Most African governments seem lost to find the solution to Covid-induced economic problems. Africa recorded its first Covid case in Egypt on February 14 2020. Since then, all the countries have reported cases with some economic distress plunging in. Initially confined to capital cities, cases are now reported in a significant number of countries, multiple provinces and regions. By May 4 2020, the number of confirmed Covid cases had risen to 44, 873 and caused 1, 807 deaths. The African countries with the highest number of infections are South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria. However, the full scope of the pandemic remains uncertain, as cases are underreported and the accuracy of data collection varies considerably. On April 17 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that Africa could be the next epicentre of the coronavirus. Although the number of Covid cases and fatalities might still appear comparatively low in Africa than in other regions, the looming health shock of Covid could have disastrous impacts on the continent already strained health systems, and could quickly turn into a social and economic emergency. Beyond health risks, the Covid shock to African economies is coming in three waves: Lower trade and investment from China in the immediate term; a demand slump associated with the lockdowns in the European Union and a continental supply shock affecting domestic and intra-African trade. It is shaking commodity-driven growth models that had largely failed to create more and better jobs or improve well-being. On the health front, greater...

In a bid to drive U.S. investment in the African energy sector, the U.S.-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) 2021 kicked off on Monday with a virtual session – organized by Energy Capital & Power – featuring petroleum ministers from Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea along with leading energy and finance industry leaders. Under the theme, The U.S.-Africa Energy Partnership: Successes and New Horizons, the first of two virtual sessions identified key factors behind investment success stories on the continent, as well as leading opportunities for future cooperation, centering on the clean energy value chain and full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Opening remarks were given by H.E. Bruno Jean Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons of Republic of the Congo – a veteran of the oil and gas industry and one of the founding members of the National Petroleum Company of Congo – and NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber (AEC). “Cooperation between America and Africa will be a key factor for the global future,” said H.E. Minister Itoua. “In energy, Africa is not the problem. Africa is the solution. This becomes even more true when you talk about the transition. We have substantial quantities of oil, but more importantly, we have substantial quantities of gas – which is the first part of the energy transition – as well as one of the most important potentials for renewables.” “We can no longer accept that more than 650 million on the African continent go without electricity every day,...

Summary For a country that took only four years to be admitted to the EAC in 2016, civil strife meant the country concentrated on resolving its conflicts rather than plan how to reap the benefits of a Common Market. South Sudan is yet to harmonise its internal laws to conform to the East African Community integration. It is also yet to repeal internal laws that impede free movement of people under the Common Market’s six freedoms. This is because the country lacks both human capital and technical capacity, a move that has seen the president appeal to his neighbours for help. “It is in our best interest to ease the movement of people and goods within the region in order to facilitate trade and investment as well as contribute to our end goal of East African regional integration,” said President Salva Kiir. For a country that took only four years to be admitted to the EAC in 2016, civil strife meant the country concentrated on resolving its conflicts rather than plan how to reap the benefits of a Common Market. Few South Sudanese staff were trained in Customs, immigration, and revenue/tax collection at the border points resulting in a slow EAC integration process. In May 2021, President Kiir urged East African leaders to waive visa fees for South Sudanese. Kenya and Uganda are the only EAC partner states that still charge Visa fees on South Sudanese citizens. Apart from the nine members of the East African Legislative Assembly, South Sudan...

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo had a meeting for more than an hour with Burundian counterpart at the Palace of the Nation on Tuesday, according to the presidency. Felix Tshisekedi and Evariste Ndayishimiye later chaired the signing of four memorandums of understanding (MoU). "Our discussions therefore focused mainly on bilateral subjects but we also discussed subjects of interest to the Great Lakes Region, the East African Community," Ndayishimiye said in a series of tweets. The MOUs concern the strengthening of peace, trade relations, development of a train line between Kindu-Uvira-Bujumbura-Kitega and political and diplomatic consultations. "I am therefore happy to be in #Kinshasa and to have witnessed the signing of the agreements that will revitalize trade, social, political and diplomatic exchanges between #Burundi and #RDC,” said Ndayishimiye. “Our friendship and diplomatic ties were already excellent and strong.” The Democratic Republic of Congo Presidency said last Sunday that the visit is in line with the materialization of the will of the two leaders to strengthen excellent relations of friendship and cooperation that bind the peoples of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, as well as the peaceful coexistence between the respective peoples. Read original article

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, July 8th 2021 – Traders in Tanzania stand to benefit from increased efficiency following launch of the Trade Information Portal in Tanzania (www.tantrade.go.tz), which has consolidated more than 100 documents and procedures required for import and export business in Tanzania on one online platform. The portal is estimated to serve at least 1.5 million users per month and publishes information on 84 procedures made up of 336 steps, 851 forms and documents, 140 contact persons, 88 norms and laws. It covers 11 priority product groups (6 products for export and import, thus ensuring a shorter period in the export and import processes.  Completion and launch of the information portal make Tanzania the fourth country in the East Africa Community (EAC) to fulfil Article 1 of WTO Trade Facilitation agreement which requires member states to publish their trade procedures online, displaying them step-by-step, with contact information on enquiry points, access to forms and other required documents and all relevant trade and customs laws. Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade), Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) implemented the portal with financial support of approximately US$ 498,000 from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through TradeMark Africa (TMA). United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) provided technical assistance. Presiding over the launch, the Zanzibar Minister for Industry and Trade, Hon. Omar Shaban (MP) said, “The Tanzania trade portal is part of the Government’s initiative to facilitate trade in line with...

Summary Trade information portals (TIPs) are now operational in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda while it is still being developed in Burundi Arusha. Trade within the East African Community (EAC) bloc received a boost this week as Tanzania launched her Trade Information Portal. Trade Information Portals (TIPs) are now operational in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda while it is still being developed in Burundi. “The portal is expected to boost intra-regional trade in East Africa as well as the region’s share in international trade,” the EAC secretariat has said. The facility was launched during the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) by Zanzibar’s Trade and Industry Development minister Said Omari Shabaan. TIPs are intended to map out all imports, exports and transit procedures, fees as well as scrapping all unnecessary bottlenecks. According to the EAC secretariat, the facility will be launched in Burundi on July 23rd while itr will be developed in South Sudan later. Speaking at the event, Mr Shabaan underscored the importance of the portal “and how it can help traders to get right and accurate information on trade”. For his part, Tantrade director general Edwin Rutageruka urged the private sector to exploit the opportunity availed by TIP. He said the micro; small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can use the facility “to grow their businesses by tapping into new markets”. EAC’s TIP Project regional coordinator Munyampundu Evariste hailed Tanzania for her efforts to facilitate trade in the region. He said the newly-launched TIP would have a positive impact on intra-EAC...

The Chinese-built standard-gauge railway (SGR) linking Kenya's port city Mombasa to its capital Nairobi witnessed 1,500 days of safe operation on Friday, a milestone marking the achievements of joint development between China and African countries via the Belt and Road Initiative. A statement from the SGR operator released in Nairobi on Friday said the modern train service has been at the forefront of Kenya's socio-economic transformation in the last four years since its operationalization, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday. "SGR's transportation indicators and its increasingly important social significance have also earned the approval of freight owners and passengers," said Africa Star Railway Operation Company Limited (AfriStar) that operates the SGR. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway connects Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and Mombasa, the largest port in East Africa, with a total length of about 480 kilometers. It is a modern railway constructed with Chinese standards, Chinese technology, and Chinese equipment. According to AfriStar, the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR is also boosting Kenya's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that delivery of critical supplies is not interrupted. A total of 5,415,000 passengers have been ferried between Nairobi and Mombasa in the last 1,500 days since the SGR commenced operations and the operator estimates 1.8 million commuters could use the service this year, according to Xinhua. The operator said 1,500 days marked safe, efficient, and quality operation of both the SGR passenger and cargo service. But the operator still considers enhancing safety as the key work of the railway operation. Staff members...

French container transportation and shipping company CMA-CGM, the world’s third largest container operator, has expressed interest to invest in the new port of Lamu. CMA CGM, based in Marseille France, is one of the leading carriers in the global container shipping industry using 257 shipping routes between 420 ports situated in 160 different countries. The Vice President Africa CMA-CGM Ludovic Rozan disclosed this during a familiarization tour of the facility when he was received by the General Manager, Lamu Port, Eng. Abdullahi Samatar. Rozan noted that the Port of Lamu was a good opportunity for a transshipment base. “To be able to grow in Lamu port we need to grow in Mombasa port and therefore we expect the Kenya Ports Authority to give us a dedicated berth in Mombasa,” he added saying with such a facility, the shipping company would have a capability to operate 365 days in the region. He explained that from the Port of Lamu, the shipping company would be able to handle transshipments to Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Mombasa and even Mozambique. “If you can help us in Mombasa, we are ready to help you here in Lamu,” he said. The VP who was accompanied by the Managing Director CMA-CGM East Africa Jean-Baptiste Longin further said the shipping company has invested heavily in West and North Africa especially the successful port in Morocco but had nothing in the East African hub. He said that he was positive about Kenya’s economic growth and the notable improvements...

In Summary Kenya’s Principal Secretary for East Africa Community, Kevit Desai, said that the region was putting in place strategies to ensure economic recovery in all partner states. The Principal Secretary also said that the EAC budget for the Financial Year 2021/2022 will also prioritize Private Sector engagement by putting in place appropriate strategies to ensure the private sector takes an active and participatory role in the EAC integration agenda. East Africa countries will focus the 2021-2022 financial year with a focus on economic recovery through industrialization and inclusive growth following the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the region. Kenya’s Principal Secretary for East Africa Community, Kevit Desai, said that the region was putting in place strategies to ensure economic recovery in all partner states from the destructive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. “As a region, we have witnessed the devastation created within the economies of the partner states, including the fall in intra-regional trade, job losses, limited mobility within the region, and loss of lives,” said the PS. Desai, who is also the Chairperson of the Coordination Committee that brings together Permanent, Principal, Under Secretaries for EAC Affairs in the Partner States, was addressing the media at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha on Monday. Desai said that intra-regional mobility has further been hindered by the Covid-19 mitigation measures that require travellers to have valid test certificates to travel within the region and often times subjected to double testing - before departure and upon arrival at the destination...

Dan Kazungu, the envoy, said yesterday that the remaining 30 non-tariff barriers after earlier talks in May will be solved before the end of August, urging traders to prepare to do business with ease as there would no longer be obstacles. “Kenya and Tanzania are brothers and sisters; we don’t want to see any barriers,” he asserted. He recalled that Kenyan and Tanzanian ministers met and managed to cut 34 non-tariff barriers in cross border trade, a meeting arising from the two-day state visit made by President Samia Suluhu Hassan two months ago. He was addressing a delegation from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and their counterparts, the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI). He said President Samia’s state visit was of great importance and it is the reason behind the decision by KAM Kenya to come in Tanzania to meet their counterparts to exchange ideas on the best way they can collaborate to nourish trade and investments. “The first state visit by President Samia was a privilege and an honor to us Kenyans because there are many countries she could have chosen to visit but she opted to come to us. And soon after her visit you can see the fruits; ministers between two states meet regularly and discuss trade issues,” the envoy explained He said ministers from Kenya and Tanzania met in Arusha recently where they discussed and managed to reduce 34 non-tariff barriers out of 64 that were tabled. EAC countries have a large potential market because...