li Mufuruki, the founder and CEO of Infotech Investment Group, said the future of EAC integration is bright and that the private sector should work in partnership with the public sector to drive the EAC integration. He is of the view that the regional integration should start from the products level, through exporting products as a region rather than a single country in order to meet the demand and remain globally competitive. "EAC can form one company that will export East African coffee. This way, the region could become the biggest supplier of coffee to China for instance. It doesn't make sense for coffee suppliers in East Africa to compete with each other," he said. This, he said, can be applicable to products that have deep value chain, and can be sourced from across the region, for every member state to benefit. "We can build a coffee airbus, textile airbus or a tourism airbus. East Africa has great sceneries. We can consider marketing the region as a tourist destination," he said. Peter Mathuki, the executive director of East Africa Business Council, said the idea of business taking the center stage in regional integration is timely. He said the private sector should call the government to the negotiation table and discuss on what should be done to drive the regional integration process, instead of waiting to be invited by the government. "The treaty that established EAC is private sector led. It's a challenge we need to take upon ourselves and be...

“I thank President Uhuru Kenyatta for inviting me on this visit. I must commend him for his Pan-African credentials and working tirelessly towards easing trade between Kenya and Uganda…The other sectors in Uganda that should benefit from these agreements are our diary producers who will have less paperwork to do in order to export to Kenya. Our tile makers also should look forward to accessing the Kenyan market. IN RETURN, Uganda will immediately lift the ban on beef imports from Kenya, since the mad cow disease that occasioned the ban is no more.” President Museveni is fond of exposing himself. Of late he has been doing a lot of it in seemingly unprovoked ways. One does not need to go far back for evidence of this. His recent letter to President Kagame has a lot of unprovoked revelations the kind of which I’m referring to. His speech in Kenya has similar revelations. Consider this statement, “our tile makers should also look forward to accessing the Kenyan market. In return, Uganda will immediately lift the ban on beef imports from Kenya.” Is it not obvious to everyone that the ban on beef imports from Kenya to Uganda was on pretext of the Mad Cow disease? If, in fact, Uganda’s ban on Kenyan beef was on the basis of the Mad Cow disease, then lifting that ban would be on the day that is scientifically determined rather than on President Museveni’s arbitrary determination to end it. This is why Museveni is lifting...

President Kenyatta pointed out that the move is aimed at attracting investments and promoting job creation in the country. The President said past experience has shown that private sector enterprises succeed more when well supported by the government. “I say so because the private sector is the engine of growth. Government certainly plays a central role, and equally certainly won’t relinquish it, but the fact of the matter is that the wide prosperity we all want is the product of men and women, not government, turning their labour and capital to productive work,” President Kenyatta said. The President was speaking in Mombasa today during the Kenya-Uganda Business Forum that was also addressed by Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The forum whose theme was ‘Strengthening Economic and Trade Partnerships’ was attended by Deputy President William Ruto. President Kenyatta said the forum provided an opportunity to boost business, trade and investment between Kenya and Uganda. “This forum provides an opportunity for Uganda and Kenya to be trailblazers in the region in terms of trade ties,” President Kenyatta said. He added that the forum underscored the important role played by trade and investment as drivers of international relations. “It is also a good opportunity to create new business links; to strengthen existing partnerships; and to promote new investments, in capital and shared expertise alike,” he said. President Kenyatta noted that Kenya and Uganda enjoy thriving economic and trade relations. Kenya’s value of total exports to Uganda stood at Kshs 61.8 billion in 2017...

The House of People’s Representatives (HPR) approved at a plenary session Wednesday the draft organic law on Tunisia’s accession to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) with 138 votes for, 1 against and 1 abstention. Tunisia’s accession to this regional grouping is likely to help boost Tunisia’s exports to the African market. Tunisia’s exports to these markets do not surpass 2.5% of the overall exports, according to an explanatory document of the accession process. The COMESA is an international organization with a regional focus on East Africa, created in 1994 and aims to create a customs union between the 21 member countries. Based in Lusaka in Zambia, it currently brings together 20 African countries, including Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Source: African Manager

The Kenya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Tunisia organized the 1st Kenya-Tunisia Business Forum with the aim of creating long-term economic relations between Tunisia and Kenya. The forum which was held in a Nairobi hotel saw the participation of a high level delegation from the Kenya and Tunisia government led by State department for industry PS Betty Maina, Tunisia Minister of Commerce Omar Behi as well as the high level investors from both countries. Speaking at the event the Kenyan government said it was in the forefront in improving intra-Africa trade and opening up new markets for Kenyan products and professional services. The government expressed optimism that trade between the two countries which stands at $3.15M was set to improve with the renewed co-operation and particularly with Kenya with the potential to play a key role as a trade hub for further distribution of Tunisia goods and services to the markets of other countries in East Africa. “We are happy that the Tunisia private sector have expressed interest in the Big 4 Agenda especially in Universal Health Coverage and Affordable Housing. We are also happy in exploring opportunities in Tunisia and we will have a delegation from government headed to Tunisia next month led by Foreign Affairs cabinet secretary Monica Juma,” Said PS Betty Maina. Tunisia on its part has called on its investors to take advantage of the emerging opportunities in Kenya and the East Africa Community with special focus on the Big 4...

The report named ‘The states of African Cities 2003-2018’ jointly produced by UN-Habitat together with African Development Bank with School of Economic and Business Sciences and UK Aid ranked Dar at 14th among 42 cities on the African continent. Dar es Salaam received FDIs amounting $3.4billion. The first attracted largest recipients of FDI were resources sectors as accounting for 34% of total FDI. Other sectors to receive FDI were construction, geological exploration and development import and export trade as well as whole sale and retail trade. The report revealed that FDI tend to relocate in countries with large and expanding market, with greater purchasing power where firms are linking to obtain a higher return on capital and investment profits. “FID will locate where there is domestic market size, well developed norms or trustworthy, low level of corruption, rule of law, availability of domestic credit, financial market development and presidential systems of government were highly significant and positive is to attract FDI,” said the report Experts believe that Dar es Salaam has the potential to boost more FDI as it fits well within the described characteristics. Tanzania is also one of the fastest growing Cities in Africa and it enjoys political stability, stable financial system and a logistics hub of the region. The report further says that African cities should find the best connections for their development taking into account their country and city specific location advantages in attracting public and private investments. This is due to the fact that benefiting...

While citizens await the resolution of a diplomatic standoff between Uganda and Rwanda that has affected trade relations, president Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday secured bilateral deals with his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta. Museveni, who is on a two-day state visit in Uganda’s neighbour to the East, met politicians and traders in the coastal city of Mombasa. ‘‘President Uhuru Kenyatta and I led our different delegations into bilateral discussions where we covered a lot of ground, especially on matters trade and politics,’‘ Museveni tweeted after arriving in Mombasa. I must commend him for his Pan-African credentials and working tirelessly towards easing trade between Kenya and Uganda. Deals signed The two leaders announced several agreements that will benefit the business community and citizens in Uganda and Kenya, including; Uganda to increase its sugar exports to Kenya from 36,000 metric tonnes to 90,000 metric tonnes annually. Uganda to resume exporting poultry to Kenya. Uganda to lift ban on beef imports from Kenya. Kenya offers Uganda land to build a dry port in Naivasha. Uganda to utilise Kenya’s petroleum facility in Kisumu. Museveni also said Kenya agreed to open its market to Ugandan tile makers and also reduce ‘paperwork required of Ugandan exporters to export to Kenya’. ‘‘I must commend him for his Pan-African credentials and working tirelessly towards easing trade between Kenya and Uganda,’‘ Museveni said of his counterpart. President Kenyatta addressed the outstanding border dispute between the countries over the Lake Victoria island of Migingo, explaining that a formal border commission will...

Despite the ongoing dispute and border standoff between Uganda and Rwanda, President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday toured Mombasa port with his Kenyan counterpart as the two countries move to strengthen their bilateral ties. The move offers hope for cooperation in a region that has been traumatised by the border standoff between Rwanda. The standoff is a threat to trade and immigration between the two countries and the region at large. The standoff has been politicised as Rwanda accused Uganda of hosting rebels who are opposed to Kagame’s government. ‘‘President Uhuru Kenyatta and I led our different delegations into bilateral discussions where we covered a lot of ground, especially on matters trade and politics,’‘ Museveni tweeted after arriving in Mombasa. Furthermore, Museveni commended Kenyatta for his Pan-Africanism and commitment to strengthening trade ties between their two countries. Kenyatta also praised Museveni for his commitment to the joint infrastructure projects the two countries are working on together under the Northern Corridor Integration Projects framework. The two leaders signed a number of agreements that are aimed at easing trade between the two countries. This is at a time the continent is pushing towards greater trade relations within the continent through the Africa Free Trade Agreement which is in the process of being ratified. Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) commissioner for customs and border Control Kevin Safari and Julius Rubagumya, the Uganda Revenue Authority Manager in Kenya, spoke on the achievements in cargo transportation between the two countries since the implementation of the Single Customs...

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and visiting Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, had resolved to speed up regional and continental integration as part of efforts to boost trade. The two leaders on Wednesday evening in the coastal city of Mombasa agreed that continental and regional integration is the path to transforming African countries from being developing to developed economies. "I want to assure you that is a commitment that we share," Kenyatta said according to a statement issued on Thursday by his office after hosting visiting Ugandan leader at a state banquet. The Kenyan leader said that movement of cargo from the Port of Mombasa to Kampala, Uganda that previously took 21 days has drastically reduced to seven days since he took over as president thanks to standard gauge railway (SGR). He said the SGR which is being constructed by Chinese company will reach lakeside town of Naivasha by August, adding that his government will avail land in the town for Uganda to develop a dry port for its cargo. "I have confirmed to President Museveni that with that development in Naivasha and then moving the SGR to Malaba, goods will be able to move from Mombasa to Malaba in just two days," Kenyatta said. As the government implements the long-term plan to move all cargo from the road to the SGR, Kenyatta said, his administration is working on the complete elimination of barriers that slow down movement of cargo such as multiple roadblocks and unnecessary weigh bridges. "But more importantly, it...

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday said as part of his talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya has agreed to raise sugar imports from Uganda from 36,000 tonnes to 90,000 tonnes per year. President Museveni also disclosed that it has been agreed that Uganda resume exporting poultry to Kenya within a week. “I am glad that our counterparts have agreed to let Uganda increase its sugar exports to Kenya from 36,000 metric tonnes to 90,000 metric tonnes annually. Also, it is important that Uganda will resume exporting poultry to Kenya within a week from now,” tweeted Museveni. “In return, Uganda will immediately lift the ban on beef imports from Kenya, since the mad cow disease that occasioned this ban is no more. There are more areas of trade cooperation that we should look at and I ask our technocrats to explore these opportunities,” he said. According to Museveni, other sectors in Uganda that are set to benefit after his two-day State visit in Mombasa are  dairy producers and tile makers whom he said will have less paperwork to do in order to export to Kenya. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has arrived in Kenya for a two-day State visit in Mombasa. Museveni was received by President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa where State reception ceremonies were conducted. In a statement issued Monday evening, State House spokesperson Kanze Dena said the two leaders would proceed to State House Mombasa for bilateral talks with their respective delegations before conducting...