Murang'a County, a significant avocado-producing region in Kenya, contributes 40% of the national output, valued at over $3.5 million. Most homes in the area have small orchards, which have become crucial for rural livelihoods. While cities like Madrid and Stockholm offer lucrative markets for avocados, Murang'a farmers, like others in Kenya, face barriers to entry. These include a lack of understanding of market requirements, international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, food safety protocols, and labour conditions. Addressing these challenges requires training and collective effort. Thousands of kilometres away, cities like Madrid and Stockholm represent some of the most lucrative markets for this green gold. But while demand is strong, access remains limited. The farmers of Murang’a, like many of their peers across Kenya, face persistent barriers to entry. Chief among them is inadequate knowledge of market requirements, including compliance with international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, food safety protocols, and labour conditions. Bridging this gap demands training, and collective resilience. This was the reason over 60 members of the Lima Linda Cooperative, translated as “Farm and Protect”, assembled for a training session on GLOBALG.A.P. and GRASP protocols in early June 2025. Organised with support from TradeMark Africa (TMA) through the European Union- funded Business Environment and Export Enhancement Programme (BEEEP), the session focused on soil, water, and biodiversity protection, food safety, record keeping, and worker welfare. It marked the fifth group from the cooperative to undergo training since joining the programme in 2024, underscoring the consistency and commitment required for...

Clement Manyatta holding a harvested bitter melon at the firm's premises in Arusha, Tanzania, in 2025. Beneath the scorching sun, Pastor Clement Manyata, the CEO of Fresh Field, walks through rows of lush green fields, watching as workers carefully harvest fresh vegetables. Nearby, crates are stacked in neat aisles, ready for export. Such a sight once felt like an impossible dream. Today, Fresh Field Manyatta exports vegetables, including bitter gourd (bitter melon), various types of chilli peppers such as cherry chilli, different varieties of beans, long beans, okra, and cherry tomatoes. The company exports mainly to Europe, including the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland. Their goal is to expand their reach and supply to virtually all countries across Europe. Pastor Clement’s journey from a small-scale farmer to a top exporter was not easy. He founded Fresh Field Manyatta as a small-scale farming operation in Arusha, in northern Tanzania, before venturing into the international market. Exporting required meeting international standards, but Pastor Clement initially lacked the knowledge of certifications such as the Global GAP. He recalls a time when a potential buyer asked about if he had the certification. He confidently responded in the affirmative only to realise later that he had no idea how to obtain it. Without the proper certification, breaking into the European market is out of reach. Logistics posed another major challenge. With no direct cargo flights from Northern Tanzania to Europe, Fresh Field Manyatta relied on passenger flights to transport its produce. This...

Evelyne Munyeti, Jade Fresh MD, shares the journey of navigating the world of horticultural exports. Exporting food from East Africa is not for the faint-hearted. Strict international standards, limited access to capital, and inconsistent production quality make it nearly impossible for most small businesses to break into international markets. Rejection rates are usually high, and financing is scarce, making the cost of failure punitive. To put this into perspective, Kenya’s Economic Survey 2025 reports that EU pesticide regulation halved the value of Kenya's fresh vegetable exports in 2024 to KSh23.4 billion ($180.7 million) from KSh50.9 billion ($393 million) in 2023, while volumes dropped by almost 55%. A separate 2024 report by Genesis Analytics confirmed what exporters already know: that market requirements are both technical and commercially fatal for undercapitalised micro and small enterprises, particularly those led by women. Certification costs and compliance failures mean that a single mistake can wipe out months of earnings. Between 2017 and 2023, TradeMark Africa’s (TMA) Export Capability Programme supported businesses to navigate these challenges. For instance, the Horticulture Market Access Programme (HMAP) linked 1,198 farmers in Tanzania and 7,854 small and medium-scale farmers in Kenya to markets and assisted farmers with selling around 50,000 tons of produce (Genesis Analytics, 2024). The Rwanda Export Development Programme was successful in increasing the export readiness of supported businesses and significantly increased new export transactions from $1 million in 2018 to $2 million in 2023. “The goal was to build export capacity and help businesses identify viable markets...

Hawa Chloe Niyigena, Whiz Upp Founder, turned a small fruit-processing business into a cross-border success. Cross-border trade in Africa is rarely about just having a good product. For most small businesses, the real hurdle is compliance, meeting multiple national and regional standards that determine whether, for example, a fruit puree clears customs or gets turned away. Ms. Hawa Chloe Niyigena, founder of Whiz Upp, a fruits and vegetables processing firm based in Western Rwanda, knows this only too well. For years, her business remained small, boxed in by limited knowledge of quality standards and little access to broader markets, especially across borders. That changed when she joined a partnership programme between TradeMark Africa (TMA) and the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB). Workers at Whiz Upp package fresh juices for local and cross-border markets (2025). Through the support, she was trained on food safety requirements, certification processes, and business management, including bookkeeping and saving strategies. After participation in trade exhibitions in Kigali and Democratic Republic of Congo, Whiz Upp began expanding its market reach. The impact was immediate: weekly sales jumped fivefold, from $160 to $800. She now sells across borders and employs 11 people, up from four. “Before joining the programme, I had very few customers. But, after attending trade fairs and exhibitions, I met more buyers,” Ms. Niyigena said. Whiz Upp is one of the 13 Rwandan firms that began exporting under the Export Capability programme; in total, 40 firms were supported to enhance their export readiness. According to David...

Asmin Abdalla shares a moment with Mariam Mbaabu, chair of Busia Women Cross-Border Traders Cooperative. As the sun rises over Busia, the bustling border town between Kenya and Uganda comes to life. Traders haggle over prices, trucks roll through customs, and the scent of fresh fish fills the air. Among them is Natocho Susan Charity, a member of the Busia Women Cross-Border Fish Cooperative. For years, cross-border trade was risky and unpredictable. Women like Susan avoided official border routes to escape high fees and complex regulations, instead using informal paths known as panya routes, which were often dangerous. “Boda boda riders stole from us. We faced harassment, and officials demanded bribes,” Susan recalls. “We lost most of our earnings.” With funding from Global Affairs Canada, TradeMark Africa (TMA), partnered with the Eastern African Sub-Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI), to provide training, legal aid, and support for women to formalise their businesses. “Agriculture is an important source of income for women in East Africa, with high percentages of women working in the sector across the region, including 96% in Burundi, 76% in Kenya, 84% in Rwanda, 71% in Tanzania, and 77% in Uganda,” explains Anna Nambooze, TMA Country Director for Uganda and South Sudan. “The Women in Trade project supported these women to increase their incomes and improve their livelihoods through trade.” Natocho Susan Charity once forced to use informal routes to trade, now safely crosses using formal border points. TMA supports the transition of traders to...

Getruda Mushi CEO of Muge Africart holding on of her products. In Tanzania, where informal trade is widespread and access to markets and finance remains patchy, digital tools are beginning to reshape how small businesses operate. Platforms like iSOKO, a digital platform developed by TMA with support from Global Affairs Canada, help bridge the gap, connecting sellers to buyers, banks, basic market intelligence, and an inventory management system. For Ms. Getruda Mushi, who sells African fabrics, handcrafted bags, and beaded sandals under her brand Muge Africart, the platform's greatest value was building her financial confidence. She says the platform opened doors to financial training and services and equipped her with the confidence to engage with financial institutions. With newfound financial literacy, she began making informed decisions that stabilised and grew her business. “I had a vision to own a large business, but the reality of accessing finance to run a business in a competitive market was daunting,” she recalls. “Before iSOKO, I didn’t know how to track expenses or negotiate loans,” she says. After participating in financial training sessions linked to the platform, she expanded to a larger shop. “Not even a year has passed but I have already come this far. This is a major achievement for me,” she says. Shabani Kaoneka with a customer at her fish shop in Tanzania.  Shabani Kaoneka, a fish trader turned poultry seller, is one of nearly 90,000 users on the platform. A few years ago, her business collapsed under the weight of...

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 Logistics, Private Sector Foundation Uganda. For years, Uganda’s transport and logistics sector operated in silos and was characterised by slow decision-making. “Businesses often had to write to multiple ministries and navigate time-consuming administrative processes just to resolve a clearance issue,” recalls Kenneth Ayebare, Director of Transport and Logistics at the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU). “There was no central body to champion the sector’s needs.” That changed in 2018, following the establishment of the National Logistics Platform (NLP) under PSFU with support from Finland and Netherlands through TradeMark Africa. The NLP brought the public and private sector to the same table to coordinate reforms, solve logistics bottlenecks, and influence high level decisions, faster. And it worked, as the NLP soon became a unified voice for logistics stakeholders. One of its early wins was securing a seat at the top management level in Uganda’s Ministry of Works and Transport giving logistics actors direct engagement and access to influence policy and Government decision making. “By bringing all stakeholders to one table, decision-making in transport and logistics became much faster,” said Anna Nambooze, TMA Country Director for Uganda and South Sudan. “When the private sector and government sat...

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 of training among customs clearing and forwarding agents. Many struggled to interpret trade laws, classify goods accurately, or navigate clearance systems. This created friction with customs officials and stalled clearance processes. For traders, the consequences were grim. They faced lost time, increased storage and demurrage fees, and missed business opportunities. But change has begun, one customs agent at a time, through targeted training and professional certification delivered through a collaboration between the East African Community (EAC) Directorate of Customs, the national and regional associations of customs clearing and forwarding agents, the customs departments, and development partners. Take Ondoga Job Filbert, who just a decade ago was a hopeful graduate who dreamt of working for a multinational logistics firm. Today, he is a customs liaison officer at APM Terminals Uganda, part of the Maersk Group’s shipping conglomerate. Dressed in a crisp blue company coat, Filbert speaks with passion about his work managing high-value consignments, ensuring compliance with Uganda Revenue Authority (URA)’s regulations, and responding to complex audit queries, all under tight timelines. Filbert’s journey to this position started in 2013, when he enrolled in the 11-month Certificate in Customs and Freight Logistics (CCFL), formerly known as...

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. The “Women and Youth Economic Empowerment in Fisheries” program will enhance the participation of women and youth in fisheries in line with the adopted AfCFTA Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade. This announcement was made during the 14th Meeting of the Council of Ministers responsible for Trade in Zanzibar. The program is designed to address structural challenges women and youth face when participating in the fisheries value chain. It will offer training, facilitate access to markets and finance, catalyze supply chain linkages, create digital solutions, simplify trade regimes, enhance compliance to standards and enable streamlined cross-border market access. The program is a culmination of work between the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Mastercard Foundation. This work started with the development of the AfCFTA private sector strategy, where priority value chains were identified to boost intra-Africa trade and production. TradeMark Africa will implement the program to benefit Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Nigeria and selected Island states. Africa’s fisheries sector plays a major role in food security and the economic well-being for millions of households, with the World Bank noting that the...

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 sustainable garment factory constructed using upcycled containers. Already under construction, the green textile center will be completed by December 2024. With its innovative construction, and use of solar energy and rainwater harvesting, the new garment and textile center is expected to save an estimated 18 tons of CO2 annually. It will also conserve 1,000 m3 of water annually, highlighting the potential for sustainability in industrial design. In addition to USAID and TCA funding, the new factory is a joint venture with Modular Real Estate EPZ Limited (MODULAR), a subsidiary of Container Technology Limited (CONTECH). "This investment presents a great opportunity to build scalable and sustainable industrial space for garment manufacturing and symbolizes our dedication to environmental stewardship," said Duncan Onyango, CEO of Trade Catalyst Africa. "By pioneering this unique industrial space, we are setting a new standard for the garment industry, positioning Kenya and Africa as leaders in sustainable manufacturing." Duncan added that TCA is dedicated to fostering sustainable development through innovative industrial and infrastructure projects, rooted in partnerships with leading organizations and leveraged on cutting edge technologies to drive Africa’s economic growth. The global textiles market, valued at approximately US$1.5 trillion...