EAST African businesswomen are calling for the establishment of a digital economy to facilitate women doing business in the region. The women who met here last week under the auspices of the East African Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP) observed that they still lacked skills of doing business using digital economy. They also decried the lack of regional accreditation for Women in business and the lack trust when doing online business among business women. “We are calling the six partner states to establish a digital platform for showcasing products and services to boost regional trade and develop an EAC business accreditation policy,” outlined Ms Nancy Gitonga, the platform’s regional coordinator while delivering the recommendations from women in business focal points from the six partner states at a consultative workshop on mainstreaming gender-related challenges in the EAC regional agenda. The East African businesswomen opined that creating a database for the service providers as business centre will help them access business services across EAC partner states. They also rooted for the formulation of a creative technological based service platform for linking farmers and traders for enhancing trade as well as establishing women in business innovation and incubation hubs within the EAC. “There’s limited digital infrastructure that can benefit women small and medium entrepreneurs there it is equally important to have such platforms,” suggested the EAWIBP regional coordinator. EAWiBP also wants the inclusion of its members in the EAC Common External Tariff(CET) review team. Among other things, the review team will seek to...

Mwenyekiti wa Makampuni ya Usafirishaji ya Simba,  Azim Dewj ambaye alikuwa mgeni rasmi katika Uzinduzi wa mfumo unaowaunganisha wadau wa sekta ya Usafirisaji ”National Freight and Logistics Information Portal, akizungumza na wadau mbalimbali waliofika katika Uzinduzi huo ambao ni Mfumo ulioanzishwa na TPSF kwa ushirikiano na TMA una lengo la kuwakutanisha watoa huduma za Usafirishaji na watafuta huduma kwa maana ya wenye mizigo. Mwenyekiti wa Makampuni ya Usafirishaji ya Simba,Azim Dewj(Watatu toka kulia) Akizinduzia wa mfumo unaowaunganisha wadau wa sekta ya Usafirisaji ”National Freight and Logistics Information Portal. Mwenyekiti wa Makampuni ya Usafirishaji ya Simba, Azim Dewj (Watatu toka kulia) akiwa katika picha ya pamoja. JUKWAA la Wafanyabiashara na wadau wa Usafirishaji kutoka Sekta Binafsi (TPSF) wamezindua mfumo wa kieletroniki wa manunuzi, uuzaji  na usafirishaji (NFLIP) utakaotumika katika nchini na nchi jirani. Akizindua mfumo huo Jijini Dar es Salaam, Mwenyekiti wa Kampuni ya Simba Group, Azim Dewji alisema kuwa, mfumo huo utawarahisishia wafanyabiashara kwa kupunguza gharama za usafirishaji kutoka eneo moja kwenda jingine. ‘’Mfumo huu utasaidia sana, badala ya mtu kutoka hapa kwenda Zambia au Kongo kununua mzigo, ukifika kule, utatafuta Hoteli, utatumia usafiri wa ndani ya nchi uliopo, mawasiliano ya ndani hiyo ni gharama, lakini ukitumia mtandao wa NFLIP itaokoa gharama nyingi kwani itafanya hayo yote kwa wakati mmoja, alisema Dewji. Dewji alitoa mfano kuwa Bandari ya Tanzania ina uwezo wa kuhudumia nchi sita za Afrika Mashariki ambazo hazina Babdari, hivyo NFLIP itakuwa na uwezo wa kuhudumia nchi zote hizo kwa muda mfupi na kurahisisha muda wa kutoka sehemu moja kwenda nyingine. Aidha alisema...

The Central Bank Governor John Rwangombwa and the current chairman of the Association of African Central Banks, has called for an Integrated Regional Financial system in order to unleash the full potential of trade on the continent. Rwangombwa was speaking at the Regional Financial Stability Symposium in Rabat, Morocco on Monday, December 9, 2019. The call at the symposium comes at a time when Africa has achieved a key milestone in regional integration which was spurred by the signing of the Africa Continental Free Trade (AfCFTA). The AfCFTA signed in Kigali, in March 2018 by Heads of State of the African Union (AU), has been successfully ratified. The main objective of the CFTA is to create a single continental market for goods and services as well as a customs union with free movement of goods and services across the continent. “In less than a year of signing the agreement, the First Intra-African Trade Fair was held in Cairo- Egypt. From this trade fair, business deals of over $32 billion were concluded, well above the initial target of $25 billion,” Rwangombwa told the symposium. It is against this performance that Rwangombwa said that this exceptional achievement is proof to a potent force of what a united Africa is capable of achieving and a vote of confidence to the financial sector integration. He said, therefore, that a stable and integrated financial system is a prerequisite for the success of this bold move taken by our leaders to integrate Africa into one market....

The East African Community Secretariat and the EAC GIZ programme supporting East African Integration on behalf of the German Government, today signed an implementation agreement worth US$16 million for continuing support for EAC regional integration through their SEAMPEC and Pandemic Preparedness programmes. The programmes are managed through the EAC-GIZ partnership to continue to grow regional economic and social integration which already has a significant impact in the region. The Support to East African Market Driven and People Centred Integration East Africa (SEAMPEC) programme, through its multiple cross-cutting initiatives, takes a holistic approach to regional integration that encompasses civil society as well as the public and private sectors. Through targeted work in sectors including agro-processing, pharmaceuticals as well as services sectors such as tourism and ICT, SEAMPEC aims to facilitate the improvement of framework conditions to help create more competitive industries and cross border opportunities. “GIZ and the Secretariat have been developing and managing key projects working with partners across the EAC region with a focus on making the Common Market, Customs Union and integration a reality. Through the SEAMPEC programme many businesses and civil society organisations have all benefited from collaborating on the ground and high-level networking and coalition activities. We are proud to continue to implement programmes which are showing real results and bringing tangible benefits to the citizens of the EAC,” said Dr Mike Falke, GIZ Country Director for Tanzania and EAC. Another US$3 million of the funding are going towards the ‘Support to Pandemic Preparedness in the EAC Region’...

Tanzania has signed an agreement to link its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a deal that gives Dar es Salaam’s multi-billion-dollar project a major shot in the arm. Transport ministers of the three countries Isack Kamwelwe (Tanzania), Jean Bosco (Burundi) and Roger Biasu (DRC) signed the agreement this past week in the port town of Kigoma. The SGR link gives landlocked Burundi and DRC direct access to the Dar es Salaam Port, greatly boosting Tanzania’s Central Transport Corridor. The development is, however, a blow to Kenya’s Northern Transport Corridor, which had marketed its own SGR as the cheaper and more efficient route for East Africa’s landlocked countries including Burundi and eastern DRC. “This agreement is in line with the completion of a preliminary feasibility study of detail design plans which was successfully done by the consultancy company Gulf Engineering Ltd based in Uvinza,” Mr Kamwelwe told The EastAfrican. The first phase of the construction will start from Uvinza district in Kigoma region in north western Tanzania to Gitega, via Msongati region, in Burundi, covering a stretch of 240km. The railway will then be extended to the eastern regions of DRC according to the agreement. Source: The East African

The recent 20th anniversary of the East African Community (EAC) was marked by a High Level Business and Investment Summit, hosted by the East African Business Council (EABC). In his keynote opening speech Hon Professor Kabudi, Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, cited Mwalimu Nyerere’s view that “East Africa integration is a necessity not a choice”! But, Hon Kabudi cautioned that to make the integration aspiration achievable it had to be people centred, and private sector driven. Whilst the EAC has come a long way, and indeed is still the most cohesive regional economic community in Africa, there was acknowledgement that it should have progressed further - for example, intra-EAC trade currently stands at only around 12 per cent, whereas in the EU it is over 70 per cent. Greater integration both at the EAC level, and going forward at the Africa level (courtesy of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), is seen as a key enabler in relation to industrialisation aspirations. Some challenging questions were raised: Why not make it easier to fly within the region? Why is it so expensive to roam? Why not respect each other’s standards? And importantly, can we not accept an approach on regulation (for example, local content) or taxation (for example, excise duty) where “local” is defined to be East African? Certainly, in the long term protective measures do not help as they tend to work against enhanced efficiency and ultimately competitiveness. Source: The Citizen

THE East African regional economic and social integration agenda received a major boost on Thursday following the German’s Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ ) 29.8bn/- ($ 13m) commitment to the East African Community (EAC). The grant aims to support the community through the East African Market Driven and People Centered Integration East African (SEAMPEC) which focuses on trade and value addition. Speaking here shortly after sealing the agreement, GIZ Country Director, Dr Mike Falke noted that the SEAMPEC programme, through its multiple cross-cutting initiatives, takes a holistic approach to regional integration that encompasses civil society as well as public and private sectors among partner states. The GIZ boss exuded optimism that through targeted work in agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, tourism and Information and communications technology (ICT) SEAMPEC will facilitate the improvement of framework conditions to help create more competitive industries and cross border opportunities. “GIZ and the secretariat have been developing and managing key projects working with partners across the EAC region with a focus on making the common market, customs union and integration a reality,” explained Dr Falke. He further revealed that many businesses and civil society organizations had all benefitted from SEAMPEC through collaborating on the ground and high-level networking and coalition activities. “We are proud to continue to implement programmes which are showing results and tangible benefits EAC residents,” he added. Meanwhile, the EAC Secretariat and GIZ inked a 6.8bn/- ($ 3mn) agreement that will be channeled towards supporting pandemic preparedness among the six member states. The project which...

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Dar es Salaam which is geared at boosting trade volumes between the two countries. Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) data show that India is among the top five sources of investments in Tanzania. Until 2017, Indian investors had invested a total of $2.2 billion in various sectors of Tanzania’s economy. In this regard, India was only behind China, the UK, the US and Mauritius. Until 2017, China, UK, US and Mauritius had invested $5.9 billion, $5.54 billion, $4.7 billion and $4.308 billion in Tanzania respectively. Gracing the India-Tanzania Business Forum, Industry and Trade minister Innocent Bashungwa said the MoU was meant to boost trade volumes, and also address the trade imbalance between the two countries. Source: The Citizen

Trade and Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya says that Kenya is negotiating for a Free Trade Agreement with several African nations. The Agreement that brings together 44 African countries and about 1 billion consumers will boost Kenya’s exports with target countries expected to have signed the agreement by July 2020. Furthermore, Munya stated that bilateral agreements with East African Community members had brought on board 150 million consumers. Trade agreements with the United States such as the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) are likely to grant Kenyan products duty-free access to the American market. Kenya being a member of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has access to 500 million potential customers. The agreement presents new markets for Kenya’s agricultural and industrial products Source: Kenyan WallStreet

The movement of workers from lower to higher productivity employment is essential for growth in low income countries. However, even with this movement economic structures have changed very little and this has been a concern for economists and policy analysts. Historically, manufacturing drove economic transformation in many developed nations but today new technologies have spawned a growing number of services and agro-industries including agriculture. They are tradable, have high value added per worker and can absorb large number of moderately skilled workers. Like manufacturing they benefit from technological change, productivity growth. One of the changes emerging in Africa is Manufacturing led transformation of East Asia, ICT-based services, and tourism and transport are outpacing the growth of manufacturing in many African countries. Between 1998-2015, services exports grew more than six times faster than merchandise exports. Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa have vibrant ICT based services. Tourism is Rwanda’s largest single export activity accounting for about 30 percent of total exports, in 2014, 9.5 million tourists visited South Africa contributing three percent to its GDP. Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Senegal all actively participate in global horticulture value addition chain. Ethiopia has achieved extraordinary success in flowers exports, so much so that the country is now a global player in the sector. Kenya has achieved extraordinary success in Tea exports and the country is a global player in the sector. It's possible to develop a strategy for structural transformation based on three factors that have largely shaped the global distribution of manufacturing,...