Rwandan producers have yet another opportunity to deepen their market reach and also form partnership with foreign firms, thanks to the ongoing Egypt and Middle East Expo. The trade fair that kicked off on Friday is exhibiting Made-in-Rwanda products for the first time since inception, organisers said over the weekend. The show was hitherto exclusively attended by Egyptians and Middle East exhibitors. Natacha Haguma, the coordinator of the expo, said: “This expo is very unique in the sense that it has been opened to Rwandan firms to showcase their products.” Haguma added that the trade fair presents local industrialists and SMEs a “great opportunity to market their products as well as creating partnerships with other businessmen”. She said that allowing local firms to participate in the exhibition shows the ‘thirsty’ to penetrate new markets and increase the country’s export revenues. She said that though the number of local producers is limited this time, more would be allowed to participate in Egypt and Middle East expos going forward. “This will help Rwandans to from foreign exhibitors and improve the standards of their products. This is also the chance for Rwandans to show other participants their ability,” she explained. The 16-day expo, taking place at Petit Stade in Remera, started on December 15 and ends on 31. The expo is a biannual event in Kigali to promote trade and investment between the participating countries. Presently, there are 56 exhibitors, an increase from 46 during the last expo this year. Of the 10...

A key factor that has constrained many Africa countries, including Kenya, from growing into a global economy is the continent’s small markets. These do not permit the realisation of economies of scale. Regional integration allows a country to effectively utilise its comparative advantage in a wider market to maximise its economic potential, diversify production lines, reverse de-industrialisation and marginalisation, and improve the living standards of the populace. Regional integration occurs whenever a group of nations in the same region, preferably of relatively equal size and at equal stages of development, join together to form an economic union by raising a common tariff wall against the products of non-member countries, while freeing internal trade among member countries. The East African Community (EAC), with a single unified market of more than 120 million consumers, should be viewed as a catalyst for economic growth. The ultimate goal of the EAC, beyond trade liberalisation and economic unity, is to pursue full political federation anchored on establishing regional structures and building institutions to foster international relations and strategic interventions. Kenya needs to fast-track the implementation of the EAC, given the various benefits, including trade creation due to specialisation based on comparative advantage, administration savings resulting from the elimination of border policing, enhanced bargaining power of member states, as in the case of the European Union with African countries, enhanced competition resulting in efficiency in production and improved quality of the products, and attainment of economies of scale from the enlarged market. Similarly, integration will stimulate...

President Uhuru Kenyatta today launched an ultra-modern inland container depot upgraded at a cost of Sh22 billion and offered 50 per cent discount to exporters who will use the facility. He also directed the Transport ministry to ensure that the 22 agencies, which are members of the Mombasa Port Charter, meet their obligations in addressing all the logistical hurdles to satisfy the needs of the private sector. The 22 agencies include Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Railways Corporation, Kenya National Highways Authority, Kenya Pipeline Company Limited, Kenya Trade Network Agency, Kenya Maritime Authority, Kenya National Police Service and the Kenya Bureau of Standards, among others. “To support our exporters, both local and regional, we will offer 50 percent discount for transporting goods from the Nairobi Inland Container Depot and the Port of Mombasa,” Uhuru said on Saturday. He spoke during the launch of the upgraded depot at Embakasi in Nairobi. He said the second phase of the SGR will be linked to the depot, connecting Nairobi with the East African region via rail, boosting efforts to improve the movement and management of cargo across the country and into the region. “The high speed, high capacity and efficient Standard Gauge Railway network will serve as an important link between the Port of Mombasa and the Inland Container Depot,” Uhuru said. To Kenyans, he said the cargo moving up and down the line to and from the port for export will present opportunities for employment and wealth creation across the...

Local and foreign exporters who will use the upgraded  inland container depot in Nairobi for the transportation of goods will be given 50 per cent discount, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said. Speaking during the launch of the upgraded depot in Embakasi on Saturday, President Kenyatta also asked the Transport ministry to ensure agencies at the Mombasa port address all logistical hurdles in cargo clearance. The agencies include the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Railways Corporation, Kenya National Highways Authority, Kenya Pipeline Company, Kenya Trade Network Agency, Kenya Maritime Authority, Kenya National Police Service and the Kenya Bureau of Standards. President Kenyatta said the launch of the upgraded depot will ensure seamless clearance and movement of cargo, which will enhance the operations of the shippers, freight forwarders and other transport players. The ultra-modern container depot was upgraded at a cost of Sh22 billion. EXPORTERS “To support our exporters, both local and regional, we will offer 50 per cent discount for transporting goods from the Nairobi inland container depot and the Port of Mombasa,” said President Kenyatta. He pointed out that development of infrastructure is one of the key elements that will enable him to fulfil the four pledges he made to Kenyans during Jamhuri Day celebrations at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on Tuesday. “We all know how important transport and infrastructure are to Kenyans, and how critical a foundation they provide for all our development programmes,” said President Kenyatta. In his Jamhuri Day speech, President Kenyatta listed security, affordable...

 If Africa is to achieve the desired economic growth envisioned by the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, it will have to provide employment opportunities for its growing young population, which is the largest the world has ever known, comprising about half of Africa’s population of 1.1 billion under the age of 25. This is the view of Cheikh Bedda, the African Union Commission (AUC) Director for Infrastructure and Energy. Bedda was speaking at the opening of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Week on 11 December 2017 in Swakopmund, Namibia. He said failure to effectively deal with deepening unemployment among Africa’s growing youth population could seriously erode the economic gains achieved across the continent in recent years. “The challenge of creating enough jobs and opportunities for the large African youth population for entering the labour market is one of the major challenges our continent faces,” he noted. He emphasised on the need for PIDA to play an important role in narrowing the gap between job creation and unemployment, with public decision-makers and private sector management actively undertaking training and skills acquisition in infrastructure development. He particularly stressed the need for training in building roads, rail systems, power generation, power transmission systems and information communication technology connectivity to prepare young Africans for the implementation of complex programmes such as PIDA. The African Heads of State and Government adopted PIDA in 2012, as the continental strategic infrastructure framework for the African Union’s stakeholders and partners to address the infrastructure deficit,...

The Trump administration may be about to throw spikes under the tires of three small but growing East African economies because they don’t want to import unlimited quantities of Chinese-made clothing that has been worn and tossed in charity bins by American consumers. Middlemen who profit from these donations insist they have a right to swamp African nations with American worn but foreign-made cast-offs even if it means undercutting those nations’ efforts to grow their own garment industries. It appears that Trump’s US Trade Representative (USTR), in a fit of misguided America First-ism, has bought the argument and will shortly announce sanctions against Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda suspending their access to the American market. Organized as the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART), the middlemen contend that duties on pre-owned Chinese t-shirts levied by the three nations, the combined GDP of which is smaller than Hawaii’s, are threatening close to 200,000 US jobs. SMART members have refused to supply financial documentation to corroborate their outlandish fake news claim, insisting that USTR rely purely on self-serving member surveys. In any event, they have no way of knowing how much of what they export goes to East Africa because only a small proportion is shipped directly. SMART’s second-hand clothing that many Americans believe is going to charity, is actually sold to dealers in third countries, notably India, which bans imports of used clothing — with impunity — but allows them to be processed for re-export in special trade zones. To better...

The Africa 2017 Forum – held in Sharm el Sheikh in early December under the high patronage of President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt – brought together seven heads of state and numerous political and economic decision-makers to discuss regional integration and job creation in Africa. Participants established partnerships and affirmed the forum’s theme of “Driving investment for inclusive growth”. The key narratives emerging from the public and private sector were the need to consummate African integration, to harness the power of entrepreneurial youth and to make the most of Africa’s growing investment climate. Speaking on the first day, President Sisi said: “Our priority is to support young entrepreneurs, especially those who come up with smart and innovative solutions in health, education and basic services. “The youth of the African continent are the future; you are our competitive advantage; you are the source of our wealth; we emphasise our will to support you and to be behind you to realise the ambitions of a brighter future on the continent.” During the same session, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda added: “The enormous wealth we have on the continent in terms of natural resources is outstripped by our human capital. Invest not only in youth entrepreneurs but also in the environment which helps them do what they are able to do to raise their game.” Fuelling startups The World Bank estimates that there now 200 innovation spaces across the continent when in 2010 there were just five. Tech startups and their associated financing...

Dar es Salaam. Minister of Industry Trade and Investment Charles Mwijage has urged industrialists to share their experiences with start-ups and support their endeavours, putting more emphasis on value addition to minimise trade in raw commodities. This is a according to his statement read on his behalf by director of Industries Obadiah Nyagiro during a ceremony to mark Africa Industrialisation Day held on Monday, December 11, under the theme “African Industrial Development: A Pre-Condition for an Effective and Sustainable Continental Free Trade Area”. Mr Mwijage emphasised the significance of reducing production costs and complying with national and international standards for Tanzania’s products to be competitive in domestic, regional and international markets. “The government is making efforts to improve the business environment for both national and foreign investors’ businesses to flourish,” he said. He urged Tanzanians to use local products to support the country’s economy. For his part, United Nations secretary-general António Guterres in his statement read on his behalf by United Nations resident coordinator in Tanzania Alvaro Rodrigues said: “Industrialisation is the primary driver of economic growth and job creation.” He added that it was crucial to achieve Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, in particular Goal 9, and Africa Union’s Agenda 2063. He also highlighted Africa’s move towards establishing a continental free trade area, the first flagship project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and a key initiative for the industrialisation and economic development of Africa. On the same occasion, United Nations Industrial Development Organiation (Unido) representative in Tanzania Stephen...

Ships calling at the Port of Mombasa will be required to switch off diesel-operated engines and power their auxiliaries using the electricity provided at the berths, the Kenya Ports Authority has said. This is part of an elaborate Green Port policy aimed at enhancing environmental care at the port and its environs. Auxiliary diesel generators that power ships are a primary source of harmful air emissions because they run on heavy fuel oil. KPA managing director Catherine Mturi on Wednesday said the authority is implementing projects that will reduce the carbon footprint progressively. Among these projects is cold ironing, which refers to the provision of shore power to ships calling at the Kilindini harbour. “This will require ships to switch off the diesel-operated engines,” Mturi said in a speech read on her behalf by KPA general manager Adraya Dena. He was at the opening of the first regional workshop of Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre-Africa at Whitesands Hotel, Mombasa. Cold ironing mitigates harmful emissions from diesel engines by connecting a ship’s load to a more environmentally friendly, shore-based source of electrical power, Marine experts say. An alternative is to run auxiliary diesels either on gas or extra low sulphur distillate fuels. However, if noise pollution is a problem, then cold ironing becomes the only option. To achieve this project, the KPA management said it has constructed power substations at the port, ready to connect to the berths and power the vessels. “We have made special provisions in all designs for new...

Maritime and Shipping affairs principal secretary Nancy Karigithu has said  Mombasa port is transforming into a “green” facility, in line with a global maritime initiative to help mitigate the effects of harmful carbon emissions. Karigithu said KPA is doing so by fully complying with international regulations on energy efficiency for ships sailing in the Region by implementing two of its harmful emission reduction projects currently being undertaken by the port of Mombasa. KPA is in the process of adopting the offshore power supply project which when complete will force vessels that dock at the port for more than two hours to reduce their gas emissions – a requirement best met by switching off their diesel engines and using shore-side power while docked. Offshore power supply OPS technology, will help to supply docked vessels with electricity from shore to reduce emissions. Karigithu while addressing stakeholders at the first MTCC-Africa Workshop at Whitesands hotel said Kenya will be among other international countries to reduce carbon emission when the project is complete. Karigithu said KPA is working with maritime Technology Cooperation MTTC Africa-a global network for energy efficient shipping, in improving compliance with international regulations. Under the initiative spearheaded by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), shippers will be required to adopt new measures to address the negative impact of their operations on the environment. “As a country, we remain committed to reducing carbon emissions. We must protect the Oceans the rate of pollution we are seeing is too alarming. We as a country will have moved a major milestone in...