SEATINI @30: The African institution seeking to reshape the continent’s place in global trade

SEATINI’s Executive Director Jane Nalunga welcomes Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga at the celebrations. PHOTO SEATINI MEDIA Geopolitical tensions, climate change, technological disruption and shifting trade relationships are reshaping how countries engage with each other economically Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | For three decades, the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) has worked behind the scenes to give African countries a stronger voice in global trade negotiations. Now, as the institution marks 30 years of advocacy and policy work, it is looking ahead to a new era — one it says will require Africa to move from simply responding to global economic rules to actively shaping them.

The anniversary celebration in Kampala on July 29 brought together government officials, regional bodies, development partners, academics, civil society organisations and private sector leaders to reflect on Africa’s changing role in international trade and the challenges ahead. SEATINI used the occasion to launch a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening African research, building policy leadership and creating platforms to support homegrown solutions to economic challenges. Founded in 1996 by Professor Yash Tandon, SEATINI emerged at a time when many African countries were entering a rapidly changing global trading system but lacked the technical capacity and resources to effectively influence international trade rules.

Over the years, the organisation has grown into one of Africa’s leading independent policy institutions, providing research, training and advocacy on issues ranging from trade and investment to taxation, regional integration, agriculture and climate justice. But as the global economy becomes increasingly uncertain, SEATINI says Africa faces a new set of challenges. Geopolitical tensions, climate change, technological disruption and shifting trade relationships are reshaping how countries engage with each other economically.

Dr David Luke, Professor in Practice and Strategic Director of the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said institutions like SEATINI are becoming even more important as countries seek to navigate these changes. “For SEATINI to reach three decades of impact…