Traders brace for higher costs as Tanzania joins Kenya in raising port tariffs
Traders across East Africa face rising costs after Tanzania introduced new cargo handling tariffs, just weeks after Kenya raised its own. The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) says the revised charges, effective from January 9, 2026, will increase port service fees by between 2 and 15 percent, adding fresh pressure to logistics and consumer prices in […]
Africa’s Entrepreneurs Confront Rising Non‑Tariff Trade Barriers
Africa’s trade challenges have shifted decisively. Tariffs, once the headline obstacle, are no longer the biggest threat. Instead, non‑tariff measures (NTMs)—fragmented standards, slow and inconsistent testing regimes, unrecognised certificates, and unresolved procedural disputes—are quietly shutting firms out of markets. TradeMark Africa’s (TMA) 2024–25 Annual Report underscores the point: “Tariffs are no longer the main obstacle to Africa’s […]
Traders brace for higher costs as Tanzania joins Kenya in raising port tariffs
Traders across East Africa face rising costs after Tanzania introduced new cargo handling tariffs, just weeks after Kenya raised its own. The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) says the revised charges, effective from January 9, 2026, will increase port service fees by between 2 and 15 percent, adding fresh pressure to logistics and consumer prices in […]
ECOWAS hosts the East African Community (EAC) in Ghana as Peer Learning Culminates in Action to Strengthen Trade Standards and Systems along the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor
19 November 2025. Accra, Ghana. The ECOWAS Commission and TradeMark Africa, with support from the UK Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), have convened the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS)/Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Forum in Accra, Ghana, to address quality challenges affecting trade competitiveness along West Africa’s busiest trade […]
HoBIS 2025 Strengthens Market Pathways for Tanzania’s Horticulture Sector
Dar es Salaam, 18 November 2025: Tanzania’s horticulture sector is shaping a more predictable and commercially viable future for farmers and agribusinesses as coordinated reforms and targeted investment strengthen market access and improve compliance systems. This direction was evident at the Horticulture Business and Investment Summit, HoBIS 2025, where over 400 growers, exporters, policymakers, financiers […]
Mobilising resources to power trade facilitation – which way forward?
As developing countries strive to implement the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the question of funding—how to mobilise it, how to target it, and how to sustain it—remains at the heart of national conversations. This issue took centre stage during a recent WTO training programme for National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs), where experts […]
Information disclosure is a powerful catalyst for corporate environmental and social sustainability
By Ben Mbindah, Safeguarding and Project Risk Officer, TradeMark Africa The disclosure of financial performance of organisations has always been an important tradition to informing investor decision-making. However, in recent years, the additional transparency around the environmental and social impacts for organisations has gained momentum. This shift reflects a growing recognition among companies and institutions […]
A Pan-African Vision for Trade and Prosperity
This year marked the beginning of TradeMark Africa’s Strategy 3 (2023-2030) – an ambitious plan to drive sustainable and resilient trade as a pathway to prosperity. Over the last 14 years, TMA has facilitated nearly $1 billion in investments, making cross-border trade easier and boosting regional integration. From promoting trade-friendly policies to upgrading physical infrastructure […]
Africa’s Trade Dilemma and the Path to Agenda 2063 H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, TMA Board Chair and Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia (2012-2018)
Five years ago, Africa made history.When the African Continental Free Trade Area was launched, it carried the hopes of 1.2 billion people coming together as one market, harnessing a $3 trillion economy, and a vision of an Africa trading with itself, on its own terms. Five years later, while celebrating the successes of the AfCFTA, […]
Benin lays the groundwork for developing national trade facilitation strategy in partnership with TradeMark Africa
Benin is making strides to improve its trade environment with the recent unveiling of a framework that will guide the development of its National Trade Facilitation Strategy. Discussions surrounding the framework for this important strategy brought together stakeholders from various trade-related agencies. These included representatives from customs, sanitary and phytosanitary services, quality control authorities, port […]