WTO Event Shows Compliance Drives Africa’s Market Access
African SMEs Receive Support to Navigate Trade Standards
ePing Project Launched to Assist African Agribusinesses
Nairobi: A two-day forum in Nairobi spotlighted the critical role of standards and technical regulations in Africa’s agricultural trade, emphasising that compliance with these requirements is increasingly what determines market access—often even more than tariffs. Policymakers, regulators, agribusiness representatives, and development partners from East and Southern Africa gathered to explore both the challenges and practical solutions associated with regulatory compliance in the agricultural sector.
The event, titled Beyond Tariffs: How Standards and Regulations Shape Agribusiness Competitiveness, was convened by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, the Government of Kenya, the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), and the International Trade Centre. Around 100 participants attended, representing governments, standard-setting bodies, agribusinesses, international organisations, and development partners.
Opening the forum via video, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala emphasised the growing influence of regulatory standards on trade. “Health and safety standards. Technical regulations. Certification and quality assurance. These elements increasingly decide who gets to compete and who is left behind,” she said. “And for many micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries, meeting evolving requirements can be the difference between export success and losing a market overnight.” Her remarks set the tone for discussions that emphasised the practical challenges African exporters face in navigating evolving regulatory landscapes.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry, Lee Kinyanjui, delivering the keynote address, framed standards as strategic tools rather than obstacles. “We must treat standards and technical measures not as obstacles but as strategic tools for competitiveness, value addition and market expansion. As a region, therefore, our task is to harmonise these measures, strengthen our trade capacity and ensure that our producers, especially SMEs, are equipped to meet them,” he said. He added, “Ensuring that our farmers, exporters and regulators are able to anticipate and adapt to new requirements is essential for safeguarding market access and strengthening our integration into global value chains. This is why the work being done by the organisations represented here today is so important.”
A key development during the forum was the launch of a new STDF-funded project in Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda to expand the use of the ePing platform. ePing is an online notification system that alerts users to proposed changes in sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures—which ensure food safety and animal and plant health—and technical barriers to trade (TBT). The project will provide technology upgrades and targeted capacity-building to help public and private sector users better monitor, understand, and respond to regulatory changes affecting trade. On the launch, Director-General Okonjo-Iweala noted, “The project advances the commitment WTO members made at our 13th Ministerial Conference to support WTO members most affected by regulatory challenges.”
She also emphasised Africa’s strengths and potential: “Africa has what the world wants: arable land, sustainable products, driven by a youthful and dynamic workforce. Our job, together, is to ensure that Africa’s exporters can meet standards anywhere in the world, and also to shape those standards as leaders in global markets.”
The forum offered participants a deep dive into the complexities of standards and regulations. Sessions explored how these frameworks are shaped and applied across Africa and globally, the interaction between international and regional standards, and the evolving requirements under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement and regional economic communities. Participants examined how producers and exporters can meet compliance challenges while remaining competitive, and how regulatory alignment can open opportunities for intra-African and international trade.
Panels on the first day brought together voices from government, business, finance, and international development partners to explore how standards influence agribusiness competitiveness. Another panel featured producers, exporters, and experts from East Africa’s key agricultural sectors—including horticulture, coffee, tea, livestock, and fisheries—who shared practical experiences on how standards and regulations, including SPS requirements and technical measures, shape trade in real-world terms.
Throughout the forum, the emphasis remained on both the challenges and solutions. Beyond policy discussions, participants were introduced to practical tools offered by the WTO and partner organisations, including the Global Trade Helpdesk, which provides information on tariffs, trade agreements, and standards, and the Standards Map, a database detailing international and regional standards and conformity requirements. By combining dialogue, technical assistance, and capacity-building, the event sought to equip governments, businesses, and regulators with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate complex standards, safeguard market access, and support Africa’s agricultural exports.
The Nairobi forum demonstrated that standards and technical regulations are central to agricultural trade and competitiveness. By providing both guidance and practical support, it offered a roadmap for African agribusinesses to participate effectively in regional and global markets.
– global bihari bureau
