PROJECT SINGLE SUN
The regulatory layer that clears the path for everything else
Project Single Sun is The Gravel Company’s dedicated initiative to identify, document, and systematically resolve the non-tariff barriers and regulatory challenges that prevent African businesses from trading formally at scale. Non-tariff barriers, documentation inconsistencies, product registration backlogs, standards mismatches, and border-level compliance friction, are the primary reasons intra-African trade sits at 16%. Single Sun works to close that gap through inter-agency relations and structured stakeholder engagement. It operates across food and beverage, manufactured goods, and agricultural products, improving the intra-African trading experience at the systemic level.
“A tariff is a tax. A non-tariff barrier is a wall. Single Sun is built to dismantle the wall.”
What we do AND OUR STAKEHOLDERS
Regulatory Navigation & NTB Resolution
– Manufacturers and exporters blocked by specific regulatory requirements who need expert navigation to clear them
– Corporates and brands looking to enter new African markets who need a regulatory intelligence layer before committing to market entry
– Government bodies, trade agencies, and institutional partners who want to engage with the private sector on NTB reduction, standards harmonisation, and trade facilitation
NTB Mapping
We identify and document the specific non-tariff barriers blocking each product category on each corridor. What documents are required. What standards must be met. What is being enforced differently in practice versus on paper.
Regulatory Navigation
We work with manufacturers and businesses to treat compliance requirements before any goods depart. Certificate of Origin, ETLS registration, product registration in destination markets and labelling compliance.
Institutional Engagement
We engage ECOWAS, the AfCFTA Secretariat, export promotion agencies and national trade bodies to resolve systemic barriers at policy level, not solely on a case-by-case basis.
Industry-Agnostic Coverage
Single Sun works across any sector. Food regulation, Pharmaceutical import rules, Standards compliance for industrial goods and Agricultural phytosanitary requirements.