Building Africa's ExportsThrough Quality
Building the trust that makes African companies competitive.
The 2026 Africa Trade Development Forum (ATDF), taking place on 23 - 24 November at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa, will examine how to build the trust that will allow companies in Africa to trade more within the continent and with the rest of the world.
It will explore the quality required to do so, and the support needed from Governments and regional and international bodies to set and meet clear, harmonised standards for easier market access. The Forum is targeted and high level, bringing together 300 delegates, by invitation or accreditation.
For African exporters, the cost of meeting standards often exceeds tariffs.
Standards have become the currency of trust in trade. They determine access, value and credibility. ATDF 2026 is where the continent decides the terms on which African trade will be judged for the decade ahead.
of world imports covered by import restrictions in May 2025, up from just over 12% at the end of 2024, the highest since 2009.Source: WTO trade monitoring update, July 2025
of trade restrictions in agricultural goods, and over 40% in manufactured goods, are due to technical barriers.Source: FAO, Technical Barriers to Trade in the Agrifood Sector, 2024
of the EU's food-safety rejections involve African goods; Europe absorbed €188 billion of African exports in 2024.Source: EU Trade Factsheet
TradeMark Africa projects focused on the quality and value of traded goods, delivered across Africa from policies and labs to certification.Source: TradeMark Africa
The voices shaping the conversation.
David Beer
H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn
H.E. Wamkele Mene
Strive Masiyiwa
Dr Segnet Kelemu
Amb. Erastus Mwencha
Vimal Shah
Five conversations. One market. Many rulebooks.
The economic impacts of standards
What failing to meet market quality requirements costs Africa.
Quality as an enabler of trade and market access
Building quality infrastructure and safety systems as bridges to market access.
How African businesses can compete and win globally
What must businesses do to win high-value export markets?
Building Africa's Quality Infrastructure
Governance. Innovation. Financing. Technology.
Transformation, Digitalisation and the 2026–2030 Roadmap
Raising the bar: increasing the quality and value of traded goods.
What the forum will deliver.
Proposed political commitments by participating States on quality systems that will govern African trade for the decade ahead
Flagship publication launch: Trust is Trade, Standards as Africa's Strategic Infrastructure.
Partners
Two days that set the terms of African trade.
Day one interrogates the problem; day two commits to the response.
Two days. One continent. The standards that shape a decade of African trade.
In their words.
From runway to roundtable.
Travel, stay and tours for Addis Ababa, with preferential delegate rates from our official partners.
Plan your visit in full →
News & Resources
Join Africa's most influential trade conversation
ATDF 2026 is invite only. Request your accreditation to join Heads of Government, Ministers and industry leaders in Addis Ababa.
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