As the Partner States in the East African Community (EAC) region ease measures that were established to prevent and respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the EAC Secretariat has commenced a training of trainers’ course for staff at 12 One Stop Border Posts between the Partner States. The training that aims at strengthening the prevention of and response to COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, involves staff from various sectors in line with the One Health approach. The training programme kicked off this week at the Isebania/Sirari border post between Kenya and Tanzania. The training is conducted by AMREF Flying Doctors in close cooperation with the EAC Secretariat. Depending on the size of the border posts, between 16 and 32 staff members are trained as trainers in 2-day courses. They come from customs, immigration, port health and animal health, bureau of standards, security, cargo and baggage handlers from both sides of the border as well as from the Joint Border Management Committees. This contributes at the same time to regional integration. Clearing agents are also included in the training. The training of trainers’ approach allows for upscaling of the measure and takes the high staff turn-over rates at border posts into account. “The participants in this training will in turn train their colleagues on the skills they have acquired to further cascade the message and ensure that the busy border posts can effectively prevent the spread of COVID 19 and detect and respond to infected passengers”, explains Anthony Kihara of AMREF...

The scope of the training focuses on operations at the OSBP with close contact to travelers and their luggage. s the Partner States in the East African Community (EAC) region ease measures that were established to prevent and respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the EAC Secretariat has commenced a training of trainers’ course for staff at 12 One Stop Border Posts between the Partner States. This training aims at strengthening the prevention of and response to COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. The training programme kicked off last week at the Isebania-Sirari border post between Kenya and Tanzania and is being conducted by AMREF Flying Doctors in close cooperation with the EAC Secretariat. Between 16 and 32 staff members are trained as trainers in a 2-days course. They come from customs, immigration, port health and animal health, bureau of standards, security, cargo and baggage handlers. Clearing agents are also included targeted in the training. “The participants in this training will in turn train their colleagues on the skills they have acquired to further cascade the message and ensure that the busy border posts can effectively prevent the spread of COVID 19 and detect and respond to infected passengers”, explains Anthony Kihara of AMREF Flying Doctors. “The scope of the training focuses on operations at the OSBP with close contact to travelers and their luggage.” The Principal Customs Officer for Capacity Building at the EAC Secretariat, Stephen Analo, who is coordinating the training is convinced that “all the EAC Partner States...

This report is prepared under the auspices of the National Emergency Coordination Center for COVID-19 response, led by the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC), supported by OCHA Ethiopia with the participation of Cluster Coordinators. This issue covers the period from 3-18 September 2020. HIGHLIGHTS • As of 18 September, Ethiopia reported 67,515 confirmed COVID-19 cases compared to 54,409 on 2 September. The cumulative number of recoveries has reached 27,638, while the number of deaths has increased to 1072. Cases have risen exponentially in the last two weeks, with Addis Ababa counting a total of 37,265 cases followed by Oromia with 9,617 cases. (Source: MoH/ Ethiopia Public Health Institute, EPHI). • The Government of Ethiopia, in partnership with a Chinese company (BGI Health Ethiopia), opened a laboratory for manufacturing COVID-19 testing kits to enhance the national testing capacity. Ethiopia has so far conducted more than 1.1 million tests, making it the third African country that has carried out the highest number of tests. The country is struggling with a shortage of testing kits, ventilators, and intensive care beds. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said during the factory’s opening that the laboratory will produce 10 million testing kits per year, which will be used in the country and exported, with priority given to other African countries. The Prime Minister also announced that Ethiopian researchers have been working to develop a vaccine, which is now entering a laboratory trial stage. • On 13 September, the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated a new...

Uganda's export revenue from cotton is set to increase following the launch of the Cotton Development Organisation (CDO) module under the Uganda Electronic Single Window (UESW) system. This will see stakeholders enjoy reduced paper-based procedures and delays in getting the required regulatory documents for export, such as ginnery certificates, ginning certificate, lint export certificate and the lint quality certificate. This, according to the TradeMark Africa acting country director for Uganda, Damali Ssali, will enable the country export more cotton and increase export revenue from the cash crop. Figures from Bank of Uganda indicate that cotton is among Uganda's top 10 exports, having fetched the country $54.26m (sh199.9b) in export revenue in the 2018/19 financial year. It, however, declined to $41.69m (sh153.6b) in 2019/20. She said the growth in coffee exports during the lockdown period was partly due to the UESW. Uganda's coffee exports increased from $36.93m in April and rose to $42.48m in May 2020, before rising to $49.98m in July. The UESW is a system that leverages technology, to allow traders submit all the required regulatory documents, such as permits and customs declarations, to approving agencies electronically, using a single access point. Previously, agencies were working in silos, requiring traders to move with physical documents from one office to another, to get the necessary trade certificates. This causes delays and also increases the cost of doing business. Ssali, who was speaking during the launch of the CDO module at the Cotton House in Kampala, said the UESW implementation has...

President Paul Kagame on Wednesday joined Presidents João Lourenço of Angola and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda for the Regional Leaders Summit of Heads of State held via video-conference which was hosted by President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Head of State called for increased cooperation between countries to ensure peace and stability. The meeting took place virtually after several attempts by President Tshisekedi to convene the regional summit physically, bringing together leaders of Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Uganda and the hosts DRC, failed to take off due to a number of reasons. In his message, President Kagame called for improved cooperation between regional countries to ensure security and stability in the regional and for the regional economies to overcome the impact of the New Coronavirus by boosting trade and investment. “We are obliged to meet via video conference, but the spirit of positive cooperation demonstrated by this meeting is clear. Rwanda is pleased to participate and make our contribution,” “Cooperation in fighting insecurity in our region is at the core of our efforts as we allow trade and investment to thrive across borders. Stability is the catalyst for increased trade and investment. This is in the interest of each of our countries and the region as a whole,” President Kagame said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has cost lives and disrupted our economies, but by working closely together to mitigate the impact, we can minimise the damage of this pandemic and build capacity to withstand future pandemics,” he...

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Passenger numbers and cargo volumes on Kenya’s standard gauge railway (SGR) trains maintained a steady climb in August, pointing to increased demand for the service following the reopening of the country as COVID-19 cases declined. Some 32,641 passengers used the SGR passenger train in August, up from 19,502 in July when the service was restored, according to the latest data from Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) released on Wednesday. The near-doubling of the number of passengers traveling between the capital Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa portends better prospects for Kenya’s tourism sector, which is currently being driven by domestic travelers. KRC on Oct. 1 increased the number of express trains to and from Nairobi and Mombasa to cater for the rising demand for the service. Revenue from the passenger service, similarly, rose to 39.5 million shillings (about 365,740 U.S. dollars) during the month, up from 211,111 dollars in July. Export cargo during the month surged to 355,163 metric tonnes, up from 316,189 in July, according to KRC, an indication of rise in overseas shipments. However, import cargo fell slightly in August to stand at 2.18 million metric tonnes, down from 2.46 million metric tonnes, the KRC data shows. Read the original article

Summary The visit seeks to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera arrived in Tanzania on Wednesday morning for a three-day state visit to boost bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries. Mr Chakwera was received by Tanzania President John Magufuli in the commercial hub Dar es Salaam and was accorded a state reception. "The visit seeks to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries," Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and East Africa Cooperation Prof Palamagamba Kabudi said in a statement. The two leaders are expected to lay the foundation stone at the Mbezi Luis Bus Terminal on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam. The $22 million (Tsh51 billion) bus terminal, which is under construction, will accommodate upcountry and cross-border-bound buses including those to and from Malawi and will have a capacity of handling about 3,430 buses daily. Prof Kabudi said the visit by President Chakwera follows an invite by Dr Magufuli extended to Malawi after his two-day State visit in April last year when Peter Mutharika was president. Mr Chakwera was sworn-in as president in June this year after winning the re-run of a hotly disputed election. Mr Mutharika’s victory in the May 2019 election was overturned in February by the Constitutional Court over fraud allegations. Projects President Chakwera has since made one-day working visits to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Tanzania becomes the fourth SADC country the Malawi leader is visiting, where he is expected to...

Kenya plans to develop a mobile phone application to collect import and export duties in order to boost international trade, the revenue agency has announced. Caxton Masudi, deputy commissioner, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), told journalists in Nairobi that the phone-based system will enable cross-border traders to track customs clearance procedures in real-time. “We hope to release the mobile-based application by March next year so as to boost Kenya’s international trade environment,” Masudi said during the launch of the annual taxpayer’s month. The revenue collector convened the month-long event to sensitize the public on the importance of paying taxes. Masudi added that the mobile application will be integrated into the mobile money platforms as well as the banking system in order to permit traders to pay for import and export tariffs digitally. Masudi noted that through offering full electronic service for custom procedures, Kenya is expected to generate more revenues by enhancing compliance. He noted that the system will reduce compliance costs for importers and exporters by reducing intermediaries. The revenue agency already has a web-based system for collection of taxes but its use is limited to those with access to computers. “With the mobile app, we hope to leverage on the widespread ownership of phones to reach all potential taxpayers,” he added. Read the original article

THE East African Community (EAC) and the European Union (EU) are partnering to realize a fully-fledged EAC Custom Union as they launch a regional economic integration programme. The EU Ambassador to Tanzania and the EAC, Mr Manfredo Fanti and the Secretary General of the EAC, Ambassador Libérat Mfumukeko launched a new Euro 16,400,000 joint programme that will strengthen regional economic integration, through advancing implementation of the Customs Union and Common Market Protocols. The Common Objectives in Regional Economic Integration (CORE) programme will be instrumental in moving towards a fully-fledged Customs Union, by supporting more robust Information Communication and Technology (ICT) based on data exchange protocols for the clearing of goods. The EAC Customs Union was established under the EAC Treaty. The EAC Customs Union Protocol was signed on March 2nd 2004 and became operational on 1st January 2005 with the passing of the EAC Customs Management Act. The overall objective of the Customs Union is the formation of a single customs territory. The aim of creating one single customs territory is to enable Partner States to enjoy economies of scale, with a view to supporting the process of economic development. A needed critical change is to upgrade IT and leverage it to implement the SCT, particularly as concerns three functions: exchange of data between Partner States and with the EAC Secretariat for customs operational purposes, extraction of data from national customs systems for a systematic monitoring, and support functions with a regional component in risk management and valuation. A well-developed...

NAIROBI, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's exports to countries in East African Community (EAC) have surpassed the pre-COVID-19 period, with the pandemic seemingly catalyzing trade. The exports to Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda recovered from May, sustaining an upward trajectory to August, new economic data from government statistics agency released on Thursday shows. To Uganda, Kenya's exports rose from 3.6 billion shillings (about 33.5 million U.S. dollars) in May to 59.3 million in August, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). In June, the exports stood at 40.3 million dollars and in July, 52.4 million dollars. The August exports are the highest since January. Exports to Tanzania, similarly, rose from 17 million dollars in May to 23 million dollars in August while to Rwanda, an East African nation exported goods worth 11.8 million dollars in May, surging to 23.3 million dollars in August, says the KNBS. "Domestic exports by broad economic category indicate that food and beverages were the main export category in August accounting for 43.23 percent of exports, while non-food industrial supplies accounted for 26.62 percent of the total exports," says KNBS. Kenya's exports to outside the region in particular to Europe, the U.S. and other parts of Africa, however, remained subdued during the period due to COVID-19 restrictions. The World Bank, in its October report dubbed "Africa Pulse: Charting the road to recovery" notes that trade in the EAC has recovered as the pandemic is managed. "Kenya's exports to Uganda and Rwanda already surpassed their pre-COVID-19...