Theme: Exploring Policy and Legal Measures to Strengthen the Quality Standards of African Agro-Products for Global Market
Date: Saturday, 12 April 2025
Time: 2:00 PM WAT
Venue: Zoom
The Young African Policy Research Hub (YAPORH) is pleased to announce the upcoming edition of the Policy Impact Dialogue Africa (PIDA)—a flagship webinar series aimed at shaping evidence-based policy discourse and regional integration. This edition brings together policy researchers and trade professionals to explore actionable strategies for enhancing the competitiveness of African agro-products in the global marketplace.
🎯 Webinar Objective:
To discuss and recommend practical legal and policy reforms that will elevate the quality assurance frameworks and certification systems for African agricultural exports, ensuring they meet international standards and unlock new trade opportunities for the continent.
💼 Featured Panelists:
- Brendan Chukwuebuka Ugwu (Nigeria)
Founder & Lead, Young African Policy Research Hub – YAPORH - Helena Indongo (Germany)
International Trade & Development Economist - Sarva Chakrabarti (India)
International Trade & Global Business Professional - Lebohang Ntuli (South Africa)
Research Associate, Young African Policy Research Hub – YAPORH - Ladu John (South Sudan)
Research Associate, Young African Policy Research Hub – YAPORH
Background
Africa’s agricultural sector remains a cornerstone of the continent’s economy, employing over
60% of the population—predominantly women and youth—and making a substantial
contribution to national GDPs. Despite Africa’s comparative advantage in agro-production, its
participation in global agricultural trade remains limited. A major barrier is the continent’s
difficulty in meeting international standards for food safety, quality control, packaging,
labeling, and traceability, which undermines competitiveness in global value chains.
In contrast, regions such as the European Union, North America, and parts of Asia have
established strong legal and regulatory frameworks that support agro-export competitiveness.
In many African countries, however, policies remain fragmented, standards agencies are underresourced,
and enforcement is weak. Women and youth—who form a large segment of both
the agricultural and informal trade sectors—face additional challenges, including limited
access to market information, certification services, and financing to comply with export
standards.
With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and various Regional Economic
Communities (RECs) driving efforts to boost intra-African trade and expand exports, aligning
national policies and legal frameworks with global standards is more urgent than ever.
This webinar organized by the Young African Policy Research Hub under its Policy Impact
Dilaogue, Africa (PIDA) aims to explore policy and legal strategies to close the standards gap
and enhance the global competitiveness of African agro-products.
Objectives
- Publication of a post-webinar policy brief with actionable insights
- Share international experiences on legal and policy measures that have successfully
- strengthened agro-product standards in , Germany, Asia etc
- Examine the current state of regulatory measures and institutional capacity in selected African countries (e.g., South Africa, Nigeria and South Sudan).
- Explore how women and youth—particularly those in agriculture and trade—can besupported to comply with global standards and certification requirements.
- Recommend practical policy and legal measures to build resilient, export-ready agrosectors in Africa.
📩 Registration & Inquiries:
To make inquiries, please contact us at:
📧 info@youngafricanpolicyresearch.org
🌐 www.youngafricanpolicyresearch.org
Join us as we amplify African voices in policy, promote regional cooperation, and drive sustainable agri-export growth!
