How Uganda’s logistics platform improved the trade environment and why it should continue
Kenneth Ayebare, Director of Transport and Logistics at Private Sector Foundation Uganda, speaks on how the National Logistics Platform transformed Uganda’s logistics sector. “Transport and logistics are the backbone of the economy. Every sector relies on it. Without an efficient logistics system, trade slows, businesses struggle, and economies suffer,” states Kenneth Ayebare, Director, Transport and […]
Enhancing professionalism and efficiency in East Africa’s customs clearance through professional certification
Ondoga Job Filbert, a customs liaison officer at APM Terminals Uganda, stands in front of a Maersk truck. Once a hopeful graduate, Filbert’s journey into logistics was shaped by regional training and certification efforts. For years, East Africa’s borders were chokepoints. Cargo often sat idle for days, and one of the reasons was the lack […]
Digitalisation is changing trade, but we’re not there yet
Reflections from the EU-Kenya Business Forum 2025 At this week’s EU-Kenya Business Forum in Nairobi, TMA’s Director for Digital Trade, Erick Sirali, led a conversation on how digitalisation is transforming customs and trade facilitation. There was an acknowledgement that while Africa has made progress in digitalisation, the work ahead is considerable. We are talking, fragmented systems, redundant […]
The AfCFTA, Mastercard Foundation and TradeMark Africa Collaborate on a Four-Year Fisheries Program to Empower Women and Youth in Africa
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. […]
Kenyan Trade Agencies Enhance Export and Import Efficiency
Kenya trade agencies, backed by TradeMark Africa (TMA), with funding from international partners like the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) in Kenya, are making headway in refining import and export processes. These enhancements are making trade quicker and more cost effective, benefiting traders across the nation and the region. A recent mission assessing […]
Kenya Breaks Ground for World’s First Green Garment Factory Made from Recycled Containers
May 20, 2024, Athi River, Kenya – The world’s first green industrial garment factory has broken ground in Athi River EPZ, with a $530,000 investment from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and a $1.3 million loan from Trade Catalyst Africa (TCA). This new warehouse spans 5,000 sqm and is poised to be the world’s first […]
Transforming Export Trade in Rwanda
In a significant boost to Rwanda’s export sector, TradeMark Africa’s 10-year Export Development Programme (EDP), launched in 2012, has nurtured over five new million-dollar exporters. Funded by USAID, UKaid, and the Finnish Government, the programme aimed to increase Rwanda’s exports by 17% annually, focusing on high-potential sectors like horticulture, ICT, and crafts. By the end […]
Rwandan businesses reap dividends of automation of the country’s regulatory body
An atmosphere of calm welcomes you as you enter the lobby of the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA). This wasn’t always the case, according to Francois Gatete, the Director for Information Systems at RURA. Before 2019, RURA, which regulates all public utilities in Rwanda, struggled with the mundane, time-consuming manual processes of issuing out licenses, […]
Cooperatives propel Rwandan women from local crafts to regional trade
Growing up in Nyagatare, Rwanda, Rosette Cyarikora’s childhood memories are replete with the sight of her mother skilfully producing ghee. This led her to recognise its potential for creating a sustainable family income. When she came of age, Rosette along with her friends, began packaging and selling ghee across the border in Uganda. Despite their […]
IOTA Foundation Join Hands with Kenyan Firm to Roll Out Paperless Trade in East Africa
The IOTA Foundation has stated that the initial stage of its cooperation with an East African business to facilitate paperless trading in the area has been completed successfully. The Foundation partnered with TradeMark Africa on the initiative, which aimed to modernize the continent’s supply chain’s inefficient and expensive paper-based procedures. This technique was substituted by […]