Africa’s heads of government, policymakers, leading industrialists, and global partners will gather in Addis Ababa on 23 and 24 November 2026 for the Africa Trade Development Forum 2026. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration of the Federal Democratic Republic Ethiopia and TradeMark Africa (TMA) (www.TradeMarkAfrica.com), the biennial summit arrives at a turning point for the continent’s economic integration and shifting global trade dynamics.
While much global trade conversation has focused recently on tariffs, the primary barrier to African trade lies in the technical, regulatory, financial, and logistical challenges of being able to export, often referred to as Non-Tariff Barriers.
These Non-Tariff Barriers – such as the measures and processes that allow African companies to show international offtakers that they are meeting critical safety and sanitary standards – currently add an estimated 15% to 30% to regional trade costs. UNECA suggests that eliminating these barriers alone could surge intra-African trade by 52%.”Compliance costs are often higher than the tariffs themselves including actual import duties,” notes UNCTAD, citing that technical measures now regulate two-thirds of global trade.
The 2026 Forum will focus on priority, collective actions to harmonise standards, looking at what is needed to reduce compliance costs, accelerate quality certification, and ensure diminishing rejections of African goods by the world’s most lucrative markets.
Commenting on the forum, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, TMA Board Chair and former Prime Minister of Ethiopia said: “The next phase of Africa’s trade growth will depend on African firms showing that their products are as good as those of anywhere in the world. Businesses are up for the challenge – what we need to do, is to help assess and certify their goods, in a way that does not create a burden. ATDF 2026 offers an important opportunity to focus on these issues with clarity, seriousness and a shared sense of purpose.”
H.E. Kassahun Gofe (PhD), Minister of Trade and Regional Integration of the federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia said: “Ethiopia is honoured to host the Africa Trade Development Forum 2026 at a time when the continent is placing renewed focus on the quality of its trade systems and the competitiveness of its markets. Standards and quality infrastructure are central to industrial growth, market confidence and the ability of African producers to compete within the continent and beyond. We look forward to welcoming leaders and institutions to Addis Ababa for a practical and forward-looking discussion on the reforms needed to strengthen trade in measurable terms.”
David Beer, Chief Executive Officer of TMA, added: “Africa’s trade ambitions will be realised by building the systems that allow African firms to compete better with the rest of the world, by showing their goods comply with the highest standards. Quality systems underpin that, as they build the trust that markets demand. ATDF 2026 will see leaders focus on how to help businesses make that happen.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of TradeMark Africa (TMA).
Book your trip with ATDF 2026’s official airline partner, Ethiopian Airlines:
https://apo-opa.co/4yi3ceC
Book your stay with ATDF 2026’s official partner Skylight Hotel, Addis Ababa:
https://apo-opa.co/4aTFXO9
Media enquiries / interview requests:
tdf@trademarkafrica.com
About the Africa Trade Development Forum:
Convened by TradeMark Africa with a host government, the Africa Trade Development Forum is a biennial continental platform that brings together decision-makers from government, business, regional and continental institutions, the development community and the technical field to make actionable decisions on trade reforms in Africa. The last forum was held in Kigali, Rwanda and resulted to building momentum on the No Stop Border model in Africa, of which TMA and it commercial subsidiary Trade Catalyst Africa (TCA) are partnering with governments and development partners to advance thought leadership and development of systems.
Attendance to ATDF is by invitation only or by accreditation.
About the Subject:
Technical measures are the standards, testing, inspection, certification, labelling and health safety requirements that determine whether goods are accepted in the market. These include sanitary and phytosanitary measures, which protect human, animal and plant health, and technical barriers to trade such as product regulations, conformity assessment and quality requirements. TradeMark Africa works with African governments to balance strict safety regulations with fluid economic growth.
For more information, visit www.TradeMarkAfrica.com
