The East African Business Council (EABC) on Tuesday signed a US$ 3.2 million financing agreement with TradeMark Africa (TMA) for support in implementing a three-year programme focused on the simplification and harmonization of trade procedures in the region. The partnership will support EABC's advocacy efforts of improving coordination, reporting and resolution of non- tariff barriers along the corridors; harmonization and adoption of East African standards or sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures; improve adoption and harmonization of Customs and Domestic Tax-related policies and trade facilitation in the region. "We will coordinate, set the agenda and facilitate evidence-based research on public-private dialogues to reducing barriers to trade in the EAC region," said Peter Mathuki, the EABC Chief Executive Officer. "We appreciate this partnership with TradeMark Africa as it will support EABC to evaluate and monitor EAC policies to ensure they work for businesses at ground level and create momentum to accelerate the needed policy reforms for the business and investment climate in the EAC." As noted, public-private dialogue plays a crucial role in addressing constraints, providing short-term stimulus with long-term impact and contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction. The project will enhance advocacy and dialogue on transport and logistics, trade facilitation, customs and tax, standards, and NTBs in a bid to increase trade and investments in the region. The programme also extends beyond the EAC and incorporates the COMESA, COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). "Inadequate trading regimes restrictions on the export of...

TradeMark Africa (TMA) has pumped Sh464 million into two lobby groups to help the private sector grow trade and provide investment opportunities for Kenyan firms. The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) will receive Sh155 million ($1.5 million) financing to be channelled under the lobby’s five-year Public-Private Sector Dialogue (PPD) programme, while the East African Business Council (EABC) will get Sh309 million ($3 million). The Kepsa is expected to seek better conditions for increased trade and investment for Kenyan businesses as well as create jobs. The EABC’s will, however, be channelled to the resolution of non-tariff barriers (NTBs), harmonisation and adoption of standards in the region and improved adoption of customs and domestic tax policies. “The evidence is clear. The private sector is the engine of economic growth. Successful businesses drive growth, create jobs and pay the taxes that finance public services and investment. The PPD for trade and investment programme will give a voice to the private sector,” TMA-Kenya Country Director Ahmed Farah said in a statement yesterday. Source: Business Daily

Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) CEO Frank Matsaert makes a presentation on women funds whereby Trade Mark East Africa is funding 4.5 million dollars in empowering women in eastafrica during the Unveiling of women and trade (WaT) Programme Funded by Trade Markets East Africa on October 15, 2015. Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) has received a $1.5 million (Sh154.5 million) cash funding from the TradeMark Africa (TMA) to boost its activities. The funding will go towards supporting Kepsa’s Public-Private Sector Dialogue (PPD) programme.The initiative seeks to improve conditions for expanded trade and investment for local businesses, create jobs and grow the economy.It focuses on transport and logistics, trade facilitation, customs and tax, standards, trade logistics and technical support for efficient public-private sector dialogue frameworks."We will yield a two-fold benefit from this grant as a result of the new approach which involves working together with the local sector-based business associations, business associations representing foreign companies in Kenya and the civil society advocates of regional integration," said Chairperson of the Kepsa PPD Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation Board Committee Brenda Mbathi.  TMA’s Chief Executive Frank Matsaert said building platforms where the private sector can voice issues affecting the business environment is critical.“Such input enables development partners and governments to devise solutions that respond to real needs. We are glad to partner with Kepsa to make sure that dialogue takes place,” he said. Source: Standard Media

Under the agreement, TMA will be supporting Kenya Private Sector Alliance’s Public-Private Sector Dialogue programme, which focuses on six areas. These include transport and logistics, Customs and Tax, and Technical Support for efficient Public-Private Sector Dialogue frameworks among others. Chair of KEPSA’s Public-Private Dialogue Board Committee Brenda Mbathi says the sector will yield a two-fold benefit from the grant. “We plan to implement a new approach which involves working together with the local sector-based business associations, business associations representing foreign companies in Kenya and the civil society advocates of regional integration,” Mbathi says. The grant is intended to foster policy interventions geared towards catalyzing growth of trade and investment for Kenya businesses. It also plans on strengthening the private sector with more capacity for better coordination of strategic public policy dialogue. “Building platforms where the private sector can voice issues that are real and pertinent to the business environment remains critical in the larger sphere of our work,” TMA CEO Frank Matsaert said. Overall, KEPSA’s PPD Program aims to contribute to achieving 10 percent reduction in transport cost and time and lobby for enhanced customs, port and other trade-related agencies efficiency to reduce service time to 48hrs through inter-agency collaboration and digitizing and integrated trade management systems. Source: CapitalFM

South Sudan National Revenue Authority (NRA) and TradeMark Africa (TMA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing to establish modern trade systems and procedures to support faster clearance and transiting of goods. This will build on work that TradeMark Africa (TMA) in partnership with the governments is undertaking at Elegu-Nimule border, the main crossing point between Uganda and South Sudan. The partners stated that attention will be given to enhancing faster clearance and movement of humanitarian goods coming into South Sudan aiming to halve the time it takes from current 2 days to one day or less. Of recent cargo destined for South Sudan has been delayed at Container Freight Stations in Mombasa, the designed interventions will ease the process. This will involve facilitating their movement from the port of entry, either Mombasa or Dar es Salaam to the South Sudan borders. TradeMark Africa (TMA) was represented by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frank Matsaert, while the National Revenue Authority was represented by the Commissioner General, Dr. Olympio Attipoe. The MOU will be in force for the next three years. Making his remarks, the NRA Commissioner General, Dr. Olympio said, “We are opening a new chapter with TradeMark Africa by signing this MOU that aims at promoting fiscal transparency, accountability and effective revenue mobilization.” On his part TradeMark Africa (TMA) CEO Mr. Matsaert said, “We believe in the people of South Sudan; their resilience and adaptiveness is what has inspired us to renew our partnership here and work with the...

Nasema bado una nguvu kwa sababu mbalimbali lakini kubwa ni mchango wake kwenye ustawi wa taifa na wananchi wake kwa ujumla. Takwimu za karibuni zinaonyesha kwamba sekta ya kilimo inachangia asilimia 29.1 ya Pato la Taifa (GDP), asilimia 65.5 ya ajira kwa Watanzania wenye uwezo wa kufanya kazi, kati ya Watanzania takribani milioni 55 kwa hivi sasa. Aidha, katika zama hizi za kuelekea Tanzania ya viwanda, kilimo kinatoa asilimia 65 ya malighafi za sekta ya viwanda na asilimia 30 ya mapato yatokanayo na mauzo ya nje ya nchi. Na ndiyo maana serikali ya awamu ya tano chini ya Rais John Magufuli imechukua hatua mbalimbali kunyanyua kilimo ili kiwe na tija zaidi kwa wakulima wenyewe, wengi wakiwa wadogowadogo. Imefanya hivyo kwa njia tofauti ikiwa ni pamoja na kufuta kodi na tozo zaidi ya 100 kwenye sekta hiyo, lakini pia kuwekeza zaidi katika mazao ya kipaumbele, yaani Pamba, Korosho, Tumbaku, Kahawa na Chai. Aidha, inasisitiza juu ya umuhimu wa kuwa na kilimo cha kibiashara ili kutoa fursa ya wakulima, wengi wakiwa wadogo wadogo, kuongeza tija na hivyo kunyanyua hali zao za maisha. Ndiyo ajenda ambayo imekuwa ikisimamiwa katika majukwaa takribani yote anayoyapata Waziri wa Kilimo Japhet Hasunga, kama ilivyokuwa Julai 4 mwaka huu alipokuwa akizindua Bima ya Mazao kwa wakulima mkoani Simiyu. Bima muhimu katika kukabiliana na hasara zitokanazo na vihatarishi vinavyoathiri uzalishaji. Kimsingi jitihada hizi za serikali ya awamu ya tano zimeendelea kuleta tija kutokana na ongezeko la uzalishaji kwenye mazao mbalimbali ya kibiashara na yale yaliyo maalumu kwa ajili ya...

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Dr Atta-Mensah while speaking at a media engagement in Accra noted that the AfCFTA would be a game-changer for Africa if it would be inclusive enough. The AfCFTA, which is headquartered in Accra provides the opportunity for Africa to create the world's largest free trade area, with the potential to unite 1.3 billion people, in a $2.5 trillion economic bloc and usher in a new era of development. Dr Atta-Mensah commended the enthusiasm African leaders exhibited towards its formation; right from March 2018 in Kigali and by July 2019 it was operational and that it was going to take full effect by July 2020. He said the trade was a strategy for development and therefore if African countries trade among themselves, it would lead to the transformation of their economies. He urged African countries to add value to their products before exporting them; citing that Ghana should be able to produce enough chocolate and cocoa butter for the export market, adding that, the AfCFTA is expected to boost intra-African trade by 52%. He further noted that the positive potential of AfCFTA towards boosting intra-Africa trade would be achieved if African countries eliminated illicit financial flows (IFFs). "Study that has been done in ECA and others, shows Africa at the minimum loses about $50 billion every year (through IFFs). Now this $50 billion is the minimum, it could be more. Some studies even put at $150 billion a year," he stated. He added that "The question is that our infrastructure needs...

JUBA, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Friday signed a framework agreement with Trade Mark East Africa (TMA), a regional trade facilitating body, to ease movement of humanitarian cargo and relief supplies in the country. Olympio Attipoe, head of the National Revenue Authority (NRA), lauded the memorandum of understanding reached between the two parties that will include setting up of the digitized regional electronic cargo tracking system and trade information portals to help improve revenue collection. "The MoU being signed today is very significant and timely because of the current macro-economic realities in the country and the government's quest to diversify revenue base from overreliance on oil revenue to non-oil revenue," he told journalists in Juba. He said that the support from Trade Mark East Africa and other development partners meets the general objective in chapter four of the signed revitalized peace agreement as it aims to improve on fiscal sustainability, transparency and accountability of revenue. South Sudan, a member of the East African Community that includes Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda, is already implementing the non-oil revenue mobilization and accountability project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) aimed at enhancing non-oil revenue administration. "The MoU will shape the present and future relationship between the two organizations and define how national revenue authority and Trade Mark East Africa will continue to work together on technical and infrastructure support to customs division of the national revenue authority," said Attipoe. He also noted that besides supporting capacity building...

AFRICA Olympio Attipoe South Sudan on Friday signed a framework agreement with Trade Mark East Africa (TMA), a regional trade facilitating body, to ease movement of humanitarian cargo and relief supplies in the country. Olympio Attipoe, head of the National Revenue Authority (NRA), lauded the memorandum of understanding reached between the two parties that will include setting up of the digitized regional electronic cargo tracking system and trade information portals to help improve revenue collection. "The MoU being signed today is very significant and timely because of the current macro-economic realities in the country and the government's quest to diversify revenue base from overreliance on oil revenue to non-oil revenue," he told journalists in Juba. He said that the support from Trade Mark East Africa and other development partners meets the general objective in chapter four of the signed revitalized peace agreement as it aims to improve on fiscal sustainability, transparency and accountability of revenue. South Sudan, a member of the East African Community that includes Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda, is already implementing the non-oil revenue mobilization and accountability project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) aimed at enhancing non-oil revenue administration. "The MoU will shape the present and future relationship between the two organizations and define how national revenue authority and Trade Mark East Africa will continue to work together on technical and infrastructure support to customs division of the national revenue authority," said Attipoe. He also noted that besides supporting capacity building of the customs...