News

UNCTAD equips 300 women small-scale traders in five countries with greater knowledge of trade rules, customs procedures and entrepreneurship skills.

The continent’s free trade area, a growing middle class, an emerging consumer market, increased access to financial services and technology, and dynamic private entrepreneurs can help diversify African economies.

The series explores how major economic events affect developing countries. In the second episode, UNCTAD’s Africa director Paul Akiwumi talks about the urgent need for economic diversification on the continent.

Empowered by UNCTAD’s training, she endured pandemic-induced disruptions with persistence, hard work and business acumen, emerging stronger from the crisis.

By Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD

But the world’s largest free trade area needs measures to boost productivity and expand opportunities.

The continent's commodity-dependent countries have been affected more severely than non-resource-based economies.

COVID-19 has heightened the need to boost productive capacities for socioeconomic recovery in the world’s poorest nations.

The continent grows most of the world’s raw cashews but only processes a fraction of them, missing out on a wealth of opportunity offered by booming global demand.

Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi was recognized by the African Union Commission for his work during the process that established the African Continental Free Trade Area