Zanzibar's private sector primarily consists of micro, small & medium-sized enterprises, 88 percent of which are informal and unregistered. The private sector employs about 95 percent of the island’s labor force.  However, there is little awareness among Zanzibar's private sector about the East African Community (EAC) Common Market and the potential benefits the island nation could reap from maximizing inter-regional trade through the provisions of the EAC Common Market Protocol. In June, the Hub held a public private dialogue in Zanzibar to assess challenges to implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol and pave a way forward. Watch a recap of the event here:

Ugandan shoe company Sseko Designs is a prime example of the difference the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) can make for African exporters. Sseko designs, makes and exports fashionable footwear and other accessories. It is also a social enterprise that supports girls in Uganda to raise funds for university. The company has grown from five employees to 35 full-time workers in the span of five years. Today, it exports an average of 3,000 pairs of sandals per month, making it the largest shoe exporter in Uganda. We recently chatted with Ms. Agnes Netunze, Operations Manager at Sseko, about the company and the impact AGOA has had in helping them become more competitive.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd3XYQdvo9g

The Hub recently had a conversation with Dr. Agnes Apea, founder and CEO of Hope Development Initiative, which works with 10,000 women farmers in Uganda, and Dr. Victoria Kisyombe, founder and CEO of SERO Leasing and Finance (SELFINA) in Tanzania, to learn more about what they are doing to ensure women gain more value from their hard work in agriculture.