Trade
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The move marks a milestone for the Horn of Africa nation, which signed the trade agreement in 2018 and has since worked to align its systems with continental trade protocols.
Africa’s trade finance shortfall won’t be fixed by banks alone — embedded finance and digital liquidity platforms hold the key to inclusive, cross-border trade growth.
In an operating environment marked by high inflation, weak consumer purchasing power, and multiple taxes, women entrepreneurs are quietly outperforming their male peers.
Incremental Profit, a South African supply chain firm, has announced a partnership with Onebeat, a global AI-powered firm, to improve inventory management for retailers and distributors in South Africa.
The Gold Board is also working on establishing a wholly state-owned refinery built to international standards, enabling Ghana to transition from exporting doré to producing bullion.
The surge underscores the resilience of US demand for African goods, but the gains have been uneven. Nigeria and Egypt are emerging as the biggest winners, while South Africa and Algeria are struggling under the weight of protectionist duties.
Government measures offered critical support to South Africa’s retail sector in 2024, easing household pressures and shielding local businesses from foreign competition.
With large-scale production now underway, Uganda is betting that gold can deliver steady revenues, support industrialisation and secure a stronger foothold in Africa’s mineral economy.
With continued pressure on the currency expected through year-end 2025, the outlook for dollar-denominated exports remains bleak.
Kenya and Iran have given themselves 60 days to resolve a tea export dispute sparked by a quality-fraud scandal that strained diplomatic and commercial ties.
According to Akobo’s disclosure, ETI has acquired 7.4% stake in its shares, amid lingering debt facility.
The discussions come as South Africa battles with the fallouts of a sweeping 30% tariff on all its US-bound goods — the highest rate imposed on any African nation under Trump’s new trade regime.
The move comes amid mounting losses for South Africa’s auto sector, with local manufacturers bearing the brunt of Trump’s trade policies as multimillion-dollar export contracts vanish.
Under the revised trade order, the 15% rate applies to countries with which the US runs a trade deficit, while nations with a trade surplus, by contrast, will face a lower 10% rate.
Despite receiving the sharpest cut in the new round of tariffs, Lesotho’s textiles industry, which has relied heavily on duty-free access under the US’ Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, continues to reel from months of uncertainty.
Despite enduring one of the highest inflation rates on the continent, Nigeria recorded the largest retail market growth in Africa in 2024, with modern retail sales surging by 30.4% to $13.2bn, according to new data from Euromonitor International.
Under the new regime, South Africa, Algeria and Libya are the worst hit, while Lesotho secures the largest cut, with tariffs slashed from 50% to 15% amid mounting trade pressure.
Three weeks after the expiration of the US tariff grace period, African countries are already feeling the strain—with Lesotho declaring a state of disaster and South Africa facing job losses in the hundreds of thousands.
A US tariff on processed coffee threatens Ethiopia’s push to move up the value chain, even as the country posts record export earnings, targets new markets across Asia and the Middle East.
The projection comes at a time when South Africa is grappling with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates. Official figures show joblessness at 32.9% in the first quarter of the year, and at 43.1% under the expanded definition.