Africa UN Knowledge Hub for COVID-19

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN Business)Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was confirmed as director-general of the World Trade Organization on Monday, becoming the first woman and the first African to lead the global trade body.

Okonjo-Iweala was appointed by the WTO after the last remaining rival candidate, South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee, withdrew from the race. She will take up her post on March 1, initially for a term that runs until August 2025.

World merchandise trade volume growth remained strong in the fourth quarter of 2020 after trade rebounded in the third quarter from a deep COVID-19 induced slump; however, the pace of expansion in the fourth quarter is unlikely to be sustained in the first half of 2021 since key leading indicators appear to have already peaked, according to the WTO’s latest Goods Trade Barometer of 18 February 2021.

Just over two years ago, tralac published a blog about the potential of blockchain (also referred to as distributed ledger technologies (DLT)) for trade in Africa[1]. This blog is an update to that article, showing how much has been achieved in just a short space of time, and how much can be achieved in the very near future.

Nairobi, Friday, 17 February 2021 - TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), in partnership with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), today launched a new report entitled, “Waving or Drowning? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on East African Trade”; in the presence of trade ministers from the East African Community (EAC).

The UK Government in partnership with TradeMark East Africa on Friday 7th May 2021 officially handed over quarantine and screening facilities in key border posts of Mwanza, Dedza and Songwe and Mchinji borders to the Malawi Ministry of Health to support its capacity and fight against COVID-19.

Addis Ababa, 6 October 2021 (ECA) - Commodity markets in Africa are expected to remain volatile in the coming months following the persistence of Covid-19 constrains in the supply chain and other global economic pressures, says Stephen Karingi, Director of Regional Integration and Trade Division at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

Over 180 representatives from 111 members and observers participated on 12 October in a virtual information session on the WTO Secretariat’s work to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang highlighted the importance of targeted policies and a coordinated global response to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The world and Africa can work together to restore trust on solidarity on key priorities for the region’s development

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the sense of urgency in Africa's quest towards effective and timely implementation of intra-Africa trade and economic recovery.