The operationalisation of the One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) has significantly cut the time spent by transporters along the central and northern corridors, the Chief Executive Officer of Private Sector Federation; Stephen Ruzibiza has said. The central corridor connects Rwanda to the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania while the Northern Corridor links the country to Mombasa Port in Kenya. There are currently five operational OSBPs on Rwandan borders with neighbouring countries. These are; Ruhwa and Gasenyi- Nemba with Burundi, Rusumo with Tanzania, Kagitumba-Mirama Hills with Uganda and Rubavu with DR Congo. The Katuna- Gatuna border, also with Uganda, is under construction while funds are being sought to build the Kanyaru- Akanyaru post with Burundi. Ruzibiza told The New Times that before the OSBPs, a truck would spend about 21 days from the port to its destination but thanks to the concept the days had reduced significantly. “The number of days that a truck spends from the port to it’s destination is now about five to seven days in case there are some hitches but if nothing unusual happens on the trip, the time today can even be four days. The improvement is about 80 percent,” he said. As of December 2016, a report by the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency shows that crossing time at Rusomo, Mutukula and Kobero OSBPs had dropped by average of 59.4 percent, 48.1 percent and 59.8 percent respectively. Customs and immigration clearance at Rusizi/Ruzizi was 3.38 hours and 4.24 hours for Rubavu/Goma,...

The East African Community Secretariat will have to borrow $3.38 million from its General Reserve Fund to pay salaries and suppliers after member states delayed remitting their share of the budget. The sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for EAC Affairs and planning, in their meeting held from August 21 to 25 in Arusha, directed the Secretariat to present to the Finance and Administration Committee the request for funds for approval. The money will be refunded immediately the remittances are effected by the partner states. The Council’s report says that a number of EAC institutions and organs are unable to meet their financial obligations due to the delays in remittance by the partner states. “Late contributions or no contributions by partner states is a constraint to the smooth operations of the community,” said the ministers. “The Sectoral Council of Legal and Judicial Affairs should have their input in the proposed sanctions to the partner states who do not remit their contributions or delay to do so.” The council also raised concerns that following the deposit of instruments of ratification by South Sudan to join the community, it was supposed to pay $6,715,064 for the 2016/2017 financial year but the amount was not appropriated by the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and neither has South Sudan paid. READ: Funding for EAC secretariat drops by $12m According to the provisions of the EAC Treaty, the budget of the community is supposed to be contributed equally by all the partner states. From the 2016/17 budget,...

Ukraine is angling to export maize to Kenya after the government allowed in more duty-free yellow maize for cattle feed manufacturing, as well as white maize for human consumption. This comes as maize supply in the country normalises. Ukraine announced on Tuesday last week that Kenya has extended duty-free purchase of yellow maize for one year and that of white maize up to end of next month. “The Government of Kenya has extended until June 30, 2018 the procedure for the duty-free purchase of “yellow” fodder maize for the needs of companies belonging to the Association of Millers and the Association of Feed Makers of Kenya,” the Kiev Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food was quoted by Ukrainian media. “The Government of Kenya also extended until September 30, 2017 the duty-free purchase of “white” food maize.” But farmers could face problems as the imports may hamper bid to cash in on higher prices as local maize finds its way to the market. As part of a government’s food subsidy programme, which sought to reverse the recent rise in prices of essential food commodities, the state in May partnered with various millers to offer white maize flour at subsidised rates across the country. Kenya had earlier set sights on importing five million bags or 450,000 metric tonnes of yellow maize for the first time in five years at an estimated cost of over Sh10 billion. Ukraine, a former Soviet republic and a top global producers of corn, said it had already...

Under the auspices of the gender ministry, Uganda is set to host the third edition of Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki Utamaduni Festival (JAMAFEST). It is a cultural festival that is every two years graced by participants from six partner states of the East African Community (EAC) on a rotational basis. According to Naumo Juliana, a commissioner of culture and family affairs at the gender ministry, the main objective of the festival is to promote regional socio-cultural integration through arts and culture by providing a regional platform to showcase culture as a prime driver of the EAC integration. Naumo told New Vision that each EAC partner state is expected to send “on average, 200 participants.”   This would take the number of participants that will grace the cultural festival between September 7 and 15 to over 1000. The festival is a result of the 23rd Council of the Ministers directive to the Secretariat to organize and hold regional arts and culture festivals and sports tournaments as one of the strategies for fostering socio-cohesion among East Africans. “We intend to better market this year’s JAMAFEST in order to help our people benefit from the festivities showcasing our art and culture,” said Pius Bigirimana, the gender ministry's permanent secretary, while opening the third meeting of the joint steering committee organizing the cultural festival. The steering committee is composed of technocrats from the six EAC partner states whose role is to tie the loose ends to the impending cultural festival. Bigirimana cautioned against blind aping of foreign...

This was revealed by TPA Director General, Engineer Deusdedit Kakoko at Ruvu-Vigwaza area in the Coast Region over the weekend, where he accompanied Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Prof Makame Mbarawa to Kwala area to inspect an ongoing construction of a dry port. In his details, Engineer Kakoko said for years now TPA has been operating its dry ports, including constructing new ones but without a Master Plan - a dynamic, short and long-term planning document that provides a conceptual layout to guide future growth and development. According to the director general, the document has been submitted to the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications for further processes before putting it into use. He said in the Master Plan, the authority is scheduling to construct an Inland Container Deport (ICfD) in Arusha Region to facilitate clearance and shipment of cargo entering the country through Tanga Port. Engineer Kakoko said Arusha dry port would significantly attract customers from the neighbouring countries of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, including the northern regions of Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Manyara to use Tanga Port and Dar es Salaam harbour. “Our competitors have built a dry port at Taveta area in Kenya. This means that containerised cargo that enters through Mombasa Port with destinations in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi is now transported up to Taveta as a strategy to attract customers from those countries,” he said. The head of TPA said talks have been initiated with Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL) management to work out the possibility...

Kenya Ports Authority’s (KPA) equipment acquisition efforts for the Port of Mombasa got a major boost on Tuesday following the arrival of two ultra-modern diesel electric cranes. The cranes funded by Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) through the UK government’s International Climate Fund (ICF) facility were procured at a total cost of Kshs 868.27 million (USD 8.7 million). The two portal harbor cranes are part of a comprehensive programme in supporting the Port of Mombasa’s resilient port infrastructure initiatives. These cranes are aimed at mitigating the negative effects on the environment. The Government of Kenya has made it a priority to continually invest in infrastructural develop-ment of the Port of Mombasa and made progress in the moderni-sation of the Port. Some of the key projects include the construction of the phase 1 of the Second Container Terminal which increased the port’s annual capacity by 550,000 TEUs, the construction of Berth No. 19, and the dredging of the entrance channel which has enabled the Port to handle larger vessels. TMA has been working closely with KPA to implement short-term and high impact projects including the improve-ment of Gate 18/20 which enhanced Port access as well as the upgrading of Yard 5 which increased capacity at the Port. KPA through support from TMA has developed a green port policy which seeks to position the Port of Mombasa as a leading world port providing sound stewardship and manage-ment of the environment affected by port operations. The strategy highlights the need to place people...

Kenya Ports Authority’s (KPA) equipment acquisition efforts for the Port of Mombasa got a major boost on Tuesday following the arrival of two ultra-modern diesel electric cranes. The cranes funded by Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) through the UK government’s International Climate Fund (ICF) facility were procured at a total cost of Ksh. 868.27 million (USD 8.7 million). They are a first of their kind to be deployed in East and Southern Africa. The acquisition was part of efforts to make the port more environmentally friendly. The cranes will provide dust and spillage-free unloading through a dust control system that minimizes escape of dust during discharge and reduces running expenses on average by 30%. The Eco Hoppers will complement mobile harbour cranes for dry bulk cargo handling. Unlike the Mobile Harbor Cranes currently used at the Port which handle one vessel at a time, the new cranes will handle two vessels simultaneously. KPA General Managers Eng. Joseph Atonga (Engineering Services), Mr. Sudi Mwasinago (Operations) and TMA Kenya Country Director Mr. Ahmed Farah witnessed the offloading of the equipment at the Port of Mombasa’s Berth No. 10. The Government of Kenya has invested in other projects to modernise the port of Mombasa. Some of the projects include the construction of the phase 1 of the Second Container Terminal which increased the port’s annual capacity by 550,000 TEUs, the construction of Berth No. 19, and the dredging of the entrance channel which has enabled the Port to handle larger vessels. TMA has...

Kenya Ports Authority’s (KPA) equipment acquisition efforts for the Port of Mombasa got a major boost on Tuesday following the arrival of two ultra-modern diesel electric cranes. The cranes funded by Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) through the UK government’s International Climate Fund (ICF) facility were procured at a total cost of Kshs 868.27 million (USD 8.7 million). The two portal harbor cranes are part of a comprehensive programme in supporting the Port of Mombasa’s resilient port infrastructure initiatives. These cranes are aimed at mitigating the negative effects on the environment. The Government of Kenya has made it a priority to continually invest in infrastructural develop-ment of the Port of Mombasa and made progress in the moderni-sation of the Port. Some of the key projects include the construction of the phase 1 of the Second Container Terminal which increased the port’s annual capacity by 550,000 TEUs, the construction of Berth No. 19, and the dredging of the entrance channel which has enabled the Port to handle larger vessels. TMA has been working closely with KPA to implement short-term and high impact projects including the improve-ment of Gate 18/20 which enhanced Port access as well as the upgrading of Yard 5 which increased capacity at the Port. KPA through support from TMA has developed a green port policy which seeks to position the Port of Mombasa as a leading world port providing sound stewardship and manage-ment of the environment affected by port operations. The strategy highlights the need to place people...

Kenya on Thursday launched an electronic passport with advanced inbuilt features to boost efficient, secure and traceable cross-border movement of people and goods. Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang’i, said the launch of an electronic passport was in line with Kenya’s commitment to promote regional integration as envisioned by member states of the East African Community (EAC). “The common East Africa e-passport is a milestone towards realization of the East African integration and cross-border migration agenda. It will also operationalize EAC protocols on common market and foreign policy coordination,” said Matiang’i. Kenya became the second East African nation after Burundi to announce issuance of an e-passport that was endorsed by regional heads of state during a summit held in March 2016. Matiang’i said the current passports will be obsolete by September 2019 to pave way for mass issuance of a digital version that is tamper-proof. “The e-passport is highly secure and difficult to produce duplicates. Issuance of this passport will come in handy in addressing emerging threats of terrorism and human trafficking,” Matiang’i said. He noted that Kenya’s immigration system will win global confidence upon issuance of secure, efficient and user-friendly electronic passports. Kenya has invested heavily in state-of-theart technology alongside skilled manpower to modernize issuance of travel documents against a backdrop of globalization. Director of Immigration Gordon Kilahangwa said the state had invested 5 million U.S. dollars to facilitate issuance of electronic passports that enhances smooth clearance of travelers at border crossings and other ports of entry. Source: Coast...

Since the beginning of this century, the rapid economic growth of Asian economies, particularly China, has brought about immense economic benefits for Africa. This is because over the last few decades, to support its economic development, China has voraciously bought and consumed all types of commodities in Africa and globally. This enormous demand for commodities not only made the African natural resources more valuable, but also brought about a substantial amount of export revenues to Africa. Moreover, the massive inflow of export revenues has translated into a relatively high growth rate, that eventually caused people to start talking about the ‘Africa rising’ narrative. However, the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis, as well as the recent economic slowdown in China, has been hugely felt in the continent. Hence, a better insight in Africa’s global trade may provide a better idea of how Africa will fare in the future. Trends in Africa’s global trade According to data from the International Trade Centre, the 2016 global trade of the African continent had increased by a significant 238% to reach US$794.7bn from $235.4bn in 2001. Moreover, during those last 16 years, Africa received a cumulative amount of $5.8tn for its exports. This has definitely helped the African countries to grow. However, looking at a granular level, we find that trade is in fact on a decline. From 2001 until 2012, the African global trade had increased steadily to reach a peak of $1.2tn (a tremendous 427% increase), but from 2012 to 2016,...