American Chamber of Commerce in Rwanda (AMCHAM) delegates, on Wednesday 12th, toured DP World Kigali to learn how import and export services have been revolutionized. After the visit, Lauren Nkuranga who led delegates expressed their commitment to strengthening their businesses in Rwanda. Delegates toured DP World’s two fully functional bonded warehouses with modern racking system that has been newly introduced in Rwanda and operated by articulated forklifts the second of its kind in Africa. They were explained world-class logistics services that eased, for instance, Truck-Turnaround time from 10 days to three days within the free-time range. As DP World goal is to make logistics easy and affordable in Rwanda, AMACHAM members were relieved by how fast and easy their businesses will be made by the Dry Port’s services. “As AMCHAM, we are always looking for better ways to do business and with DP World, we see a lot of opportunities to get our products into and out of Rwanda more easily. One of our biggest challenges is transparency in cargo movements and we have seen a solution here at DP World,” Lauren Nkuranga says. Nkuranga, as one of American businesspeople in Rwanda and member of AMCHAM made the comment after touring DP World Kigali Logistics Platform at Masaka, Kicukiro. She also added that DP World’s kind of services will enable business people worldwide to see Rwanda as attractive place for their businesses, and encourage growth of businesses in Rwanda. The U.S Ambassador to Rwanda, Peter Vrooman who was among the...

The modern airport will be built in Msalato, 12 km from Dodoma.  The funding package comprises a US $198.6m loan from the AfDB, US $23.52m from the African Development Fund, and US $50m in co-financing from China’s Africa Growing Together Fund. The project is part of a programme to expand the East African nation’s infrastructure. The African Development Bank ( AfDB) has forwarded US $272m loan to the government of Tanzania to construct an international airport in its capital city Dodoma. The project is part of a programme to expand the East African nation’s infrastructure. The funding package comprises a US $198.6m loan from the AfDB, US $23.52m from the African Development Fund, and US $50m in co-financing from China’s Africa Growing Together Fund, which the AfDB manages. “An expanded air transport network in Dodoma, together with the ongoing high-speed railway construction on the central corridor, are necessary infrastructure investments to help unlock and disperse spatial development in the countryside.This will strengthen the city’s potential as a strategic growth pole in keeping with Tanzania’ national development aspirations of fostering shared growth for all the regions,” said Amadou Oumarou, the AfDB’s infrastructure and urban development department director. The modern airport will be built in Msalato, 12 km from Dodoma. It will include a passenger terminal, runway and related infrastructure. The new airport project will take approximately four years to complete. Upon completion it will have a capacity to handle 1 million passengers annually and will have a runway of just over 2km...

HiPipo Reporter. TradeMark Africa will partner with the East African Community secretariat to train Nimule customs’ officials on One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) implementation and management, Damali Ssali, the acting Country Director for TradeMark Africa, Uganda revealed. Speaking at the commissioning of the Nimule OSBP, Damali Ssali noted that following the completion of the infrastructure construction, focus will now shift to training trade facilitation officers so as to ensure that the OSBP is optimally utilized. “The biggest challenge to cross border trade is redtape and bureaucracy. I am glad that the Nimule OSBP will help tackle that issue. We hope that very soon, we shall have customs officials from both countries in this facility clearing goods and facilitating trade,” Damali Ssali said, adding; “TradeMark EA in partnership with the EAC secretariat is committed and will train officials at the Nimule border in the one stop border post act and controls so that we cut down at the very least 50 per cent of the time take to cross this border, among other benefits.”  H.E. Dr. James Igga, the Vice President of South Sudan noted that the modern border crossing catalyzed by the new infrastructure and the planned training of customs officials will greatly speed up cargo clearance and improve service delivery to citizens of South Sudan and traders doing business in the country. The US$ 5 million Nimule One Stop Border Post (OSBP) Project, was funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) through TMA and undertaken in partnership with the...

By BusinessFocus Reporter TradeMark Africa (TMA) has handed over the recently completed Nimule One Stop Border Post (OSBP) to the Government of South Sudan aimed at further boosting trade between Uganda and South Sudan. The colourful handover held on Wednesday 6th February 2020 was  officiated by  Dr. James Wani Igga, Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan and Amelia Kyambadde, Minister for Trade, Industry and Co-operatives, Republic of Uganda. The US$ 5 million (Shs18bn) Nimule One Stop Border Post (OSBP) Project was funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) through TMA and undertaken in partnership with the South Sudan Ministry of Transport. The project scope included a modern office block to house various government agencies involved in cross border trade among them Customs, Immigration, Bureau of Standards, Security Agents, Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Health. Other agencies active at the border include the World Food programme and Clearing Agents. The Nimule OSBP project also features access roads to the facility, a parking yard that can accommodate 150 cargo trucks as well as an examination yard for cargo processed through the border. Speaking during the project handover, Dr. James Igga noted that the modern border crossing would greatly speed up cargo clearance and improve service delivery to citizens of South Sudan and traders doing business in the country. “I am happy to note that with this new one stop border post, goods and travellers to our nation will be processed faster and in a more efficient manner, hence...

By The Independent Nimule, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT |  The One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) at Nimule international cross border town has been opened to boost efficient trade between Uganda and South Sudan. The US$ 5 million, approximately 18.3 million Uganda Shillings’ facility was on Thursday handed over to the Government of South Sudan by TradeMark Africa. It is expected to reduce congestion that has been causing slow movements of people and goods; poor border design, insufficient technical equipment, duplicated border procedures and non-coordination of the border agencies among others.   The facility has a modern office block to house various government agencies involved in cross border trade that includes; Customs, Immigration, Bureau of Standards, Security Agencies, Ministry of Trade and Health and clearing agents.  With South Sudan’s insecurity, movement of humanitarian aid was greatly hampered and was compounded by delays in clearance of goods that resulted into irregular supply of basic commodities to the local population.    According to Rebeca Cunnyua, a trader in Nimule, the border post is expected to boost women traders burdened by years of insurgency to rapidly continue expanding their businesses for sustainable livelihoods.  Dr James Igga, South Sudan’s Vice President noted that the modern border crossing would greatly speed up cargo clearance and improve service delivery to citizens of South Sudan and the business community.  The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives. , Amelia Kyambadde, noted that the improved border post would greatly enhance economic ties between the two East African Countries for sustainable development.  South Sudan is a...

By Robin Josso The first phase of the construction of the Nimule one stop border post in South Sudan has been completed and commissioned. This was at a ceremony graced by James Wani Igga, the Vice president of South Sudan. Funded to a tune of 5 million US Dollars by TradeMark Africa, the OSBP will host revenue and immigration officers from both South Sudan and Uganda under one roof and therefore enhancing a smooth flow of goods and persons. Source: NIMULE BORDER POST

In Summary • Kenya surrendered its customs space to the bloc in 2005 when it signed its customs union protocol. • The rulebook compels member states to negotiate all trade pacts jointly. Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and John Magufuli (Tanzania) in Uganda where they and other leaders attended the EAC Summit on February 23, 2018. STILL UNITED? Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and John Magufuli (Tanzania) in Uganda where they and other leaders attended the EAC Summit on February 23, 2018. Image: PSCU President Uhuru Kenyatta met US President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday as the two states started negotiations on a free-trade agreement. Notably, this will be US’s first such deal with a sub-Saharan nation, Bloomberg News noted, and it precedes the expiry of the African Growth Opportunity Act in 2025. What does this expected trade deal mean for Kenya and the EAC? According to US statistics, two-way trade between Kenya and the US was about Sh100 billion in 2018, with a Sh2.8 billion surplus in Kenya’s favour. When the two leaders met in Washington in August 2018, they resolved to improve tourism, trade relations and improve security. Noting the two countries have had close ties in security and defence, especially in the fight against terrorism, Uhuru said Kenya looks forward “to enhance our partnership in trade and investment". In response, Trump said Kenya and the US will continue to work together to grow their partnerships in trade, investments and security. This looks like a follow-up on the 2018 meeting. State...

HiPipo Reporter. “It is only those that have never experienced war that overlook the importance of peace,” Beca Cunnyua, an informal cross border trader at Nimule told our reporter when asked about the impact of the recent developments at the Uganda-South Sudan border. The trader was indeed spot on. Following the recent peace pact between South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his former Vice President, now main rival Riek Machar, a lot of progress has been registered in South Sudan. Among the positive things that have come with the current peace enjoyed in South Sudan is the construction of the Nimule One Stop Border Post, access roads and a cargo verification centre at a cost of USD 5 million. This morning, TradeMark Africa handed over the recently completed Nimule One Stop Border Post (OSBP) to the Government of South Sudan in an event officiated by H.E. Dr. James Wani Igga, Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan and Hon Amelia Kyambadde, Minister for Trade, Industry and Co-operatives, Republic of Uganda. Nimule is the most important border crossing for South Sudan, controlling over 90% of all trade cargo destined for the country. Inadequate border infrastructure, insufficient technical equipment, poor border design, duplicated border procedures and non-coordination of the border agencies has resulted in congestion, slow down movement of people and goods, thus raising the cost of business. It would take an average 4 days to process imports through the border prior to the construction of the Nimule OSBP. Further, in...

By Jale Richard VP James Wani Igga arrives at the One-Stop Border Post on Thursday, 6 Feb 2020 | Credit | Okot Emmanuel The government of South Sudan and Trademark East Africa has launched the Nimule One-Stop Border Post. The event was officiated by the Vice President James Wani Igga on Thursday morning. The $5 million project was funded by the UK’s Department for International Development through TradeMark Africa. The boarder post features access roads to the facility, a parking yard that can accommodate 150 cargo trucks, and an examination yard for cargo. “The building is a modern office block to house various government agencies involved in cross border trade,” reported Eye Radio’s Okot Emmanuel. “Among them are Customs, Immigration, Bureau of Standards, security agencies, ministries of trade and health, among others..” In November 2016, the governments of South Sudan and Uganda signed the agreement for mutual collaboration and partnership for construction of border posts in Nimule and Elegu. Uganda launched its Elegu border post in November 2018. The two infrastructure projects are expected to ease congestion and reduce time and costs to clear goods, including humanitarian consignments destined for South Sudan. The border post will also improve market access and fasten border processes, and reporting of various non-trade barriers faced along the road. It is also expected to promote transparency and accountability among the agencies operating at the borders.  

by Eunniah Mbabazi TradeMark Africa (TMA) has partnered with the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) to digitize the weekly Mombasa tea auction. The partnership seeks to automate the trade through the formation of the Integrated Tea Trading System (ITTS). Additionally, the digitization (ITTS) seeks to fill gaps in the current procedures, which are done manually including membership and cataloging. The partnership has already received funding from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). The disadvantages of the manual system include high transaction costs for traders, delays in payments and exportation, as well as limited timeline for trading. Furthermore, buyers have to make their payments manually, and then the tea has to be exported or be transported back to Nairobi for value addition, which takes a lot of time. Additionally, the manual procedure involves a couple of middle-men, ranging from producers, warehouses, brokers, buyers, and middlemen. In the long run, the trickle down effect is that the farmers have little say in the prices of their tea. Digitization, therefore, will enable farmers to use their mobile phones to trace the movement of their tea across factories and shipping companies. They will also be able to analyse the market trends affecting tea trade in the world. We are funding EATTA with $2 million to create a robust platform that will deliver a digital information flow of buying and selling tea. We have been working with EATTA to re-engineer all the services that are manual, and paper based, and move them in to the...