Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati and Uganda’s Minister for East African Affairs Kirunda Kivejinja have called for closer cross-border relations between the county and Eastern Uganda. Kivejinja, who is also Uganda’s second Deputy Prime Minister, said the Ugandan government will invest more in boosting trade between communities on either side of the shared border. Bungoma County is seeking to reap big from its strategic location as a gateway to Uganda and into other Eastern and Central Africa countries including Rwanda, Burundi and Southern Sudan. The County shares two border points with Uganda at Lwakhakha and Chepkube. The Malaba border point in Busia, situated 43km from Bungoma’s Central Business District, is also a vantage point in the region that makes it ideal for cross-border trade with Uganda and other countries on the Northern Corridor. Speaking on Monday when he opened the first Cross-Border (Cultural/Tourism) Expo between Bungoma and Eastern Uganda at The Tourist Hotel in Bungoma, Kivenjinja said the event was a turning point to actualise the integration of the East Africa Community. "This is the clearest intention to bring a people otherwise divided by colonial demarcations together," Kivenjinja said, adding that a bigger East Africa will create room enough for everybody. He called on the two regions to collaborate in finding common solutions to their shared problems and look within for growth. Governor Wangamati called on the two neighbours to take advantage of their location to grow business between them. Uganda, he said, is Kenya's second biggest and most important export...

Nimule, South Sudan, 21st May 2018: The Government of South Sudan in partnership with TradeMark Africa have today launched construction works of key infrastructure at the Nimule One Stop Border Post (OSBP) including parking yard, access roads, examination shed and drainage systems.  The function was officiated by Hon. Dr. Moses Hassan Tiel, the South Sudan Minister of Trade, Industry and EAC Affairs (MoTI&EAC), Undersecretary Ministry of Transport Hon. Capt David Martin Hassan, Undersecretary MoTI&EAC Hon. Agak Achuil Lual, Executive Director South Sudan National Road Authority Eng. Kenyatta Warille and TMA South Sudan Country Director John Kalisa among other South Sudan government officials. The Government of Uganda and the Government of South Sudan signed the agreement for mutual collaboration and partnership in construction of a one stop border post (OSBP) in Elegu/Nimule towns on the Uganda/South Sudan border on 8th November 2016 and today marked the commencement of infrastructure related upgrading, which will ease congestion and improve the border posts by reducing time and costs to clear goods including the humanitarian consignments. Seyani Brothers, which was contracted to construct the Elegu one stop border post has also been contracted to provide the infrastructure upgrades works at the Nimule OSBP. This symbolises synergies in ways of working between the governments of Uganda and South Sudan. To a large extent, the construction of the Nimule OSBP will fast track humanitarian consignments and reduce the congestion at the border to enable these consignments reach citizens of South Sudan The commencement of the construction works...

Urbanization, Housing and rural settlement : An insight into how Infrastructures in Rwanda are transforming lives, boosting the economy 24 years after 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that left over a million of people dead, thousands of orphans and widows and others fleeing the country let alone a failed state—it might sound too long or short a time to deliver tangible transformation depending on who is arguing and why. In this pictorial series, we will be running a number of selected pictures from all around the country showing how Rwanda has changed since 1994 in different sectors. In the first edition of “Before and after” we look at how the capital city of Kigali has evolved in urbanization, housing and rural settlement since 2007 with a few exceptions of some photos taken before that time. Today’s Green, clean, and safe Kigali city, is boasting with socio- and economic development. This is a result of the choice of the government for a well-managed urbanization and sustainable human settlement development. Until 2004, the urban housing was self-led without any regulation, and the result was unplanned human development, settlement in High Risk zones, and underserviced residential neighborhood. Efforts were made to regulate both the land use and housing, to ensure access to basic services and safety of Kigali citizens. Known for its cleanliness’ and Rwanda’s capital’s distinct charm and security, in this bulletin, we bring you pictures of Kigali city that show how the city looked like ten years ago by comparing them with...

The Kagitumba-Mirama Hills One-Stop Border Post (OSBP), one of the major border crossings linking Rwanda and Uganda, on Saturday started operating twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. William Musoni, the acting Commissioner of Customs at Rwanda Revenue Authority, confirmed this on Sunday, noting that having round-the-clock service available every day of the year, “is important as it will facilitate cross border trade in general.” Musoni added: “Passengers will cross at any time without necessarily saying that the border post is closing at any time. We are expecting the usual traffic plus the traffic that was passing through Gatuna.” The new development comes shortly after Horizon Construction, the subsidiary of Horizon Group Limited last week completed emergency repair works on a section of the Kigali-Gatuna highway and managed to normalize traffic on the busy highway. However, another section of this road on the Ugandan side, in the Kyonyo area along the Katuna-Kabale road, also caved on Saturday, disrupting transport especially for heavy trucks. The road in Uganda, just like the Rwandan section earlier, was affected by heavy landslides. Following the incident, the Ugandan police placed signs to direct light traffic and advised heavy traffic to use the newly completed Ntungamo-Mirama Hills tarmac road to connect to Rwanda. Last year, the Ugandan section of the 37-kilometre Ntungamo-Mirama Hills road was upgraded to bitumen standard. Previously, transporters had over decades braved potholes, dust, delays and high transport costs associated with the murrum road which would especially be chaotic during rainy seasons....

Regional integration ranks among the most beneficial policies pursued by Kenya and its neighbours. By creating one large market, pooling resources and influence, East Africa is able to punch way above the weight of individual members. A bigger market is better placed to create jobs and prosperity. It is also more attractive to external investment. The East African Community (EAC) has travelled further down this road than many people realise. On all four fronts — creation of a customs union, common market, monetary union and a political federation — progress has been made, albeit, of course, amid challenges. The challenges are, however, tackled in an atmosphere of amity, mutual respect and trust. ONE MARKET A customs union has existed in East Africa since 2005. Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi and South Sudan have agreed to trade freely without charging goods and services originating from these countries any taxes and all goods entering their markets are charged a standard duty, the common external tariff. This, effectively, creates one market. Subsequent to the customs union, which became fully fledged in 2010, is the common market — in force for eight years. This allows the movement of goods, labour and capital and citizens to travel, work and live anywhere in the community. Member states do not move at the same speed but they do not have to — so long as they are committed and moving in the same direction. Kenya has opened its doors to all East Africans, setting an example to...

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA- There are basically three ways to earn an income – stealing, inheriting or trading goods, services and assets. Stealing in its myriad forms is contrary to good public policy. Inheritance would be limited and subject to vicissitudes. Trade at various levels has been acceptable architecture for incomes. The higher the trade values, the better for income generation. Lots of jeremiads about low intra-Africa trade have been churned out. Figures of a decade ago, putting intra-Africa trade at 10 to 12 percent of total trade, still haunt recent analysis. According to the COMTRADE data base, 2016 figures put intra-Africa trade at 21.2 percent. This is still low relative to EU at 61.7 percent, NAFTA at 50.3 percent and ASEAN at 24.3 percent, which are more developed regions. Intra-Africa trade levels, however, are comparable to or higher than those of other developing regions, with MERCOSUR and CARICOM at 13.6 and 9.7 percent in 2016 respectively. It can be noted also that the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite region accounts for 72 percent of intra-Africa trade, and Africa is the No.1 export market for the Tripartite region and several other countries. In a global environment of protectionist tit-for-tats sparked off by the Donald Trump of the United States, threatening a melt-down of the international trade system, conclusion of the African Continental Free Trade Area by 44 countries on 21 March 2018 in Rwanda, sent delightful reverberations around the world. This Agreement is expected to double intra-African trade, and as such a panacea to the low levels. A...

The Access Bank UK looking into Shariah-compliant offerings The Access Bank UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nigeria's Access Bank, aims to strengthen its Dubai position as local operations here are performing better than expected due to strong and growing trade ties between China, the Middle East and Sub-Sahara Africa, said a senior official. Jamie Simmonds, CEO and managing director of The Access Bank UK, said the amount of business flows between the UAE and Sub-Saharan Africa are expanding rapidly and the decision to have representation has reaped to have its benefits here. "For more broad views, the handshake between China and Sub-Saharan [Africa] is equally growing. We have a good presence in China; it also required good representation here and we are seeing benefit of that," he said. The bank's profit grew by 80 per cent from £9.9 million to £17.8 million. Included within these results was an improving performance from the bank's international branch in Dubai, which delivered income of £671,00 (Dh3.4 million), ensuring positive contribution after meeting its direct costs. "It [profits from Dubai operations] may not sound a lot but it covered more than cost base for us. And we are seeing considerable increase on the performance delivered in 2017. For Dubai, we are slightly ahead of what we expected to be; we want a sustainable base to be built around relationship. It takes time but once it happens it give rapid pace to the growth," he said. The bank has an office at the Dubai International...

TradeMark Africa (TMA) will support interventions in Uganda for an additional period of 6 years with an initial budget of US$ 53 Million expected to reach US$100 Million by 2023. Kampala, May 18th, 2018: TradeMark Africa and the Government of Uganda signed a Host Country Agreement (HCA) extending their partnership to 2023. In the agreement, the two have committed to support interventions that will lead to creation of at least 100,000 jobs in Uganda, poverty reduction and increase trade for Uganda. The HCA marks the commencement of TMA’s US$ 53 Million second phase of interventions which will be implemented between 2018-2023. This value expected to reach $100M by 2023 Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Charge of International Affairs, Hon Henry Okello Oryem, represented the Government of Uganda. TMA was represented by its CEO, Frank Matsaert. TMA, an aid-for-trade organisation working in reducing barriers to trade in East Africa and improving business competitiveness, first signed an MOU with the Uganda government in 2011. Within this, the organisation partnered with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Ministry of East Africa Community Affairs, Uganda Revenue Authority, Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Uganda Private Sector Federation, SEATINI among others to facilitate infrastructure projects, ICT projects, capacity building, export development projects among others. In its second phase, TMA commits to work with Government and private partners to support development of Trade Logistics Clusters in Jinja & Busia, construction of the Gulu Logistics Hub, construction of the Goli/ Mahagi One Stop Border...

One major factor that has continued to stigmatize the continent of Africa is lack of infrastructure. The African Development Bank (AFDB) reported that Africa has an infrastructure gap that would require approximately $112 billion per year over the next decade to fix. This situation explains why both intra-and extra-African trade has been negatively impacted over the years. The development of infrastructure in the transport sector including rail systems, roads, new maritime routes and ports expansion, are crucial to trade facilitation and economic growth. Now, it appears this critical issue is receiving some attention following an aggressive push from all stakeholders including multilateral agencies. Many African countries have started addressing this challenge as we have seen turnkey projects being undertaken across the region through different partnership vehicles and financial models. According to Deloitte’s Africa Construction Trends (ACT) report of 2017, 303 projects valued at $307 billion are currently ongoing in the continent with Transport and Power sectors dominating. Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing unprecedented magnitude of infrastructural development in the transportation industry especially railways. In East Africa – Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania have launched major transportation programs linking ports expansion to modern rail systems and road networks to facilitate easy access to market. To reference a few of these key projects, under the East African Railway Master Plan, the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) system connecting port of Mombasa to Nairobi will eventually be extended to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. This megaproject is currently transforming logistics in the sub-region. Ports...

On March 21, 44 African countries met in Kigali, Rwanda and signed an agreement aimed at creating the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Uganda’s Foreign Affairs minister, Sam Kutesa, signed on behalf of the Uganda Government. Some countries, notably Nigeria, did not sign this deal. A Free Trade Area is usually the first step towards economic integration process. It comprises creation of a single market for goods and services, with free movement of business personnel and investments across partner states. AfCFTA is envisaged to expand intra–African trade based on same principles of existing regional economic blocks, namely East African Common Market, SADC, ECOWAS and COMESA among others. These economic blocs are built on an economic principle we call “the principle of 2nd best”. What is the rationale? The reason for use of the “principle of 2nd best” is that in perfect market structures, it is assumed that all market information is well known to clients, who are also knowledgeable about the prices and quality of products on the market. Unfortunately, the reality reveals that all market structures whether perfect competition, oligopolistic, monopolistic and monopsonstic are riddled with so much imperfections that one would need to enhance ones level of knowledge and voice in order to remain a going concern and operationally competitive both in the short, medium and long-term. It is on this premise that countries decide to create economic blocs. The signing of the AfCFTA in Kigali was a step in the same direction. The assumption was that...