By Nicholas Banadda.
Anna Nambooze, Country Director at TradeMark Africa, has underscored the transformative power of digitization in regional trade, calling for urgent scale-up of electronic systems that reduce costs and streamline cross-border transactions.
Nambooze was Speaking at the National Trade Review Conference 2026, Speke Resort, Munyonyo today pointed to Uganda’s electronic single window as a compelling example, noted that the platform delivered a 32 % reduction in trade costs by saving traders the countless hours.
“One online platform. No more running around the country. We need this at scale in Uganda,” she emphasized.
She also addressed a persistent misconception around standards, which many traders still view as a final hurdle at the border.
“People think standards are a roadblock. There are not. they’re a process,” she said. To bridge this awareness gap, TradeMark Africa is partnering with media houses to improve communication around standards,”
On non-tariff barriers, Nambooze highlighted the real and costly impact of trade disruptions, citing the recent Elegu border blockage where an estimated US$9m in goods held up.
“Trucks stopped moving, trade stalled, and businesses paid the price. However, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives intervention restored movement by mid-week,” she said.