CABI News

13 April 2017 – CABI’s Africa Regional centre based in Nairobi, Kenya has established a formal partnership with TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 13 February 2017. The partnership aims to more efficiently deliver the two institutions’ common goal of increased trade in agricultural commodities in the Eastern African region for better prosperity.

Trade remains a key driver of sustainable livelihoods in agro-based economies of Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and Rwanda. This new partnership will not only improve income and livelihoods but will also contribute to the overall achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in the region.  

A team of experts from CABI and TMEA will be involved in implementing the MoU with immediate effect. Some aspects covered in the MoU are: the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to improve access to trade and scientific information; integration of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) databases to the SPS agency systems implemented by TMEA; development of SPS regional information sharing platforms and development of ICT systems to increase traceability and regional tracking of agricultural produce.  

The MoU also seeks to support the East African Community member state organization to implement their SPS protocol. It will also support public and private sector stakeholders in implementing SPS measures and develop analytical and compliance tools related to agricultural products on the trade supply chain in Eastern Africa.

This partnership marks the beginning of a synergistic collaboration which brings together CABI’s expertise in capacity building in SPS standards and knowledge management and TMEA’s strength in the use of ICT for Trade, access to physical market  and trade to promote value chain development and trade in eastern Africa.

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