Non-tariff barriers could hurt East Africa’s integration gains
For more than a decade, East Africa has steadily built one of the most compelling regional integration stories on the continent. Governments, working with development partners, have made significant investments in One-Stop Border Posts, and digital customs systems have replaced much of the physical paperwork that once slowed trade. This enables goods to be cleared […]
Ghana and Togo Mark Milestone in Trade Facilitation Partnership with the UK with Handover of Infrastructure at Akanu-Noepe Border
16 March 2026. Akanu-Noepe. During a vibrant ceremony attended by senior representatives from the Governments of Ghana and Togo, TradeMark Africa officially handed over infrastructure funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) at the Akanu-Noepe Joint Border Post (JBP): Officials celebrated the interventions that directly address longstanding operational challenges, thus are expected […]
Le Ghana et le Togo marquent une étape importante dans leur partenariat avec le Royaume-Uni en matière de facilitation des échanges commerciaux avec la remise d’infrastructures à la frontière d’Akanu-Noepe
Lors d’une cérémonie à laquelle ont assisté de hauts représentants des gouvernements du Ghana et du Togo, TMA a remis les aménagements financés par le FCDO au poste-frontière commun d’Akanu-Noepe, notamment un système solaire de 220 kilowatts visant à garantir une alimentation électrique et une connectivité fiables, un réseau d’approvisionnement en eau remis en état, […]
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 […]
Trade Ministry and TradeMark Africa partner to boost Ghana’s garment industry
The Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Sampson Ahi, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing trade facilitation challenges affecting Ghana’s textile and garment industry, describing the sector as a strategic pillar of the country’s industrialisation and export diversification agenda. Speaking at the Public-Private Dialogue on Textile and Garment Trade Facilitation Challenges in Sogakope […]
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 […]
Trade Minister commends TMA for empowering women-led businesses to access export markets
By Rachel Kakraba The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare, has acknowledged the support of TradeMark Africa, TMA, for its role in empowering women-led businesses through targeted training to access the export market. The initiative she noted has helped equip women entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge required to meet international trade […]
La CEDEAO accueille la Communauté de l’Afrique de l’Est au Ghana dans le cadre d’un apprentissage entre pairs aboutissant à des mesures visant à renforcer les normes et les systèmes commerciaux le long du corridor Abidjan-Lagos.
La Commission de la CEDEAO et TradeMark Africa, avec le soutien du gouvernement britannique par l’intermédiaire du Bureau des affaires étrangères, du Commonwealth et du développement (FCDO), ont organisé le Forum sur les normes sanitaires et phytosanitaires (SPS) et les obstacles techniques au commerce (OTC) du corridor Abidjan-Lagos à Accra, au Ghana, afin d’aborder les […]
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 […]