Sand Mba

Our first speaker, Fridah Mutua, MSc, Trade and Regional Integration Specialist, is presenting on “How Do We Connect Africa’s Trade Systems? From National Digital Islands to Connected Continental Trade Infrastructure.” Fridah opened with the case for connection. Full AfCFTA implementation could raise intra-African trade by 45% by 2045, adding about US$275.7bn (UNECA). But tariff cuts only open the door. Connected systems let goods walk through it. After the EAC Single Customs Territory linked customs systems, cargo turnaround to Kampala fell from 18 days to 4 (KRA). She then drew a sharp line between two ideas that are often confused: a. National digitalisation: each country automates its own customs and permits, so data is retyped at every border. b. Cross-border interoperability: data is captured once, shared with the next authority, and backed by a legal basis for recognising e-documents. Her building blocks for connection included: c. National single windows, with a clear lead agency, phased sequencing and user adoption d. Electronic certificates of origin and plant-health certificates, backed by the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol e. Risk management and AEO programmes that put most compliant cargo in the green lane f. Coordinated border management: submit once, assess jointly, inspect once, release once The evidence came from four reform journeys. Kenya’s TradeNet cut application steps by almost half, Rwanda’s single window cut import clearance from 11 to 1.5 days, Ghana’s ICUMS brought pre-arrival processing, and Nigeria’s B’Odogwu and National Single Window are rolling out in phases. Digitising a bad process only gives you a faster bad process. Agreeing common data standards and legal recognition first is what allows technology to connect, and that is how the legal market becomes an operating market. #makingafricantradeeasierandfaster #AfCFTA #SingleWindow #interoperability #tradefacilitation #AITCR

You are invited to participate in the #AITCR Weekly Trade Poll for African Countries. Which support would most help firms use AfCFTA? @sandmba @AfCFTA @fmitiofficial @officialPACCI @UNDPAfrica @ecowas_cedeao @ECA_OFFICIAL @ATPC2

Who decides whether an African fashion brand can sell in Accra, Nairobi or Paris? 🌍 It is rarely the customer. More often, it is a tariff schedule, a rule of origin, a customs procedure or a trade agreement the brand never had time to read. Talent and creativity are not Africa’s missing ingredients in fashion. Knowing how to move that talent across borders is where many brands get stuck and that is exactly the gap Wednesday’s conversation is aimed at. On 21st October, the Executive Director, @AfricaTradeLink, @sandmba takes the stage as a speaker at the #5th Edition of the Fashion Law & Business Conference (FLBC2026) themed "Fashion Without Borders: Navigating Global Trade in a Shifting World" to speak on: Crossing Borders: Exporting African Fashion to the World. Expect a trade-and-policy view of the fashion business, grounded in the work AITCR does daily across the AfCFTA, the WTO, finance, services and commodities. 📅 Wednesday, 21st October 2026 🕙 10:00 AM 📍 Urban Loft Event Centre, Ikeja GRA, Lagos Which border-crossing hurdle costs your fashion business the most: tariffs, logistics, paperwork or access to finance? Tell us below. @AfCFTA #FLBC2026 #fashionlaw #africanfashion #AfCFTA #internationaltrade #tradepolicy #fashionbusiness #AITCR

In Nigeria Customs’ study of Tin Can Island Port, physical inspection took a few hours. Cargo still spent about five days in the port before release. The study put the delay on idle time: scattered scheduling, manual paperwork and weak coordination between agencies. It covers one port, but the pattern is one many African traders will recognise. On official records, Africa trades about 15% of its goods with Africa, against about 60% in Asia. AfCFTA lowers tariffs, but it does not remove the paperwork and waiting that make cross-border trade slow and costly. On 21 October, AITCR hosts a Multi-Stakeholder Policy Webinar on customs systems, the National Single Window, rules of origin, inspections, and the small-scale and women traders that policy often overlooks. We will look at what is causing the delays and which reforms deserve priority. Wed 21 October 2026, 2:00 PM WAT, Zoom: Register zoom.us/meeting/register/6HA… and share with anyone who should be part of this conversation. #AITCR #AfCFTA #africantrade #TradeFacilitation #customs

Is low Intra-Africa trade Resolvable? 🌍 Roughly 16-18% of the continent's commerce stays within its own borders. Asia manages about 59% and Europe reaches 68%. Is it really just about tariffs? Or is the harder problem what happens at the checkpoint, where forms pile up, trucks sit idle and agencies do not talk to each other? On 21 October, a panel of policymakers and practitioners will take on these questions: ❓ How can customs systems be brought up to date? ❓ Are rules of origin helping traders or tripping them up? ❓What are the challenges with category B ungazetted list? ❓ Where do small-scale and women traders fit into AfCFTA? 📅 Wednesday, 21 October 2026 ⏰ 2:00 PM WAT 💻 Online via Zoom 👉 Save your seat: shorturl.at/fqOD4 Know a trader, exporter or policy thinker wrestling with cross-border rules? Tag them below and share this with your network. #AITCR #AfCFTA #AfricanTrade #TradeFacilitation #IntraAfricanTrade #customs

You are invited to participate in the #AITCR Weekly Trade Poll for African Countries. How visible is your country’s AfCFTA implementation strategy? @sandmba @AfCFTA @fmitiofficial @AfrikParliament @ecowas_cedeao @UNDPAfrica @AfricaCDC @AfricaCCI @AfDB_Group

Africa trades with itself at just 16-18%, against 59% in Asia and 68% in Europe. 🌍 Tariffs are not the real obstacle. It is the everyday friction, ranging from excessive paperwork, slow clearance, unclear rules of origin and agencies with bleak synergy. Yet the solution is proven. Kenya cut air-freight clearance from two days to a few hours. Rwanda went from 11 days to under one. The question is not whether it is possible, but what it takes to make it adaptable as the norm under AfCFTA. Join us to make African Trade Easier & Faster, a Multi-Stakeholder Policy Webinar bringing together policymakers, regulators, the private sector and development partners to move from diagnosis to action. We willl dig into: ☑️ Customs modernisation: B'Odogwu, the AEO programme and the National Single Window ☑️Cutting documentation burdens and avoidable delays ☑️ Rules of origin, standards and inspection bottlenecks ☑️ Including small-scale and women cross-border traders 📅 Wednesday, 21 October 2026 🕚 02:00 PM WAT 📍 Zoom 👉 Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi… (or scan the QR code on the flyer) #AfCFTA #AfricanTrade #TradeFacilitation #IntraAfricanTrade #singlewindow #customs #AITCR

You are invited to participate in the #AITCR Weekly Trade Poll for African Countries. What is the biggest barrier to intra-African exports? @sandmba @afreximbank @ECA_OFFICIAL @AU_ECOSOCC @AfCFTA_Expert @ecowas @TradeMarkAfrica @officialPACCI @pabwa_afcfta

You are invited to participate in the #AITCR weekly trade poll for African countries. How often can firms access AFCFTA preferential tariffs in practice? @AfCFTA_Expert @sandmba @papss_africa @pabwa_afcfta

You are invited to participate in the #AITCR weekly trade poll for African countries. @AfCFTA_Expert @sandmba @papss_africa @pabwa_afcfta Which AfCFTA implementation gap is most urgent?