In April, the International Trade Centre (in collaboration with the Uganda Coffee Federation) supported 6 Ugandan coffee producers to participate and exhibit at the week-long London Coffee Festival, through its UK Trade Partnerships programme (UKTP).

Taking place at Newman Breweries in the East of London, the festival drew coffee enthusiasts from around the globe to indulge in the rich aromas and flavors of their favorite brews. Visitors sampled an array of specialty coffees from different regions of the world including Uganda, with fine arabicas and robustas on display. Modern coffee roasting machines and technologies were also featured alongside presentation of cutting-edge techniques.

The London Coffee Festival is about more than just coffee, however —it’s a celebration of culture, community, and sustainability. Throughout the 4 days, attendees had the opportunity to engage with coffee growers and producers and learn about the journey of the humble coffee bean from farm to cup. Workshops on ethical sourcing, fair trade practices, and environmental conservation underscored the importance of responsible coffee consumption in an increasingly interconnected world.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.

Strathmore University Business School and the International Trade Centre (ITC) partner to open a Small Business Development Centre Digital Trade Hub in Kenya to provide small businesses with the e-commerce skills, tools and knowledge they need to expand their market reach and opportunities. This partnership is designed to foster economic growth, job creation and regional market expansion.

The Hubs will provide small businesses with e-commerce training materials and resources, as well as in-person coaching and training sessions, so they can overcome challenges to selling online.

The Business School through the Kenya Small Business Development Centres (SBDC) is providing advisory services, training, and facilitation of access to markets and finance for small businesses in six counties – Mombasa, Nakuru, Kiambu, Kisumu, Makueni and Isiolo – under the umbrella of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Strategic Partnership programme, backed by USAID funding.

To complement these services, ITC is providing a customized e-commerce learning programme, technical assistance and digital tools so small businesses can address the challenges of selling online. This work is being done under ITC’s Digital Moonshot and the European Union-funded East African Community Market Access Upgrade Programme, now in its second phase (MARKUP II).

Building on an established partnership

Strathmore University Business School and ITC signed a memorandum of understanding on 13 March 2024 to establish Digital Trade Hubs in the six counties across Kenya, to equip small businesses with the skills and knowledge required to access new markets through digital channels.

The partners will reach out to other key e-commerce stakeholders in the country, to create an environment conducive to leveraging e-commerce for sustainable business growth, including for and through small businesses.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.

Around 50% of Ghanian exporters of goods and services face difficulties with non-tariff measures (NTMs) – which range from export inspection, customers clearance and visas to rules of origin and conformity assessment (performance, safety, efficiency) and irregular payments – according to a new ITC report: Ghana: Invisible barriers to trade – Business perspectives.

The report is based on a survey of 960 trading firms (of all sizes) across the country, conducted between October 2019 and June 2020. It identified trade hurdles through direct interactions with businesses – information that should help policymakers craft trade policies to boost Ghana’s trade and better integrate into global value chains.

These NTMs affect exporters of goods and services (47%) more than importers (33%), with impacts varying across sectors. In the information and communication technologies sector (ICT), the percent of companies facing obstacles was 52%, followed by manufacturing (48%), agriculture (43%), transport and logistics (41%), and tourism and travel (32%).

Both foreign and local regulations slow down trade. For goods exporters, partner (or destination) countries account for 69% of the hurdles, while Ghana accounts for 31%. The European Union (EU) holds the largest share of these NTMs at 34%, followed by ECOWAS at 27% and Asia at 11%.

But a higher NTM share does not coincide with a higher trade volume. While 40% of Ghana’s exports go to Asia, only 11% of companies face obstacles there. The opposite occurs in ECOWAS, with 12% of the export trade but 27% of the obstacles – an indication that it is relatively difficult to access. As for the EU, it accounts for 34% of Ghana’s export trade and 34% of the obstacles.

Too many regulations and procedures lead to delays, hindering business

Which regulations pose the most problems? For goods exporters, the biggest ones are technical measures (like wood fumigation), which account for 52%, followed by rules of origin (32%). For services exporters, however, tax measures top the list (31%) along with technical requirements (31%). For example, the paperless port system, which is mandatory, was introduced to reduce clearance time and human contacts; instead, completion time has risen from 2 to 5 days.

As for domestic procedures, the survey cites lengthy compliance procedures, high fees and charges, and informal payments. For example, many exporters say that obtaining a conformity assessment certificate means paying bribes at each level of the inspection process to speed it up.

Given that many of the difficult regulations and procedures are domestic – not just those of trade partners – there is a lot that Ghana can do to improve its business environment for trade, which would help create more jobs (especially for youth and women) and enhance economic development. Hence, the belief that market access begins at home.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.

On June 27, Ambassador Zhao Weiping attended and addressed the launching ceremony of the second phase of the China-FAO-Namibia South-South Cooperation Project online, which was also attended by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Hubei Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and Ms. Anna Shiweda, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform of Namibia. Mr. Wei Jinming, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy was also present.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Namibia.