland’s Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Honourable Neale Richmond, toured the Port of Dar es Salaam today reinforcing Ireland’s commitment to strengthening Tanzania’s trade infrastructure and deepening economic ties. Accompanied by senior officials from the Government of Ireland and the Irish Embassy, the Minister engaged with Tanzanian port authorities and trade stakeholders, assessing the impact of Ireland-backed trade facilitation initiatives and exploring opportunities for further collaboration. Minister Richmond’s visit focused on the tangible outcomes of Ireland’s partnership with TradeMark Africa, which has accelerated cargo clearance, improved port efficiency, and attracted investment in infrastructure. These efforts have enhanced trade flows, strengthened regional supply chains, and positioned Tanzania as a competitive trade hub for East and Central Africa. The Port of Dar es Salaam plays a critical role in regional trade, handling 95 per cent of Tanzania’s cargo traffic and serving as a primary trade gateway for landlocked countries including Zambia, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the fiscal year 2022/23, the port handled 21.46 million tonnes of cargo, surpassing its projected target of 19.6 million tonnes, underpinning its importance to economic activity in the region. However, past inefficiencies resulted in high trade costs, with reports estimating that improving port efficiency could save Tanzanian households an average of $147 per year, equivalent to 8.5 per cent of total expenditures (World Bank, 2023). These inefficiencies not only increased costs for consumers but also reduced the competitiveness of Tanzanian businesses...

Blantyre, 12 mars 2025 : La Confédération des chambres de commerce et d'industrie du Malawi (MCCCI), en collaboration avec TradeMark Africa (TMA), a lancé aujourd'hui la plateforme numérique unique (SDP), une solution numérique qui automatise les processus de facilitation du commerce et de gestion des membres de la MCCCI afin d'améliorer la prestation de services aux entreprises. Le lancement a été officialisé par le ministre du commerce et de l'industrie du Malawi, Hon. Eng. Vitumbiko Mumba, qui a souligné l'engagement du gouvernement à moderniser la facilitation du commerce et à favoriser la croissance du secteur privé, ainsi que le rôle du SDP dans l'amélioration de la facilité de faire des affaires. Conçu avec le soutien du gouvernement britannique, le SDP rationalisera les applications liées au commerce, réduira les charges et les coûts administratifs et renforcera les liens commerciaux pour les exportateurs, les importateurs, y compris les agents de facilitation du commerce, ce qui rendra les affaires entre le Malawi et le monde extérieur plus compétitives. L'une des principales réussites de la plateforme numérique unique (SDP) est qu'elle élimine désormais la nécessité pour les commerçants de se rendre en personne dans les bureaux du MCCCI, puisque les soumissions, les paiements et l'acquisition des documents liés au commerce peuvent être effectués à partir de son smartphone ou de son ordinateur. Les principales caractéristiques sont la demande et la délivrance automatisées de certificats d'origine, la vérification de l'identité numérique, les contrôles de conformité fiscale et l'accès aux possibilités de commerce électronique. « Les...

Nairobi, Kenya – 13 March 2025 – TradeMark Africa's (TMA) 2023/2024 Annual Report reveals significant improvements in trade efficiency across East, Southern, the Horn, and parts of West Africa. Regulatory document issuance for livestock and fish products in Tanzania has reduced from two weeks to one hour, and truck clearance times in Mombasa have been halved. Port infrastructure upgrades have also cut clearance times by over 50% in select African ports. TMA, a donor-funded organization, highlights its investments in digital trade solutions, infrastructure, and partnerships to dismantle trade bottlenecks. The Mifugo system in Tanzania, a government partnership, now allows online permit applications, doubling government revenue in the sector. In Djibouti, the Fleet Management System is expected to reduce trade costs by 10% and clearance times by 30%. Infrastructure improvements, such as upgrades at Lakes Tanganyika and Kivu ports and the Mbaraki-Nyerere Road in Mombasa, have eased congestion and reduced transit delays. In Mombasa, truck turnaround times have dropped from 26 to 15 hours. Partnerships have also expanded economic opportunities. In Rwanda, women-led businesses secured $600,000 in export deals, and the iSOKO e-commerce platform has registered over 78,000 users, 90% of whom are women. TMA has also signed a new MoU with ECOWAS for West Africa expansion and received over $75 million in funding from Finland and the Netherlands for sustainable trade initiatives. TMA Board Chair H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe and Council Chairman Leo Svahnback emphasized the organization's success in building trust and connecting stakeholders. TMA CEO David Beer outlined priorities...

Blantyre, 12 March 2025: The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI), in collaboration with TradeMark Africa (TMA), has today launched the Single Digital Platform (SDP), a digital solution that automates MCCCI’s trade facilitation and membership management processes to enhance service delivery for businesses. The launch was officiated by Malawi’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Eng. Vitumbiko Mumba, who underscored the government’s commitment to modernizing trade facilitation and fostering private sector growth, and the role of the SDP in improving the ease of doing business. Developed with support from the UK Government, the SDP will streamline trade-related applications, reduce administrative burdens and costs, and boost market linkages for exporters, importers, including trade facilitation agents, making doing business between Malawi and the outside world more competitive. One of the major wins for the Single Digital Platform (SDP) is that it now eliminates the need for traders to visit MCCCI offices in person as the submissions, payments and acquisition of the trade-related documentation can be done on one’s smartphone or computer. Main features include the automated application and issuance of Certificates of Origin (CoO), digital identity verification, tax compliance checks, and access to e-commerce opportunities. Malawi Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Eng. Vitumbiko Mumba (R) and Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry President Wisely Phiri (L) at the launch of the Single Digital Portal in Blantyre on 12 March 2025. “Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of our economy, yet many struggle to compete...

Partners of the Women and Youth Economic Empowerment in Fisheries through Inclusive Market Access program gathered in Nairobi for a two-day workshop on February 26-27, 2025. The workshop focused on assessing progress in work plans, financial compliance, safeguarding measures, and gender considerations to ensure the successful implementation of the four-year initiative. Organized by TradeMark Africa (TMA), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, and the Mastercard Foundation, the event also brought together key implementing partners—Kilimo Trust, MSC Global Consulting, and Lattice Aquaculture—to align on impact, results, and reporting mechanisms for effective program delivery. The initiative aims to create over 240,000 jobs by 2028. Ahead of the workshop, the AfCFTA Secretariat’s Private Sector Unit (PSU) held bilateral discussions with TMA to refine strategies for engaging a broader range of stakeholders. These efforts included hosting a Fish Feeds Stakeholders Roundtable, which convened public and private sector representatives, including aquapreneurs and fish feed manufacturers. The discussions focused on strengthening the fish feed supply chain to support sustainable aquaculture growth and competitiveness. Further engagement efforts included a visit to Kamuthanga Fish Farm in Machakos County, Kenya, a facility specializing in fingerling production. The farm utilizes Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) technology, an advanced method that enhances fish farming efficiency for cage and pond producers. The delegation was briefed on key challenges in aquaculture production, particularly fish feed shortages, and examined market demand projections to guide future interventions within the program. Launched in June 2024, the four-year fisheries program is a collaborative effort between the...

TradeMark Africa (TMA) a nommé Mme Lillian Mwai Ndegwa au poste de directrice nationale de son programme pour le Kenya. Cette nomination marque une avancée significative dans la mise en œuvre de la nouvelle stratégie de plusieurs millions de dollars de TMA, qui vise à renforcer les exportations du Kenya, à exploiter les opportunités de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (ZLECAf) et à attirer des investissements de grande valeur. Avec plus de 15 ans d’expérience dans le développement international, Mme Ndegwa dirigera des initiatives visant à améliorer l’accès au marché, à réduire les barrières commerciales et à promouvoir une croissance économique durable. Un projet clé dans cette démarche est une initiative financée par l’Union européenne en partenariat avec le gouvernement kényan, qui vise à transférer au moins 50 % des exportations horticoles du Kenya du transport aérien vers le transport maritime. Cette transition permettra de sécuriser les marchés d’exportation tout en réduisant les coûts de transport. Sa nomination coïncide avec le lancement du troisième plan stratégique de TMA (2023-2030), axé sur le commerce inclusif, vert et numérique. Dans ce cadre, le programme national du Kenya a déjà établi des partenariats avec des agences gouvernementales, notamment la Kenya Revenue Authority et la Kenya Ports Authority, pour automatiser les processus commerciaux et accélérer le dédouanement des exportations. TMA collabore également avec le secteur privé pour accroître la valeur et la qualité des biens d’exportation. Depuis plus d’une décennie, TMA travaille étroitement avec le gouvernement kényan et les acteurs du secteur privé...