TradeMark East Africa has officially rebranded to TradeMark Africa (TMA) following all necessary regulatory approvals in most countries of operations across the East, Southern and Horn of Africa region.

After receipt of the regulatory approvals, the following countries of operation (except Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Malawi) have since adopted the new name – TradeMark Africa: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, South Sudan, Somaliland, Mozambique, Zambia. All rights and obligations of parties to contracts, partner support and financing agreements signed prior to change of name are not affected.

The rebranding is in line with the organisation’s expanded geographical footprint to the Horn, West and Southern Africa, renewed strategy, programming and implementation orientation. Subsequently, today, TMA will launch the company in West Africa, during an event held in Aburi, Ghana in the presence of AfCFTA Secretariat and Ministers from the region. Ghana will be TradeMark Africa’s first country of operation in West Africa, where the organisation plans to work on the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor. TMA is planning similar new brand launch events in Nairobi and capitals of countries it currently operates.

TradeMark Africa Chief Executive Officer, David Beer said the rebranding of the organisation and its expansion to West Africa, is the culmination of a multi-year transition journey. “We believe that combining a regional and national approach has always been part of our comparative advantage. With our expanded scope, we are excited now to harness the critical continental dimension to drive faster growth in trade volumes, and to support linkages between regions. TMA’s focus on reducing the barriers to trade and improving business competitiveness will also be a core element of tackling the trade challenges of the future, as we pivot towards creating green trade corridors and enhancing regional food security.”

The rebrand marks the start of a new decade for the leading aid for trade institution that has operated in East Africa for the last 12 years. TMA boasts a cumulative portfolio of US$1.3 billion and has contributed to reducing time taken to transport cargo across the Northern Corridor by 16.5%; supported construction and operationalisation of over 15 One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs), which have reduced time taken to cross select borders by an average of 70% and automated trade processes through over 60 single window information for trade systems across various government agencies.

Other notable projects include setting up the institutional structures and framework of the Burundi Revenue Authority (OBR), the Uganda Electronic Single Window (UeSW), Kenya Revenue Authority Integrated Custom Management System (iCMS), Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS), Women in Trade programme which is currently active across 14 border crossing points in the region, supporting Bureaus of Standards to adopt and promote international sanitary and phytosanitary measures amongst Small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Some of the emerging results: Ugandan Electronic Single Window system which has reduced transaction costs for processing documentation of key imports and exports at selected trade regulatory institutions by 45% (from US$68 in 2015 to US$37.1 in 2021), according to Uganda Revenue Authority. This contributed to U$24 million in cost savings by traders in 2021. Kenya Revenue Authority’s new customs system the iCMS reduced clearance time for air freight from an average of 2 days to 2-3 hours as of 2021. Traders have hailed iCMS for its quick turnaround time and security component. TradeMark Africa envisions its new strategy to focus on Green, Inclusive and Digital trade.

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