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East African Community (EAC) member states have been urged to continue ring-fencing crucial export sectors from lockdown measures because the pandemic is far from over. This advice is contained in a research report produced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), in partnership with TradeMark Africa (TMA) and African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) that was launched last week. Titled; "Waving or Drowning? The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on East African Trade”, the report notes that whereas EAC economies have so far been resilient against the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are “not out of the woods”. This is because of the pandemic’s rapidly evolving nature and its spillover effects, which may still present a significant threat to trade and commerce within the region over the coming years. Speaking during the launch of the report last week, TMA chief executive officer Frank Matsaert alluded that the pandemic is going to be around for some time, thus the need to draw lessons and support countries to fully recover. Matsaert explained that the report provides a good starting point for governments, private sector and other stakeholders to think about how to respond to the pandemic and its impact on trade, in the medium and longer-term, adding that evidence-based interventions are crucial for robust policymaking and programmatic responses. Stable exports According to the report, EAC exports have recovered to pre-crisis levels, despite the earlier sharp decline posted in April 2020, with most EAC member states’ exports surpassing their 2019 levels...

When the COVID-19 pandemic crisis started; most people were extremely pessimistic. They thought that the the region would drown in terms of trade declining catastrophically. But in actual fact the the East Africa Community economies (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda) have, by global standards, proven to be relatively resilient. The newly launched joint report by UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), TradeMark Africa (TMA) and African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) entitled 'Waving or Drowning? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on East African Trade' notes that declines in imports broadly reflected the adverse trade performance of the EAC's main trading partners during the early phases of the pandemic in April and May 2020, but the imports of all the EAC Partner States subsequently recovered to pre-pandemic levels by the second half of 2020, after governments' lockdown restrictions were eased and a broader global trade recovery started to take place. Nonetheless, despite showing resilience, COVID-19 has reversed some of the gains made in trade facilitation. Immediately after COVID-19 outbreak, the ship dwell time at Mombasa port increased by 48% and Berth time increased by 52% . Cargo transit from Mombasa Port to Malaba (the border between Kenya and Uganda) increased from 7 days to 11 days by the second quarter of 2020. The time taken to transport goods via the Mombasa-Busia route was nearly three times higher. On the Central Corridor, the transit time from Dar-es-Salaam to various cities in the neighbouring countries more than doubled. The marked...

ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The East Africa Community (EAC) economies have proven to be relatively resilient in terms of the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic despite greater need for economic diversification, according to a newly launched United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) report. The newly launched joint report by UNECA, TradeMark Africa (TMA) and African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), entitled "Waving or Drowning? The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on East African Trade." "They thought that the region would drown in terms of trade declining catastrophically. But in actual fact, the EAC economies (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda) have, by global standards, proven to be relatively resilient," the joint report read. The report noted that declines in imports broadly reflected the adverse trade performance of the EAC's main trading partners during the early phases of the pandemic in April and May 2020. It, however, indicated that the imports of all the EAC partner states subsequently recovered to pre-pandemic levels by the second half of 2020, after governments' lockdown restrictions were eased and a broader global trade recovery started to take place. "Nonetheless, despite showing resilience, COVID-19 has reversed some of the gains made in trade facilitation," the report affirmed. According to the report, the marked increase in transit times highlights the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic at border points. Immediately after COVID-19 outbreak, the ship dwell time at Mombasa port, in Kenya, increased by 48 percent and Berth time increased by 52...

Exports from most of the East African Community (EAC) member states recovered to the pre-Covid-19 levels by the third quarter of 2020, a United Nations report released said. The report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) noted that aggregate exports from the region declined to their lowest value in April 2020 but they started recovering in the ensuing months, the Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday. "In fact, in the third quarter of 2020, most of the EAC partner states' exports surpassed their 2019 levels," said the report that was developed jointly with TradeMark Africa (TMA) and the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC). The EAC partner states include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The report which was virtually launched in Nairobi focuses on providing an analysis of the region's merchandise trade performance during this unprecedented period of disruption to global commerce. Anthony Mveyange, director of research and learning at TMA noted that a number of factors fueled the resurgence of exports. Mveyange said that Kenya experienced an increase in exports of manufactured products, especially in the industrial supplies and capital equipment sectors. He observed that Tanzania and the other landlocked countries in East Africa also witnessed a jump in processed and gold exports. "Thus the recovery in the regional exports does not hinge purely on mineral exports," he added. The findings indicate that imports into the trading bloc have also rebounded rapidly from the initial precipitous declines. The study also shows that intra-EAC trade...

NAIROBI (IDN) — When the COVID-19 pandemic crisis started, most people were extremely pessimistic. They thought that the region would drown in terms of trade declining catastrophically. But a new report reveals that the East Africa Community economies — Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda — have, by global standards, proven to be relatively resilient. The report was launched on February 17 by UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), TradeMark Africa (TMA) and African Economic Research Consortium (AERC). The Office for Eastern Africa of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) serves 14 countries: Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. TMA has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, with operations and offices in EAC-Arusha, Burundi (Bujumbura), Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), Democratic Republic of Congo (Bukavu), Ethiopia (Addis-Ababa), Malawi, Zambia, South Sudan, Uganda (Kampala) and Rwanda (Kigali). TMA is an aid-for-trade organisation established in 2010, with the aim of promoting prosperity in East Africa through increased trade. It operates on a not-for-profit basis and is funded by the development agencies of the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, United States of America as well as the European Union. African Economic Research Consortium established in 1988, is a premier capacity building institution in the advancement of research and training to inform economic policies in sub-Saharan Africa. Entitled "Waving or Drowning? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on East African Trade", the report notes...

Insecurity and political tension continue to undermine Africa by disrupting peacebuilding, development and governance efforts. A key driver of insecurity has been the effects of the arbitrary borders bequeathed to the African continent by the ravages of predatory colonialism. Traditional interstate wars have been increasingly replaced by intrastate conflicts. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was formally launched this year and was discussed during the annual African Union (AU) heads of state and government meeting, which was held on 6 and 7 February 2021, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. South Africa’s chairing of the assembly of heads of state was also concluded during this meeting. The AfCFTA was launched due to the realisation that intracontinental trade in Africa is still relatively weak when compared with other regions of the world, and accounts for only 16%-17% of all of Africa’s exports and imports. The establishment of a continent-wide geographic zone where goods and services move among member states of the African Union with no restrictions has also created one of the world’s largest trading blocs. However, the fact that there are pockets of instability and conflict around the continent requires some reflection to be applied to how to leverage the AfCFTA to also promote peace and security. The regionalism which has been accelerated by the adoption of the AfCFTA will bring with it a combination of threats and opportunities which will impact upon the peace and security situation across the continent. The predominant fear is that the AfCFTA, and its effects...

Addis Ababa , February 23/2021 (ENA) Ethiopia and COMESA have signed a 5.6 million Euro sub-delegation agreement to improve coordinated border management, trade and transport facilitation at the Moyale and Galafi border posts that links Ethiopia with Kenya and Djibouti, respectively. The project, which is funded by the European Union under the COMESA Trade Facilitation Programme, will assist Ethiopia to upgrade the single window service system, to increase inter agency connectivity and to improve the connectivity of the two customs systems. The sub-delegation agreement was signed by Trade and Industry State Minister, Mesganu Arga and Secretary General of COMESA, Chileshe Kapwepwe, On the occasion, State Minister Mesganu appreciated the European Union for the support rendered, and he also thanked COMESA for the technical support rendered during the development of Ethiopia’s project. “The support is timely as the Ethiopian government desires to build on the current trade facilitation effort that will enhance the efficiency and ultimately reduce the cost of doing business as Ethiopia grapples with the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. Secretary General of COMESA, Chileshe Kapwepwe on her part said it is envisaged the Government of Ethiopian will take ownership and lead in the implementation of the activities. “We foresee increased collection of revenue through increased trade flows,” she projected. COMESA is committed to ensure that all borders are assisted to become more efficient and operate smoothly to deepen regional trade, which will lead to enhanced regional integration, she pointed out. Ambassador of the European Union...

In Summary KPA has taken over operations at Port Reitz Yard increasing cargo handling space. Introduction of double deck wagons on the SGR have also significantly contributed to increased cargo evacuation from the port. Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has posted reduced cargo dwell-time at the Port of Mombasa after acquiring more space outside the port, according to the acting managing director Rashid Salim This, together with increased haulage capacity by the Standard Gauge Railways (SGR) has helped cut dwell-time (the time cargo takes before leaving the port), to an average 4.6 days in January, from 5.6 days in December. Salim said centralised operations have helped drive efficiency at the facility amid a rebound on economic activities after a slow down last year. Recently, KPA took over the operations at Port Reitz Yard, an adjacent space to the port formerly occupied by private Container Freight Stations. Salim said the authority has reorganised the planning units of the logistics partners, increasing harmony in the operations of the unit leading to end-to-end efficiency in port operations. Loading of double deck wagons has greatly boosted the number of containers being evacuated. We started with one double deck train of 38 wagons hauling 114 TEUs and this has now stabilised at two trains per week. KPA acting managing director Rashid Salim Dangerous cargo loading which was previously experiencing great delays due to distance of the loading zone from stacking blocks was improved by allowing it to be loaded at Port Reitz. Additionally, centralisation of the...

Expectations are high ahead of the East African Community Heads of State Summit scheduled for February 27, when leaders will make a decision on the new Secretary-General of the regional body. The EAC SG runs daily affairs of the bloc's Secretariat, the executive organ of the community. The Secretary General is the principal executive and accounting officer of the Community as well as the Secretary of the Summit. The nominee for the top executive job will replace Liberat Mfumukeko, the Burundian national who has held the position for the past five years. Mfumukeko assumed the office in 2016 replacing Rwanda’s Dr. Richard Sezibera. The position of SG is held on a rotational basis and this is expected to be Kenya’s turn, meaning that according to protocol, President Uhuru Kenyatta would present the Kenyan candidate for the job for approval by the summit. However, Manasseh Nshuti, Minister of State in charge of EAC affairs told The New Times on Tuesday that they have received an application by South Sudan. “It will now be up to the Heads of State to decide,” said Nshuti. South Sudan is the latest entrant into the regional body of six regional countries. Big task awaiting new Secretary General Speaking to The New Times, MP Aden Omar Abdikadir, a Kenyan member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) said that "the new SG will have a big task ahead." Besides allegations of corruption scandals, Mfumukeko's tenure was often characterised by friction with other organs of the regional bloc including...