Ghana-Togo ministers target faster trade at Akanu–Noepe border
Ghana and Togo have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cross-border trade and improving operations at the Akanu – Noepe Joint Border Post, following a high-level ministerial meeting and handing-over ceremony. The meeting, supported by TradeMark Africa, brought together senior government officials, members of the National Trade Facilitation Committees, and representatives of border management agencies from […]
The Middle East crisis: A stress test for African trade resilience
The escalating Middle East crisis is emerging as a major stress test for Africa’s trade resilience, disrupting supply chains across the continent while also creating a potential opening for key ports in East and Southern Africa to capture more maritime traffic. With shipping once again diverting around the Cape of Good Hope amid the strategic […]
East Africa sets 2026 deadline to scrap trade barriers, but past disputes raise doubts
The decision, reached at the bloc’s 25th Ordinary Summit in Arusha on March 7, underscores efforts to remove longstanding obstacles that continue to slow the movement of goods across member states. Non-tariff barriers, ranging from bureaucratic delays and inconsistent standards to restrictive licensing regimes, have long raised the cost of doing business within the region. […]
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 […]
Rwanda’s farms step into global markets, one certification at a time
When Adeline Mukayirere first received an international order for her horticultural produce in 2024, after attending market linkage exhibitions including the Rwanda-UK Trade Mission in Kigali, Rwanda and the Fruit Attraction in Spain, she was over the moon. It was the kind of opportunity she had long hoped for and a chance to see her farm’s produce […]
Equipping Rwanda’s youth with skills and standards to unlock jobs and markets
When Annoncée Nsengimana graduated in Irrigation and Drainage, she expected to build a career in crop production. Instead, her first professional placement took her to a poultry farm in eastern Rwanda, when the opportunity came through the Value-Added Initiative to Boost Employment (VIBE)’s Young Professionals Programme. She enrolled and found herself deployed to a poultry […]
How compliance with good agricultural practices is transforming Kenya’s mango industry
When Rose took early retirement more than 30 years ago, she did not set out to join Kenya’s export economy. She simply wanted to make her farm work, because for a long time, it did not. The challenge was growing mangoes in a way that consistently met market expectations, and getting them to market before […]
President Hakainde Hichilema inaugurates upgraded Nakonde border post
Nakonde, Zambia, 19 March 2026: President Hakainde Hichilema on Thursday inaugurated the upgraded Nakonde One Stop Border Post on Zambia’s border with Tanzania, as Zambia seeks to reduce delays and lower the cost of moving goods along one of its busiest trade routes. The $12 million upgrade is expected to cut cargo clearance times by […]
Enhancing Trade Corridor Efficiency in the Horn of Africa
Trade corridors move goods from production centres to markets. When logistics systems function well, clearance times fall and costs decline. When they do not, delays and regulatory friction raise the cost of doing business. These issues formed the focus of discussions at the Enhancing Corridor Efficiency in the Horn of Africa Conference held in Addis […]
Le président Hakainde Hichilema inaugure le poste-frontière modernisé de Nakonde
Nakonde, Zambie, 19 mars 2026 : Le président Hakainde Hichilema a inauguré jeudi le poste-frontière « Nakonde One Stop », récemment rénové, situé à la frontière entre la Zambie et la Tanzanie, alors que la Zambie s’efforce de réduire les délais et de diminuer les coûts liés au transport de marchandises sur l’une de ses […]