United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai will host the 21st U.S.–sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum (AGOA Forum) in Washington, D.C., from July 24 to 26, purposely to work out further on measures to deepen trade and strengthen economic cooperation. In addition, it will also build on the most diverse areas of cooperation discussed in the previous gathering, particularly pertinent questions within the framework of the single continental market – the AfCFTA which aims at addressing trade barriers, enhance Africa’s global trade position, and promote sustainable socio-economic development. Washington officials have been working on the connectivity between the United States and Africa. “AGOA has been the cornerstone of our economic partnership with sub-Saharan Africa for over twenty years,” said Ambassador Tai.  “This Forum is an opportunity to discuss how we can make the program more effective, to address today’s challenges and deliver real benefits to more people across the continent.  I look forward to welcoming my fellow ministers and guests to Washington.” The theme for July’s AGOA Forum is “Beyond 2025: Reimagining AGOA for an Inclusive, Sustainable and Prosperous Tomorrow.”  Over the course of the event, participants will engage in discussions on how the United States and sub-Saharan African partners can work together to make AGOA more transformative and ensure that the program can be an effective tool to drive inclusive, sustainable economic growth for more people and advance regional integration efforts. The expectation is that the AGOA Forum will bring together the governments of the United States and...

To promote trade in Cote d’Ivoire and in West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Souleymane Diarrassouba, signed a memorandum of understanding with TradeMark Africa (TMA), with sights set on improving trade infrastructure along the strategic corridors of Abidjan-Lagos, Abidjan-Dakar and Abidjan-Ouagadougou. This strategic partnership is geared towards improving trade facilitation in the region and promoting a competitive environment for doing business in Côte d'Ivoire. TMA was represented by Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Anthe Vrijlandt. Minister Diarrassouba noted that the country’s common ambition can be summed up in the economic promotion of the private sector, fostering regional economic integration and enhancing facilitation of intra-African trade, as espoused by the government and our partners such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU). He added that the promotion of the digitalisation of trade services and e-commerce, as well as the strengthening of the competitiveness of companies, constitute an important matrix for the memorandum. Convinced that the partnership with TradeMark Africa will open new perspectives for trade in Côte d'Ivoire, the Minister reassured of the Government's commitment to promote effective and dynamic cooperation for the promotion of the national economy with traders. For her part, Ms Vrijlandt noted that the signing of this partnership with is part of the important steps in implementing the AfCFTA, an initiative for the economic integration of Africa. She further noted that an improved trade environment and transport facilitation initiatives have great potential to make it smoother and...

The EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) entered into force on 1 July 2024, representing a key milestone in the EU-Kenya Strategic Partnership. The agreement will boost bilateral trade in goods, increase investment flows, strengthen the ties between reliable partners, and facilitate mutually advantageous economic relations in a sustainable manner, stimulating job creation and economic growth. The EU-Kenya EPA is the most ambitious deal negotiated with an African country in terms of sustainability, and can serve as a template for other sustainable trade agreements. These commitments include binding provisions on labour issues, gender equality, environment and the fight against climate change. Kenya is East Africa's main economic hub - and EU-Kenya trade relations have substantial growth potential. The agreement will unlock new economic opportunities, as the EU is Kenya's first export destination and second largest trading partner. Total trade between the EU and Kenya reached €3 billion in 2023 - an increase of 16% compared to 2018. The EPA will also create more opportunities for Kenyan businesses and exporters, as it will fully open the EU market for Kenyan products and incentivise EU investment in Kenya thanks to increased legal certainty and stability. Background The Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Kenya was concluded in June 2023 and signed by both parties on 18 December 2023. The agreement aims at implementing the provisions the EU-East African Community (EAC) EPA, and it remains open to other EAC countries. The EPA and its ambitious commitments represent a crucial deliverable of the EU's 2021 Trade Policy Review and its trade policy with Africa,...

La Banque africaine d'import-export (Afreximbank) dépense 1 milliard de dollars pour financer le lancement d'une initiative destinée à développer le commerce intra-africain et à améliorer l'accès des PME au financement. L'African Trade and Distribution Company (ATDC) est un partenariat entre Afreximbank, Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP) et le Secrétariat de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (AfCFTA). L'ATDC se concentrera sur l'élargissement de l'accès aux marchés régionaux et mondiaux pour les petits exploitants agricoles et les PME en fournissant des services de financement, d'entreposage, de logistique, de conseil en matière de réglementation et de prospection. Anish Jain, directeur général d'Equitane, la société mère d'Arise, explique à GTR que chaque transaction entreprise par la société sera unique, avec des solutions développées individuellement pour chaque PME. Anish Jain précise que les fonds d'Afreximbank n'ont pas encore été entièrement alloués, mais qu'un montant substantiel devrait être affecté à un fonds renouvelable pour les prêts de financement du commerce. La société prévoit de concentrer dans un premier temps ses opérations sur les entreprises d'Afrique de l'Ouest et d'Afrique centrale, avant de s'étendre au reste du continent. L'ATDC distribuera également des produits transformés et des matières premières provenant des zones industrielles d'Arise, qui sont actuellement actives au Gabon, au Togo et au Bénin. Ces zones visent à améliorer le marché d'exportation de l'Afrique en transformant les matières premières africaines en produits finis, une préoccupation majeure pour les États membres de l'AfCFTA.  Le déficit de financement du commerce en Afrique - mesuré comme la différence...

Le volume de produits frais en provenance de Tanzanie et d'Ouganda exportés par conteneurs frigorifiques via le port de Mombasa, au Kenya, a augmenté de six pour cent par rapport à l'année dernière. Le port de Mombasa a enregistré 6 813 équivalents 20 pieds (EVP), grâce à l'installation de 1 367 points de branchement pour conteneurs frigorifiques dans ses installations portuaires depuis l'année dernière. Les conteneurs frigorifiques sont des conteneurs réfrigérés. Le programme d'amélioration de l'environnement commercial et des exportations, d'un montant de 380 millions de dollars, mis en œuvre par TradeMark Africa pour encourager la décarbonisation radicale des chaînes de valeur qui fournissent des produits frais, porte ses fruits : de plus en plus de négociants préfèrent la mer à l'air pour le transport des produits frais.  Les consommateurs, en particulier en Europe, ont été en première ligne dans ce mouvement. Actuellement, les autorisations pour les marchandises périssables dans le port de Mombasa se font au point de chargement, et les autorisations sont accordées par le système national de guichet unique électronique géré par KenTrade. Le directeur général de la Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), le capitaine William Ruto, a déclaré que l'agence avait installé 1 367 points d'enfouissement des produits réfrigérés, dont 795 dans le port de Mombasa : 795 au port de Mombasa, 336 à l'Inland Container Depot (ICD) de Nairobi, 216 au port de Lamu et 20 à l'ICD de Naivasha. "Nous avons reçu des produits frais de l'Ouganda, de la Tanzanie et d'autres régions du pays...

Nairobi, 25 juin 2024 : Le Service d'inspection phytosanitaire du Kenya (KEPHIS) a officiellement lancé aujourd'hui le Système intégré de certification des exportations et des importations (IEICS), une plateforme numérique innovante conçue pour réduire le temps et les coûts associés à l'obtention de certificats phytosanitaires commerciaux, de licences et de permis pour les plantes et le matériel végétal. Le système a été dévoilé par le président de KEPHIS, Joseph M'eruaki, qui représentait le secrétaire d'État à l'agriculture et au développement de l'élevage, Mithika Linturi. Il a déclaré qu'il s'agissait d'une étape importante pour les négociants en plantes et produits végétaux. En félicitant la KEPHIS pour cette réalisation innovante, il a souligné que le système IEICS était un exemple de la manière dont les organismes publics, avec le soutien de partenaires tels que le Danemark et TradeMark Africa, facilitent les initiatives visant à améliorer l'environnement commercial grâce à l'automatisation des systèmes pour les organismes "Le nouveau système change donc la donne en ce qui concerne la manière dont les négociants qui importent et exportent des plantes ou du matériel végétal peuvent collaborer de manière plus efficace et plus transparente avec KEPHIS et d'autres agences grâce à des modules intégrés. De nobles initiatives comme celle-ci s'inscrivent dans le cadre des efforts déployés par le gouvernement pour améliorer l'environnement des affaires et faire du pays une destination attrayante pour les investisseurs", a déclaré M. M'eruaki. Le directeur général de KEPHIS, le professeur Theophilus M. Mutui, s'est fait l'écho de ces sentiments en déclarant...

The volume of fresh produce from Tanzania and Uganda exported using reefers through the port of Mombasa, Kenya has increased to six percent, compared to last year. The Mombasa port recorded 6,813 20-foot equivalent units (Teus), helped by the installation of 1,367 reefer plugging points in its port facilities since last year. Reefers are refrigerated containers. The $380 million Business Environment and Export Enhancement Programme, implemented by TradeMark Africa to push for radical decarbonisation of value chains that deliver fresh produce is yielding fruit, with more traders preferring sea to air in transporting fresh produce. Consumers, especially in Europe, have been on the frontline in this push. Currently, perishable goods approvals through the Mombasa port are done at the point of loading, and permit approvals are granted by the KenTrade-operated National Electronic Single Window System. Read: EA corridors face costs, logistical barrier hurdles Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director Capt William Ruto said the agency has installed 1,367 reefer plugging points: 795 at the Mombasa port, 336 at the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Nairobi, 216 at the Lamu port and 20 at the Naivasha ICD. “Kenya started transporting horticultural produce by sea in a move that would reduce the carbon footprint and improve earnings. This is after Kenya signed a pact with the European Union, one of its major export destinations, agreeing to transport fresh produce via sea after Mombasa port complied with requirements last year,” Capt Ruto said. He added: “The goal is to enhance the competitiveness and share...

The European Union Commission has said that it has concluded plans to invest €150bn in trade and transport infrastructure across West Africa with a special focus on the Lagos- Abidjan corridor. The Team Lead of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Celine Lhoste, stated on Monday in Lagos during a tripartite meeting between the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, EU delegation and ECOWAS that the initiative, which is part of its Global Gateway Initiative, aims to eliminate about 80 extortion checkpoints between the Benin Republic Border and Lagos State. “There is an investment package of €150bn for Africa and West Africa is an important region where we are already investing a lot along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor,” she said. Lhoste highlighted the importance of Lagos ports to trade efficiency in the Lagos-Abidjan corridor and emphasised the EU’s commitment to supporting efforts to decongest Lagos ports and improve inland dry ports. Lhoste expressed interest in facilitating coastal shipping between Cotonou and Lagos ports, which could significantly enhance trade between Nigeria and Benin. “We are looking at possible investments to facilitate trade and transport along the corridor and in Lagos. The investment package under the global gateway initiative seeks to use various funding sources, including private sector contributions and grants, to lower the cost of investments,” she stated. According to Lhoste, the EU is also in discussions with the Port of Antwerp to explore using barges to ease congestion and improve connections between seaports and hinterlands in Nigeria. The Transport Officer at the Directorate...

What you need to know: AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene has called on the Executive Council to allocate funds to the Secretariat to continue recruitment and review the function and scope of several directorates within AfCFTA Dar es Salaam. The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has called for a comprehensive review of several directorates within its secretariat, citing concerns over their functions and scope. This includes the directorate of Trade in Services, Digital Trade, Investment, and Intellectual Property Rights, which is reportedly overburdened. AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene made these remarks on Tuesday, June 26 during the 14th meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers (COM) on trade, in Zanzibar. He called on the Executive Council to allocate funds for the Secretariat to continue recruitment, emphasising the need to review the function and scope of several directorates within AfCFTA. He said the division of dispute settlement must be properly staffed so that it adequately supports the Appellate Body. “These operational realignments are consistent with the general theme of both the Institutional Assessment and the 10-year Strategic Plan, in so far as they relate to the fit-for-purposefulness of the AfCFTA Secretariat,” he said. He therefore proposed the reassignment of some of the functions of the directorate to enable operational focus and efficiency. It is further noted that the position of Deputy Secretary-General must be provided with oversight responsibility for overall coordination. “The division of conferencing is not staffed at all; this is a critical function that enables the smooth running of...

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has installed more than 1,300 power points at its shipment facilities between Mombasa and Naivasha to run refrigerated containers, boosting fresh produce exporters shipping their consignments by sea. Refrigerated containers, also called reefer containers, are used for goods that require temperature controls during shipping. The special containers are equipped with a refrigeration unit that has to be plugged into an electrical source at a depot, terminal, or on board a vessel. The reefer containers are used to ship fruits and vegetables, meat, fish (fresh or frozen), milk and dairy products, flowers, pharmaceuticals, juice and concentrate, and chocolate. KPA managing director William Ruto said the agency has installed 795 container charging points in Mombasa, 336 in Nairobi, 216 in Lamu, and 20 in Naivasha. "We have been receiving fresh produce from Tanzania and other parts of the country. We increased plugging points due to increased demand. In handling this fresh produce, shippers of containerised perishable produce are granted priority to land in all our entry gates," said Captain Ruto. He said the charging points would support traders who prefer sea transport of avocados, vegetables, flowers and other fresh produce. The KPA targets to upscale the number of reefer charging points and also prioritise fresh produce at scanning points at different port facilities to ensure quick truck turn-around time. One of the fresh produce companies, Vertical Agro (EPZ) Limited, said sea transportation has a lower cost as compared to air transport. "The introduction of special refrigerated containers...