Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, July 16, 2024: The Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) in partnership with TradeMark Africa (TMA) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has today kicked-off a two day Eastern and Southern Africa Public-Private Policy Dialogue and Grain Trade Business to Business Forum in Tanzania. The forum is funded by the governments of the Netherlands and USAID’s Economic Recovery and Reform Activity (USAID-ERRA) programme implemented by TMA, alongside Food Trade Coalition for Africa (FCTA) and UK International Development. The forum provided a platform for productive dialogue and collaboration among key stakeholders in the staple foods value chain, addressing re-emerging challenges like export bans and non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that hinder trade. The event will also offer Business to Business (B2B) networking opportunity sessions. Agriculture sector is vital to Eastern Africa’s economy, crucial for food security and economic growth, yet, regional trade is often constrained by policy, and investment decisions that impede agri-food systems transformation. Climate shocks exacerbate productivity challenges, compromise quality, and increase post-harvest losses, leading to food insecurity. The discussion explored regional trade opportunities, particularly how Tanzania and Uganda, with their surplus production, can meet the staple food demands of neighbouring countries facing shortages. Speaking on behalf of Hon. Hussein Mohamed Bashe, Minister of Agriculture, Tanzania during the forum’s official opening, Ms Irene Mlola, Director General, stated, "The Tanzanian government is committed to supporting initiatives that enhance agricultural trade and food security. This forum represents a pivotal moment for us to address trade barriers...

[Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – July 17, 2024] TradeMark Africa (TMA), in collaboration with the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), successfully concluded a two-day Eastern and Southern Africa Public-Private Policy Dialogue and Grain Trade Business-to-Business Forum on July 16-17, 2024. The event convened 120 delegates, including producers, traders, millers, and exporters from nine countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Zambia, and Ethiopia. The forum, funded by the governments of the Netherlands and USAID’s Economic Recovery and Reform Activity (USAID-ERRA) program and implemented by TMA, alongside the Food Trade Coalition for Africa (FCTA) and UK International Development, aimed to foster productive dialogue and collaboration among key stakeholders in the staple foods value chain. It addressed critical challenges such as the impact of Southern Africa drought on the region’s food security, export bans and non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that hinder regional trade. The forum featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, a regional grain trade business-to-business (B2B) sessions, and an exhibition of grain value chain technologies and services. It provided a platform to explore regional trade opportunities and address logistical challenges, ultimately facilitating the seamless movement of food from regions of surplus to regions of need. The regional grain trade B2B forum resulted to signing of trade contracts amounting to 748,854 MT of assorted grains and pulses valued at USD 409M expected to be traded across the region.This demonstrates the enormous potential and demand for staple foods from surplus...

Antoinette Tesha joins TCA with substantial experience in investments for export growth in both financial and development services sector. In her new role Antoinette will help lead TCA’s strategic partnerships with governments and the private sector. Nairobi, 3 July 2024: Trade Catalyst Africa (TCA), has appointed Ms Antoinette Tesha as its Investment Director. With a robust background in investment, finance, banking, and development, Antoinette brings over a decade of expertise to TCA, positioning the organization for unprecedented growth and success. Antoinette recently led Gatsby Africa’s Regional Textiles and Apparel programme in Kenya, focusing on the export growth across East Africa. Her distinguished career spans various regions and roles, from her early days at Stanbic Bank in Tanzania to senior positions at Thomson Reuters and ABSA Capital in South Africa. She has excelled in financial markets, development financing, and debt capital markets, and has a proven track record in program management and enterprise development. In her new role, Antoinette will help lead TCA’s strategic partnerships in impact investing, venture capital, and private equity. She brings best in class experience in managing investments and exits in emerging markets to deliver commercial returns. Antoinette is a certified corporate director and a member of Women in Africa Investments, with academic credentials from the University of Sussex and the University of Surrey. Commenting on the appointment, TCA CEO Mr Duncan Onyango, said: "We are confident that Antoinette's diverse background and passion will drive our success. Her ability to build trust quickly and manage stakeholder relationships...

United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar, 25 June 2024: The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and TradeMark Africa, has announced a four-year fisheries program to be implemented across seven countries to enable over 240,000 work opportunities and boost trade in fish and fish products by about $100 million by 2028. The “Women and Youth Economic Empowerment in Fisheries” program will enhance the participation of women and youth in fisheries in line with the adopted AfCFTA Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade. This announcement was made during the 14th Meeting of the Council of Ministers responsible for Trade in Zanzibar. The program is designed to address structural challenges women and youth face when participating in the fisheries value chain. It will offer training, facilitate access to markets and finance, catalyze supply chain linkages, create digital solutions, simplify trade regimes, enhance compliance to standards and enable streamlined cross-border market access. The program is a culmination of work between the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Mastercard Foundation. This work started with the development of the AfCFTA private sector strategy, where priority value chains were identified to boost intra-Africa trade and production. TradeMark Africa will implement the program to benefit Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Nigeria and selected Island states. Africa’s fisheries sector plays a major role in food security and the economic well-being for millions of households, with the World Bank noting that the...

République-Unie de Tanzanie, Zanzibar, 25 juin 2024 : Le Secrétariat de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (ZLECAf), en partenariat avec la Fondation Mastercard et TradeMark Africa (TMA), a annoncé un programme de pêche de quatre ans qui sera mis en œuvre dans sept pays afin de créer plus de 240 000 opportunités d'emploi et de stimuler le commerce du poisson et des produits de la pêche d'environ 100 millions de dollars d'ici 2028. Le programme « Autonomisation économique des femmes et des jeunes dans le secteur de la pêche » renforcera la participation des femmes et des jeunes dans le secteur de la pêche, conformément au Protocole adopté par la ZLECAf sur les femmes et les jeunes dans le commerce. Cette annonce a été faite lors de la 14ème réunion du Conseil des ministres en charge du commerce à Zanzibar. Le programme est conçu pour répondre aux défis structurels auxquels les femmes et les jeunes sont confrontés lorsqu'ils participent à la chaîne de valeur de la pêche. Il offrira des formations, facilitera l'accès aux marchés et aux financements, catalysera les liens de la chaîne d'approvisionnement, créera des solutions numériques, simplifiera les régimes commerciaux, améliorera la conformité aux normes et permettra un accès rationalisé aux marchés transfrontaliers. Le programme est l'aboutissement d'un travail entre le Secrétariat de la ZLECAf et la Fondation Mastercard. Ce travail a commencé avec l’élaboration de la stratégie du secteur privé de la ZLECAf, où les chaînes de valeur prioritaires ont été identifiées pour stimuler le commerce et...

 Nairobi, June 25, 2024: Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) has today officially launched the Integrated Export and Import Certification System (IEICS), an innovative digital platform designed to slash the time and cost associated with obtaining trade plant health certificates, licenses and permits for plant and plant materials. The system was unveiled by the Chairman of KEPHIS Joseph M'eruaki, who was representing the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mithika Linturi. He cited this as an important milestone for traders of plants and plant products. Congratulating KEPHIS for this innovative achievement, he singled out the IEICS as an example on how state agencies, with the support of partners such as Denmark and TradeMark Africa, are facilitating initiatives to improve the business environment through automation of systems for trade agencies. The launch of IEICS is in line with the government’s initiatives to digitise processes, thus facilitating the ease of doing business. Previously, there were two systems: the Export Certification System used to facilitate plant exports to market destinations and the Import Certification System that KEPHIS used to facilitate imports. “The new System is therefore a game-changer in how traders dealing in the import and export of plants or plant materials can engage more efficiently and seamlessly with KEPHIS and other agencies through integrated modules. Noble initiatives such as this are aligned with the Government’s efforts to improve the environment for doing business and positioning the country as an attractive destination to invest,” M'eruaki said. KEPHIS Managing Director, Prof. Theophilus M....

Gates Foundation injects Tzs1.18billion ($453k) in the project Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 18 June 2024: In a landmark move to strengthen financial and digital inclusion for women traders in Tanzania, Financial Sector Deepening Tanzania (FSDT) and TradeMark Africa (TMA) have signed a strategic partnership that underscores their shared commitment to empower women by expanding their access to digital financial solutions, thereby enhancing their participation in cross-border trade. With a grant of $453k (1.18billion TZS) from TMA, funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this partnership marks the launch of the Financial and Digital Inclusion for Women Traders in Tanzania project, which focuses on three strategic areas: improving market access and information, boosting the use of digital financial services, and advocating for a supportive policy and regulatory environment. Despite Tanzania's strides in digital innovation, women traders face significant barriers to economic participation. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) reports a rise in digital subscriptions, yet women's participation remains low. Only 34% of women have internet access, and just 18% have a bank account and 51% of all financial excluded are youth,highlighting the urgent need for financial inclusion. Challenges include non-responsive policies, limited access to financial services, low digital literacy, and inadequate market information. Women and youth traders also face hurdles such as lack of collateral, cumbersome lending procedures, often lack the collateral required for loans, face cumbersome lending procedures, and are subject to unfavourable charges and fees. Additionally, social and household responsibilities, limited education, and cultural norms further constrain their economic...

Nakonde, June 19, 2024: The Government of Zambia and TradeMark Africa (TMA) yesterday officially handed over to the contractor the site for upgrading the Nakonde border into a one stop border post (OSBP). This marks the commencement of improvement works to ease cross-border trade and transit between Zambia and Tanzania by reducing congestion. The handing-over ceremony was attended by representatives from the Governments of Zambia and the UK, TradeMark Africa, and the contractor. Funded by the UK government, the approximately £8.4 million project will improve the flow of goods and people along the Dar es Salaam Corridor, streamline operations, enhance customs efficiency, and reduce cargo clearance on both sides of the border. The site handover follows the signing of a Partner Support Agreement (PSA) between the Government of Zambia and TradeMark Africa in March this year. The border post will undergo numerous improvements, including upgrading roads within the OSBP and truck parking yard, constructing additional office buildings and warehouses, and installing a modern x-ray cargo scanner. The project also includes digitising clearance processes and installing smart gates to reduce truck dwell times from 64 hours to less than 10 hours (an 84% reduction). The two and a half days it currently takes to clear cargo trucks leads to significant delays and losses for businesses. “This is an important milestone in our multi-stakeholder collaborative efforts to facilitate seamless trade, not just between Tanzania and Zambia, but along the Central Corridor. We are happy to be partnering with the governments of the...

Le gouvernement de Djibouti et la délégation de l'Union européenne en République de Djibouti lancent un système de gestion de flotte pour améliorer l'efficacité du transport de marchandises entre Djibouti et l'Éthiopie. Djibouti, 13 juin 2024 : Le gouvernement de Djibouti, à travers le ministère des Infrastructures et de l'Équipement, la Djibouti Ports Corridor Road (DPCR), et la Délégation de l'Union européenne a lancé aujourd'hui un système numérique de gestion de flotte de véhicules qui devrait transformer le mouvement des marchandises entre Djibouti et l'Éthiopie. Ce système aura un impact direct sur l'efficacité des marchandises transportées le long des routes du corridor. Il s'agit de la première étape concrète d'un partenariat clé entre l'UE et la République de Djibouti : le soutien de l'UE à la stratégie de l'initiative de la Corne de l'Afrique, en collaboration avec les gouvernements de la République de Djibouti et de la République fédérale démocratique d'Éthiopie. L'UE a engagé 32 millions d'euros dans un programme consacré à la "Promotion de l'intégration économique régionale dans la Corne de l'Afrique par le développement du corridor de Djibouti", mis en œuvre par l'Agence française de développement (AFD) et TradeMark Africa (TMA). Le programme vise à améliorer l'efficacité de l'un des corridors économiques les plus fréquentés d'Afrique tout en promouvant un commerce inclusif. L'objectif est de contribuer à une réduction de 10 % des coûts commerciaux, de 15 % du temps de change et de 30 % des délais de dédouanement à certains points de passage frontaliers. Le programme...

Naivasha, Kenya, 14 June 2024: To unlock Africa’s economic potential through reducing the time and cost of cross-border trade, the Finnish Government has today announced 12 million Euros in funding to TradeMark Africa (TMA). The funding will support projects aligned with TMA’s third strategic plan (2023 - 2030) which will advance inclusive, clean, and digital trade in Africa. The announcement was made in Naivasha by Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Ville Tavio, alongside the TMA CEO, David Beer. The Minister expressed his satisfaction at the progress and impact of projects supported by Finland through TMA, noting that the renewed support resonates with Finland’s commitment to championing sustainable development and economic growth in Africa. The Minister expressed his congratulations and support for TradeMark Africa, stating, “I want to congratulate TradeMark Africa for its good work and to announce that Finland will be by your side. I am happy to see TradeMark Africa being at the forefront of trade facilitation work.” He further emphasised the importance of technology, noting, "Now, the digitalisation is brought to the center of the activities. Harnessing the new technologies is a key to surpass some of the challenges faced by the African Continent.” Minister Tavio also highlighted the mutual benefits of TradeMark Africa's efforts, saying, "We believe that TradeMark Africa’s work also benefits us directly. The increased economic activity in this part of the world creates more opportunities for our companies as well. Finland is proud to be part of your success story of regional...