UNDP Report – July 2025 Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) face unique structural barriers to growth, from a lack of seaport access to high trade costs, climate vulnerabilities, and limited financing options. Representing 7% of the world’s population but only 1.1%…
Global trade is experiencing a major shift as governments, industries, and international organisations seek to replace centuries-old paper-based systems with seamless digital processes. According to the ICC Digital Standards Initiative’s July 2025 report, Digitalising Global Trade: A Roadmap to Interoperability…
The global trading system is weathering a turbulent 2025, with economic resilience tested by policy uncertainty, rising tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and the dominance of Big Tech in digital markets. The latest Global Trade Update (July 2025) by UNCTAD provides a…
Introduction A Sector with Promise Amidst Complexity The African textiles and apparel (T&A) sector has long been viewed as a potential driver of industrialisation, job creation, and regional economic transformation. Yet, despite this potential, Africa’s T&A industry remains underdeveloped and…
In a progressive move to strengthen science and innovation among youth, the Ugandan government has announced plans to integrate intellectual property (IP) education into the national school curriculum. This initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education and Sports, reflects a…
As part of the International Trade and Research Centre’s (ITRC) 2025 World Intellectual Property Day commemoration, this policy brief examines how Africa’s creative economy—particularly the music sector—can become a driver of intra-African trade through robust intellectual property (IP) systems and…
The World Investment Report 2025 by the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) offers a sharp lens into the evolving dynamics of international investment, revealing both emerging opportunities and intensifying disparities. As foreign direct investment (FDI) contracts globally for the…
Navigating the Global Crossroads As the global economy stumbles through a maze of shocks—from trade wars and geopolitical tensions to climate volatility and public debt surges—the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects (GEP) June 2025 arrives as both a sobering diagnosis…
The June 2025 United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Global Trade Update reveals that the ocean economy—a crucial driver of global food security, trade diversification, and innovation—reached $2.2 trillion in trade value in 2023, accounting for 7% of global trade.…
The African Organisation for Intellectual Property (OAPI) and the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) have joined forces in a landmark €60.9 million initiative aimed at financing 1,000 innovative projects across 17 African nations by 2030. This ambitious partnership is designed to…