The commitment to form the joint commission was aired at a meeting between President John Magufuliand the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov. According to a statement released on March 13 by the Directorate of Presidential Communications said President Magufuli reiterated Tanzania`s commitment to maintaining cordial relations between the two countries. Going forward, the relations will focus on enhancing trade, tourism and social services such as education, health as well as infrastructure development, remarked the President. “Please take my message to President Putin: It is that Tanzanians love Russia and welcome him to visit our country together with other Russians. We also welcome Russian investors to come and invest in numerous opportunities available in Tanzania for mutual benefit of both of us,” the President was quoted affirming. The aim of the commission is to ensure that citizens of both countries form bilateral relations by harnessing endowments of each country. For his part, Bogdanov who last visited Tanzania eight years ago; said Russia was committed to strengthening cordial and friendly relations with Tanzania. He stated that the commission was part of his country`s renewed engagement with African countries. Tanzania and Russia established diplomatic relations 57 years ago and the relationship is still growing strong and benefitting people of both countries. The diplomatic relations was signed two days after Tanganyika had gained her independence from Britain, and since then both countries have enjoyed cooperation in education, stronger economic ties, political dialogue, humanitarian and cultural ties as well as matters of security and counter...

Delegates from more than 80 UAE anchor companies are taking part in the Ethiopia-UAE business forum in Addis Ababa to explore available investment opportunities. UAE companies are choosing Ethiopia for investment as their country puts the Horn African nation among the top destinations for UAE investment. Undersecretary for Foreign Trade at UAE Ministry of Economy, Abdulla Ahmed Al Saleh told journalists that Ethiopia is one of the four most important countries for UAE investment in Africa. There are several UAE companies that are investing in Ethiopia for years; he stated, and added "we would like to increase the level of investment." "We have other companies to do business more in Ethiopia in different sector, especially in agriculture, real estate development, hospitality, industrial sector," the Undersecretary said. A forum and exhibition will open on March 21, 2019, which Abdulla Saleh said will provide the opportunity for UAE and Ethiopia business people. The trade relation between the two countries has been growing. The total trade turnover has increased from 809 million USD in 2012 to 850 million USD currently. However, Undersecretary stated the need to enhance the trade relation by highly engaging the business community of the two countries. "We would like to increase for the next few years to double this number and it is easy to do that by introducing the business communities to each other." He said Ethiopia's population - more than 100 million - is a huge market opportunity for investors from UAE to come and establish manufacturing...

Kenya and Tanzanian wildlife conservation agencies are banking on closer collaboration to help curb illegal wildlife trade across the border. Speaking at the Voyager Beach Resort, Mombasa County, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Coast Conservation Area Assistant Director, Dr Arthur Tuda said that poachers and traffickers in illegal wildlife products have been devising ways to conceal wildlife products and defeat detection as they go about their illegal activities. He said that some of the most traded wildlife products lately include Pangolin scales which find favourable markets in the Far East nations and which are mostly sought after for use in black magic, tortoises, elephant tusks, sandal wood, reptiles, snakes including other flora species. The three day Kenya- Tanzania Coastal cross border enforcement training programme has brought together expects drawn from the immigration department, Kenya Revenue Authority, Tanzania Revenue Authority, officials from Tanzania Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife and Police to discuss how wildlife crime has evolved in the 21st century touching on wildlife crime trends. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is supporting the workshop. ''As IFAW ,we facilitate this kind of workshop  where different government agencies meet together  as we seek to enhance skills  and knowledge on how to combat  illegal cross border trade on wildlife and wildlife products,'' Mr Steve Njumbi, Head of Programmes  IFAW East Africa said. Njumbi added that the coming together of personnel from the different concerned agencies will leads to networking that makes it ideal to fight the menace at hand. ''I am confident that at the end of workshop, participants shall be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills acquired on the subject matter so as to make it easier in their day to day work,'' he said. He added that once...

It’s a shame that when the entire African continent is working on Continental Free Trade Area, the EAC is embroiled in a crisis that is detrimental to the economic welfare of EAC and the continental vision of economically integration. It’s a shame that at a time when the entire African continent has placed its guess on achieving Continental Free Trade Area, the East African Community (EAC), is embroiled in a crisis that is detrimental not only to the economic welfare of millions of EAC residents, but the continental vision of an economically integrated region. It’s even worse that the squabbling is premised not on any clear policy differences, normative misunderstandings, or legal complexities with regard to EAC treaty, but on personality differences between Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni on one hand, and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame on the other. The overriding factor is that the crisis in great part boils down to the two leaders’ poor democratic credentials and authoritarian tendencies. Both Kagame and Museveni are known to stifle opposition parties in their respective countries, the reason why they constantly live in fear of real and perceived armed dissidents against their regimes. This kind of blame game would not exist if both leaders had allowed for the opposition parties to operate freely. In essence the discord between the leaders of Uganda and Rwanda on one hand, and Burundi and Rwanda on the other hand is likely to lead to uncertainty in the economic and political future of EAC as long as they continue...

The government is negotiating with China for a loan of about Sh370 billion to complete the third phase of the standard gauge railway. According to Kenya Railways Acting Director Philip Mahinga, the corporation is also holding talks to finance a system that will ensure the railway, its passengers, goods and equipment are secure as they snake through sparsely populated regions in its 974-kilometre journey from Mombasa to Malaba in Busia County. During a briefing about the status of the multibillion-shilling endeavour at the Chinese embassy in Nairobi on Tuesday, the country’s Chargé d'affaires Li Xuhang said the amount would be in form of concessional and hard loans. RELATED CONTENT Revealed: Hidden traps in SGR deal with China “We all know that the first phase of SGR from Mombasa to Nairobi cost Sh327 billion and the second phase Sh150 billion. For phase 2B, negotiations between the two governments are on so I will not give any figure at the moment,” Mr Mahinga said. Mr Mahinga added that the full details would be given during the official opening of the Naivasha terminal in May. However, an inside source said the interim amount is Sh368 billion. “SGR trains move 6,000 people daily, and we are concerned about our operations and security of the equipment,” Mr Mahinga said. “The movement of trains from Mombasa to western Kenya needs to be secure from terrorists and other challenges. We ask the Chinese government to support us in this area.” It is not clear how much it...

Sudan and South Sudan have agreed to open the border crossing points agreed between the countries within a month besides activating the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ). The agreement came during the meeting of the Joint Political and Security Committee (JPSC) between the two countries on Monday in Khartoum. In press statements following the meeting, Sudan Army’s Chief of General Staff Kamal Abdel-Marouf said the meeting also agreed to form joint teams under the auspices of UNISFA to ensure none presence of military forces from both countries on the SBDZ. Abdel-Marouf, who headed the Sudanese side during the meeting, said the agreement reached reflects the strong will of both countries, pointing out that they look forward to taking further measures to achieve the interests of the two peoples. For his part, South Sudan’s defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk stressed his country’s keenness to implement all measures pertaining to the opening of the crossing points and the SDBZ. He said the opening of the crossing points would enhance relations and promotes security and stability in the two countries, pointing to its economic importance particularly in light of the difficult economic situation in both countries. In May 2017, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) decided to reduce UNISFA troops and warned it may withdraw its support to the Sudan-South Sudan border monitoring force if they continue to impede the activation of the operation. The buffer zone and other security arrangements have been agreed since September 2012 but its operationalization had been stopped...

Engineers working on the Gatuna One Stop Border Post have said that construction progress has reached over 87%. Gatuna border which was recently temporarily closed to hurry construction has since triggered a war of words between Rwanda and Uganda leading to war threats. “ Construction works for the juxtaposed Gatuna One Stop Border Post on good track with current progress estimated to 87%,” Infrastructure ministry announced Wednesday. The ministry officials said that once completed, Gatuna OSBP is expected to promote trans-border trade, reducing border crossing time and facilitating mobility of people and goods in Northern Corridor. Meanwhile, Imena Munyampenda the Director-General of Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA), said in January that construction “will be completed by April and ready for official commissioning.” The Gatuna One Stop Border Post has consumed a total of Rwf 15,823,319,250 but could have been completed by March 2016 at a cost of Rwf 6,345,986,395. According to Auditor General’s report, construction of this border is being conducted by a local company NPD Cotraco which took over from the first contractor whose contract was terminated. One Stop Border arrangement was introduced by the East African Community authority aimed at bringing all border services of two neighbouring countries under one roof. Source: Taarifa

Ugandans living in constituencies bordering Rwanda find themselves trapped in a catch-22 situation: their very existence is being threatened by the continued closure of the border, and yet some of their political leaders are reportedly telling them not to call attention to their plight by speaking out. Such is the sensitivity of the matter that even when people's lives are at stake, few politicians feel comfortable publicly taking a stand on what has historically been a very delicate topic. For Rogers Ishimwe, the row between Uganda and Rwanda that saw the closure of the Kyanika and Katuna border posts by authorities in Kigali is choking his livelihood. On Saturday, March 16, Ishimwe walked to The Observer offices together with his friend Thaddeus Irumba to voice their concerns. "We have spoken to the area MPs but they have said 'no, don't talk about that.' What should we do?" Ishimwe wondered without naming the politicians they spoke to. Ishimwe and Irumba hail from Kyahafi village, Murora sub-county in the western Kisoro district. "It is absurd that even the small paths that we use have been blocked and bridges destroyed. They are telling us if you're crossing over to Rwanda, use Kyanika but people have never used it". Both in their mid-twenties, the two gentlemen think the row is not just affecting cross-border trade but also their social life. "We have families on either side of the border but now you can't even go for burial. Previously, we used shortcuts but now it...

Growing China-Africa relations has rattled the US and other top economies With the fast growing Sino-Africa relations, China is not ready to let go its grasp on the continent where it has continued to strengthen political, economic, military, social and cultural connections with African nations. The East Asian nation which has in recent times been on a trade war with the US is now eyeing to even capture more of the African market, counting on the upcoming Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation(BRF) set for Beijing later in April. The forum will be the most important diplomatic event China will host this year and an international gathering that will capture the world’s attention, as China seeks to deepen corporations under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The growing China-Africa relations has rattled a number of European states, the US and even fellow Asians such as Japan who have historically maintained close ties and development relations with the continent. These countries are equally scrambling for a pie of the mineral-rich continent, which also provides a huge market for their exports. Africa has been described by pundits as the next frontier, with major cities attracting multinational companies who are strategically positioning themselves to capture the different regional markets. China has strategically positioned itself as a financier and developer at the same time, a strategy it uses to win government contracts and secure Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs). Beijing has been accused of setting a “debt trap” for African countries, among them East Africa’s leading...

The Ethiopia-UAE Business Forum opened in Addis Ababa today (March 20, 2019). Attending the forum are sixty plus business and government delegates. The participants of the forum are potential investors who hope to get involved in several investment sectors in Ethiopia. Aklilu Hailemichael (PhD), State Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dr. Akililu Hailemichael said the long standing relations of the two countries will serve as a bedrock to build effective trade and business links, his ministry reported. Dr. Aklilu expressed his hope that the participants of the forum will exchange ideas and views whil eventually will be translated into a viable economic cooperation between Ethiopia and the UAE. “Ethiopia, with its lucrative environment for investment, is opening its door for sustainable economic cooperation,” the state minister noted. Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary of Foreign Trade at the UAE Ministry of Economy, on his part, remarked that the forum brings forth “invaluable platforms to explore investment opportunities in Ethiopia.” He added that the forum will give much needed insights to UAE companies into how to enhance trade, business and investment ties between the two countries. Misganu Arega (Ambassador), State Minister of Trade and Industry, who is also a former Ethiopian Ambassador to the UAE, noted at the occasion, “This joint business forum is instrumental to strengthen the all-rounded bilateral ties between UAE and Ethiopia.” Ethiopia, strategically situated to serve as a gateway to regional markets, will be an indispensable trade and investment potential for UAE companies to establish and sustain their businesses...