Historias

Preparing East Africa for MARKUP (en)

29 enero 2019
ITC Noticias
ITC and East African beneficiary countries launch work on EU-funded Market Access Upgrade Programme

East Africa is in the spotlight this week at the International Trade Centre’s (ITC) headquarters in Geneva.

To mark the launch of the Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) – an initiative funded by the European Union (EU) to boost market access to Europe for East African micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) – participants from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda are attending a five-day induction workshop that will set out programme’s main features and planned activities.

Participants at the workshop include representatives from the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, Geneva-based EAC ambassadors, and the German cooperation agency (GIZ).

During the workshops, ITC technical experts will present the programme implementation strategy and newly appointed MARKUP national coordinators from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda will be introduced. Participants will also be exploring how to facilitate trade in the EAC area, improving access to finance for MSMEs and creating value addition to selected food products for better access to the European markets.

Launched in June 2018, MARKUP is a regional initiative funded under the 11th European Development Fund contributing to the economic development of the EAC. Taking advantage of a growing global demand for avocado, cocoa, coffee, spices, tea and horticulture products, selected SMEs will be trained to adapt their agribusiness to better seize market opportunities in regional and global value chains.

Learn more about the MARKUP programme.