UNCTAD argued that in the fourth quarter of 2021, all major trading economies saw imports and exports rise well above pre-pandemic levels of 2019.  Moreover, the report pointed out that trade in goods increased more strongly in developing countries than in developed ones. 

It is essential to realize that Africa has more to tap into the intra-African trade, standing at around $21.9 billion, according to UNCTAD. 

Further, exports of developing countries were about 30 per cent higher than during the same period in 2020, compared with 15 per cent for wealthier nations. 

The UNCTAD report argued that growth spiked in commodity-exporting regions as commodity prices increased. …

Ethiopia is the biggest Wheat producer in Africa, producing about 5.1 million tonnes in the 2020/2021 financial year. Russia’s restriction on the importation of Wheat has created a business gap in the African market and all over the globe.

Russia and Ukraine account for more than 70 per cent of Egypt’s imported wheat demand. In 2019, wheat imports from Russia to Egypt were worth US$2.55 billion, and Nigeria’s imports amounted to US$394 million. Other countries that import Russian Wheat include Sudan, Senegal, Tunisia and Morocco. Ethiopia will hold talks with Egypt and Sudan in March 2022 over the Nile waters’ use. Both countries are importers of Wheat, and production in Ethiopia could fulfil the demand from these two countries without exerting pressure on their production.…

• Top five priorities for the African Union 
• Building Nutrition and Food Security top African Union Agenda
• Africa requires an equitable representation at the United Nations

The Assembly of African Union Heads of State and Government held its 35th Ordinary Session early February this year and listed the continent's top five priorities. The Assembly meeting saw the handover of the rotating leadership of the Union from H.E. President Antoine Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo who was Chairperson in 2021, to President Macky Sall of Senegal.

The Heads of State and Government launched the African Union Theme of the Year 2022 as Year of Nutrition: “Strengthening resilience in nutrition and food security on the African continent: Strengthening agro food systems, health and social protection systems for the acceleration of human, social and economic capital development”.

Five priorities were listed: Resilience to Covid-19 and Africa manufacture of vaccines, action against

• African Union hosting eight events at the Expo 2020 Dubai
• The world sees Africa as the new frontier for business, trade and investment
• How the UAE is setting itself up as the launchpad for doing business in Africa

The African Union (AU) is hosting eight events at Expo 2020 Dubai. With one event each week, the AU hopes to highlight the continent’s investment opportunities and reshape the general world view of Africa, the least not being, science and technology development on the continent.

“From the onset, we set our sights on showcasing the incredible and continued opportunities that lie across the African continent,” remarked Dr. Levi Uche Madueke, the AU Expo Commissioner General.

“We are hitting the ground running.  Our Expo 2020 Dubai activities further advance the cause of fulfilling the aspirations of Agenda 2063,” he said reassuring all visitors of ‘a great show of marvel and awe.’

As part

Unreported mergers and acquisitions, false advertising, or aggressive marketing tactics all place the farmer, the common trader, at odds with the market. 

A farmer in rural Tanzania incurs high costs of production particularly on the agro inputs used to grow, store and transport a given product. When this product gets to the market, it is put to competition with similar products produced by large corporate syndicates that can afford mass production at marginal cost. 

What it all means in simple terms, is the rural farmer’s prices are higher than the syndicated prices and so the farmer cannot sell and is forced to lower prices to meet the competition. In the long run, suffering high costs of production and minimal returns, the farmer is forced into a perpetual cycle of poverty.   This is simply not fair.

A consumer unwittingly buys a box of milk under the assumption it is pure cow