Implementation of a WTO initiative to strengthen use of the ePing SPS & TBT Platform is now under way, helping governments, exporters and other stakeholders better track and engage in evolving product requirements affecting international trade. Funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), the three year project focuses on five African countries and aims to enhance transparency, predictability and market access.
The project is being implemented by the WTO in Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. It brings together governments, the private sector and international partners to improve how regulatory information is shared, accessed and used in sectors affected by sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBT).
At its core, the initiative seeks to improve the use of the ePing SPS & TBT Platform to enhance transparency for market access, with a strong focus on raising awareness of the platform, especially in the five African countries where national workshops will take place. These in-country workshops are designed to strengthen practical use of ePing among regulators, enquiry points, exporters, trade associations and other stakeholders who rely on timely regulatory information to access markets.
“Timely access to regulatory information is essential for trade,” said Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam. “As project implementation gets under way, improving how ePing is used on the ground and upgrading the platform based on user feedback will help traders – particularly small and medium-sized enterprises – avoid costly surprises at the border and make better use of market access opportunities.”
Governments worldwide continue to introduce and revise regulations related to food safety, animal and plant health, product quality and technical standards. Keeping track of these changes can be challenging, especially for exporters operating in multiple markets. ePing, a tool developed by the WTO, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), helps address this challenge. ePing is a free, global platform that allows users to follow notified draft SPS and TBT measures in real time, receive tailored email alerts, and engage with regulators before new requirements enter into force.
The urgency of strengthening ePing use is underscored by growing volumes of regulatory activity. In 2025, more than 7,000 SPS and TBT notifications were issued globally, the highest number on record, with African members accounting for an increasing share. As notifications continue to rise, missing or late information can result in rejected exports, compliance costs and lost market opportunities. Effective use of ePing can help mitigate these risks by improving transparency and facilitating early dialogue domestically and with trading partners.
National and regional workshops form a central pillar of project implementation. These workshops will combine hands-on training, peer exchange and needs-assessment sessions to better understand how different users interact with ePing. The workshops will also build on synergies with other projects and tools from international partners, such as ITC’s global trade helpdesk.
The workshops will gather structured feedback from users on challenges they face in navigating large volumes of notifications and identifying information that matters most to them. This feedback, to be complemented by a survey among all WTO members, will feed directly into technological and functional enhancements of the ePing platform, aimed at making it more intuitive, responsive and user-friendly.
Project implementation builds on momentum generated at a regional launch event in Nairobi in December 2025, which highlighted the role of digital tools in supporting regulatory transparency. Activities are now moving into a national phase, starting with a workshop in Arusha, Tanzania, from 28 to 30 April 2026, to be followed by similar events across the other participating countries.
By strengthening capacity, raising awareness and incorporating user-driven improvements, the WTO aims to ensure that ePing delivers even greater value – not only in the five participating African countries, but also for WTO members as a whole, contributing to safer, more predictable and more inclusive trade.
More information on ePing is available here. Information on the STDF project for improving the use of ePing SPS&TBT Platform to enhance transparency for market access is available here.
Africa Fact: In around 300 BC, the Sudanese invented a writing script that had twenty-three letters of which four were vowels and there was also a word divider. Hundreds of ancient texts have survived that were in this script. Some are on display in the British Museum.
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James Endersby has grown research and insights agency, Opinium Research, from a small London start-up to an international insight agency with clients all over the world, including South Africa. His business grew 50 percent last year, and won an international research award for its work with the London School of Economics measuring democratic engagement around the world. Endersby helps build better futures for children from the poorest countries in the world in his postition as Interim Chairman for Street Kids International.