TradeMark Africa Annual Report 2024-2025
Nairobi, Kenya, 30 January 2026: TradeMark Africa’s (TMA) 2024-2025 Annual Report makes a case that tariffs are no longer the main obstacle to Africa’s trade but rather non-tariff measures; and that progress in growing intra-African trade and trade between the continent and the rest of the world will come from reducing non-tariff barriers. standards that differ from one border to the next. Testing regimes that are slow, opaque or inconsistent. Certificates that are not recognised across countries. Small procedural disputes that linger and quietly shut firms out of markets. The report notes that systematic action in these areas is beginning to shift competitiveness across borders and regions.
In the last year, TMA working with governments and the private sector-supported reforms that strengthened Standards and Quality Infrastructure across Africa, improving how goods are tested, certified and cleared. According to the Independent Standards and SPS Evaluation Report, these reforms contributed to a 60% reduction in certification time, cutting approval periods from five months in 2017 to an average of two months in 2023, as reported by 60% of surveyed firms in East Africa. The shorter certification cycles eased working-capital pressures for exporters and reduced risks linked to delays and rejections. These reforms translated into measurable results across regions. In Rwanda, improved inspection systems cut meat-product interceptions by 45 %; in Zambia, enhanced laboratory capacity and upgraded customs processes enabled faster and more reliable clearance, including the successful processing of 100 metric tonnes of maize with zero rejections and testing times reduced from 72 hours to under 30. In Uganda, decentralised laboratory services reduced turnaround from more than three weeks to about 15 days. In West Africa, early SPS diagnostics and customs-connectivity pilots under ECOWAS are laying the foundations for predictable, rules-based border operations.
Similar work is advancing in the Horn of Africa, Southern Africa and along emerging corridors in West Africa. Laboratory systems were strengthened, Mutual Recognition Arrangements expanded and digital SPS certification tools adopted to ensure that harmonised standards produce consistent outcomes at the border. These shifts reflect the growing importance of regulatory cooperation, enabling African exporters to meet market requirements with fewer interruptions.
Reflecting on the year, Leo Svahnback, Council Chair of TradeMark Africa, said: “Trade systems are a form of public infrastructure. When rules align, standards are credible and non-tariff barriers are addressed systematically, risk falls and costs come down. This year’s results show that predictability, rather than physical infrastructure alone, is now the determining factor in whether African firms can plan with confidence.”
The report also highlights progress in the systems that support border performance across regions. Digital tools are replacing paper-based routines, reducing discretion and shortening approval processes in situations where certification and transit procedures can be verified electronically. For example, the ePhyto digitisation in Mozambique and digital quality-infrastructure upgrades in Zanzibar, are supporting the reliability of SPS and standards systems along trade routes in the Horn and Southern Africa.
The report further shows how infrastructure and process reform work together to create predictable pathways for trade. According to the Sustainable and Efficient Transport Infrastructure Portfolio Independent Evaluation Report, investments in ports, border posts and corridor-support systems -including upgrades at Uganda’s Elegu, Goli and Mahagi-cut clearance times by 83%, 58% and 63% respectively. In Rwanda and eastern DRC, the newly completed Rubavu Port has strengthened connections between Horn-Great Lakes markets and moved two thirds of its annual target within three months. In West Africa, corridor work is progressing toward integrated customs systems and SPS readiness, supporting long-term interoperability across ECOWAS trade corridors.
H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, TradeMark Africa Board Chair and former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, observed that competitiveness is increasingly shaped at the border. “NTBs restrict African trade far more than tariffs. Aligning standards, reducing discretion and resolving NTBs are essential if Africa is to build regional value chains. Africa’s credibility in trade is won or lost at the border,” he said.
During the reporting period, TMA-supported reforms enabled firms across Africa to realise significant trade gains, with a combined $408.06 million in reported trade, sales and tender values facilitated through strengthened standards systems, streamlined border processes and expanded digital certification platforms. This reflects the value of exports and cross-border trade flows supported during the year, spanning horticulture, grains, livestock and manufactured products-sectors where improved testing, faster certification cycles and more predictable clearance procedures allowed traders and exporters to access markets with greater consistency. The results demonstrate how system functionality directly contributes to increased trade volumes, improved market access and stronger participation of SMEs in regional and global value chains.
David Beer, Chief Executive Officer of TradeMark Africa, said: “Today’s trade barriers are procedural rather than tariff based. Standards and SPS requirements now govern most global trade. Our focus is on turning them into a gateway to markets, not a source of delay. Trade succeeds when systems work together, when laboratory capacity is credible, digital systems reduce discretion and clearance processes align across borders.”
The reforms are widening participation across regions. During FY2024-25, thousands of small-scale traders and SMEs accessed markets more safely and formally, while digital and regulatory systems reduced approval times and reliance on intermediaries. These shifts matter most for women and youth led enterprises with limited capacity to absorb delays.
“The test of reform is not alignment on paper but outcomes in practice,” Mr Beer concluded. “When standards reduce rejections, NTBs are resolved and clearance times fall, trade becomes predictable.”
TradeMark Africa’s Strategy 3 continues to prioritise consistent application of harmonised standards, credible NTB monitoring systems and the expansion of digital trade platforms that reduce discretion and uncertainty across regions.