Treading carefully in the pursuit of sustainable trade
Trade has evolved over the years from just being the engine for economic growth to being more responsive to equitable development, environmental stewardship, and green growth. Sustainable trade requires countries to tread carefully in balancing the triple bottom line of people, profits, and planet – each being dependent on the other. International standards aid this […]
Crisis? What crisis? COVID-19 and the unexpected recovery of regional trade in East Africa
By Andrew Mold and Anthony Mveyange from Brookings institute At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, such was the scale of the economic disruption caused by lockdown measures that there was much talk of the collapse of global trade. In the midst of the lockdowns, in April, the World Trade Organization estimated that the decline would amount from anywhere between 13 and 32 […]
OPINION: Building resilience in Africa’s food supply chain after Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented disruption to the global economy and world trade. Many countries have locked down their borders, or severely restricted freedoms in a bid to contain community transmission of the virus. Globally, 3 billion people depend on international trade for their food security; a huge number of them are in Africa. […]
Why the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office must also focus on economic development
The launch of the new Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) last week provides an excellent opportunity to reset the UK’s economic engagement with low- and middle-income countries. As the new department takes shape, it is crucial to consider the stated benefits of bringing development and diplomacy together through this merger of the Department for International Development […]
An Ally in the Day of Trouble – KEPSA’s support to state during Covid-19 Pandemic
If there is anything positive that could be said of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya, is that the country quickly learnt from other nations earlier devastated by the plague. Thus, Kenya speedily implemented containment measures among them shutting her airports and borders to keep the virus at bay. Still, local infections were reported and have […]
A Partner in Arms – TPSF Supports Govt. Efforts to Mitigate Impact of Covid-19
Tanzania has largely adopted a liberal stance to the fight against the novel virus (The country did not effect border closures and bans on large gatherings like most of her neighbours), there is little doubt that the pandemic has not spared its economy and trade. In the ensuing debate on how best to protect public […]
Technology reduces lurking danger for truck drivers and goods
“Armed men broke his windscreen and started hitting him with an iron bar. They stole the goods he was carrying and left him for dead. By the time help came, it was too late. He had died from excessive bleeding,”-Patrick Mutinda, former Truck driver. East Africa’s Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking system (RECTS) has many benefits some of which include safety of […]
COVID-19 Testing for Truck Drivers Helps Open Trade in IOM-TMA Partnership
Nairobi – IOM, the International Organization for Migration, is providing COVID-19 testing to thousands of truck drivers on Kenya’s borders. It’s part of a regional and national effort to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic and reopen trade across the East and Horn of Africa. Over 4,500 truck drivers and crews are being tested for the […]
The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Trade: Recent Evidence from East Africa
This paper uses Kenyan trade data published up through May 2020 to provide a preliminary evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on regional trade in the East African Community (EAC). Paradoxically, given the prevailing pessimism surrounding the prospects for global trade, Kenya actually experienced a significant improvement in exports in the first quarter […]
LOOKING INWARDS Coronavirus: The pandemic doesn’t mean AfCFTA is on lockdown
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is one of the greatest examples of Pan-Africanism since the creation of the African Union (AU). The agreement has acquired the signatures of 54 of the AU’s 55 member-states, bringing together an impressive domestic market of more than 1.2 billion people with a collective GDP of $2.6tn. The […]