Regional trade facilitation organisation TradeMark Africa has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre for Agricultural and Bioscience International (CABI) to cement collaboration and working together for the organisations to promote and enhance market access for regional produce. The two organisations have collaborated since 2017 to implement various Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Measures (SPS) projects across East Africa in, among other areas, conducting studies on SPS Gaps in the region and tools to remedy the situation. At a time when SPS issues are significant non-tariff barriers blocking regional produce from lucrative continental and global markets, TMA and CABI will now jointly support strengthening of national SPS systems, engagement with Regional Economic Communities and support AfCFTA implementation specifically the Protocol on Trade in Goods and Annex 7 on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures. Speaking during the MOU signing TMA CEO Frank Matsaert highlighted the immense potential the region’s agricultural sector holds, if risks in food safety, plant health and animal health are addressed “We look forward to working together in improving the safety of agricultural goods coming from this continent to the rest of the world to enhance market access. We will also bring our expertise of tapping into ICT to modernize how Standards and SPS licensing and regulation is undertaken for efficiency” On his part CABI Director for General Development Dr Dennis Rangi noted that the two organisations will create great synergies in SPS work which is a key catalyst to trade. “The coming into effect of the Africa...

Laden with roses and carnations, the plane will land at Stansted in the next three weeks. Grown for months in vast, humming greenhouses in the dull heat of Kenya’s Rift Valley, the flowers were unearthed, dusted off, wrapped and dispatched for export to the UK earlier this month. While the process might seem plus ça change for the growers, for British and Kenyan customs officials, these bouquets are the future of trade – one of the first examples of a consignment of goods exported to the UK almost entirely using electronic documentation. The exercise forms part of a much larger trial testing the viability of an entirely digital model for trading practices. Organised by the Institute of Exports & International Trade (IOE&IT) in collaboration with TradeMark Africa, the Trade Logistics Information Pipeline (TLIP) initiative is one of a series of government-sponsored pilots that aim to demonstrate the feasibility of capturing all necessary data about a container for the importing nation’s customs officials before it even leaves its country of origin. If successful, this ‘Ecosystem of Trust’ could provide a blueprint for avoiding the endless form-filling that accompanies international trade – a headache that has grown increasingly painful for UK exporters since Brexit. Nowhere is this more in evidence than in the export of foodstuffs from the UK to the EU, where Brexit has created new pressures on companies of all sizes to accede to strict regulations from Brussels on documentation. Marco Forgione recalls a recent case of a large supermarket chain seeming to move a shipping...

Kenya's export value increased by 17 per cent in 2021 to hit KSh 666.7 billion (US$ 5.5 billion) compared to KSh 567.4 billion (US$ 4.7 billion) in 2020 Data from the Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) Business Intelligence Tool shows that the increase was influenced by earnings from top agricultural products (tea and horticultural products) The export volumes increased from 643.7 billion tonnes to 743.7 billion tonnes in 2021 with improved exports in clothing accessories and agricultural products Kenya's export value increased by 17 per cent in 2021 to hit KSh 666.7 billion (US$ 5.5 billion) compared to KSh 567.4 billion (US$ 4.7 billion) in 2020.This is according to the latest data from the Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) Business Intelligence Tool that shows that the increase was influenced by earnings from top agricultural products (tea and horticultural products). As per the report, tea and horticulture registered about KSh 296 billion (US 2.4 billion), a 44.4 per cent of the total domestic exports.The export volumes increased from 643.7 billion tonnes to 743.7 billion tonnes in 2021 with improved exports in clothing accessories and agricultural products. "Through the trade facilitation platform, Kenya Exported approximately 1.2 million tonnes of agricultural products especially tea and horticulture that still stand as our main export," the report states. Uganda remains Kenya's largest market, exporting goods worth KSh. 91.6 billion (US$756 million), followed by Netherlands at KSh 61.6 billion (US$510 million) and USA at KSh 59.5 billion (US$ 493 million). The African Market, Europe and Asia...

The Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC) Dr Peter Mathuki on Friday met the incoming CEO of TradeMark Africa (TMA) David Beer at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. Accompanying Beer during the courtesy call on the Secretary-General was the ongoing TMA CEO Frank Matsaert. In his remarks, Dr Mathuki observed that TMA had done a commendable job in supporting the integration process in East Africa, particularly in infrastructure development, improving customs efficiency and capacity building in diverse sectors. Dr Mathuki said that TMA had mobilised significant resources over the years to support various EAC programmes and projects. He singled out TMA’s support in the construction of One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) noting that OSBPs had eased cross-border trade and free movement of persons by reducing the amount of time spent by merchants and travellers at the borders. The Secretary-General informed Beer of potential areas that may require support in future including fast-tracking the integration of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the newest Partner State, into the Community. Dr Mathuki further informed the TMA CEO of the urgent need to build the capacity of DRC officials to ensure that they participate fully and effectively in EAC programmes and activities. Also high on the EAC agenda is support in terms of translation and interpretation services for EAC meetings and documentation given that French and Kiswahili are also now official languages of the Community in addition to English. On his part, Beer said that his focus would be to build on and deepen the...

Aid-for-trade organisation TradeMark Africa (TMA) is in talks with development finance institutions (DFIs) to help east Africa realise its free-trade potential, new CEO David Beer tells The Africa Report. The group is in “advanced” discussions with DFIs to raise finance for projects such as one-stop border posts, trade logistics parks and trade finance, Beer says. The aim, he says, is to attract finance that will improve trade infrastructure to the point where users will be prepared to pay for it. Beer, based in Nairobi, took over from founding CEO Frank Matsaert on 1 September. He’s now developing a new 10-year strategy for TMA which will include a focus on digitisation. TMA has been a “victim of its own success” and now needs a “strategy 2.0”, he says. Read original article

In Summary For a long time, the lack of evidence and data to support decision-making has been the bane of most climate change interventions in Africa. What this project at the port has shown is the path that more institutions should prioritize. An oil tanker sailing into the Port of Mombasa/FILE An oil tanker sailing into the Port of Mombasa/FILE It's encouraging that even as discussions ensue around what countries in Africa are doing towards containing the adverse effects of climate change, the greening of the corridors at the Port of Mombasa is giving hope. Hopefully, the results from the study will not waste on shelves as is always the case with such projects. For a long time, the lack of evidence and data to support decision-making has been the bane of most climate change interventions in Africa. What this project at the port has shown is the path that more institutions should prioritize. Policies and regulations on climate change activities should be based on data and evidence, of the actual impact and available adaptation measures for communities. The greening of corridors is a breakthrough in the sector. For the first time in Africa, we have a project informed by research and interventions based on data. The project does not only seek to mitigate but show how countries are working on adaptations toward climate change. The research was conducted under the auspices of the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre-Africa (MTCC) which brings together Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT),...

The demand for effective, efficient and sufficient revenue mobilization continues to drive Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to innovative approaches in collecting the right taxes. This Financial Year, URA is expected to collect slightly above Shs25.5 trillion. However, to ably hit the target, URA is using science/scientists in the process. This is because what started as a Science Unit in the 1990s is today a Section under the Tax Investigations headed by Commissioner, Denis Kugonza Kateeba. Stephen Kiggundu, the Ag. Manager – Science Investigation at the URA told the media in an engagement yesterday that the use of applied sciences approach is aimed at transforming compliance management for better revenue mobilization outcomes. “We are now more than ever required to mobilize revenue. That’s why we have to apply all approaches. We are applying all science disciplines to solve revenue mobilization challenges,” said Kiggundu during a presentation. The application of this approach includes forensics and digital communication, geospatial information services (GIS) and laboratory analytical services among others. According to Kiggundu, the approach addresses challenges such as under-declarations, smuggling of items, abuse of local content laws and related preferential treatment, abuse of threshold based tax statutes (level of value addition) and abuse of export promotion guidelines/requirements among other areas. Kiggundu says that the application of science has a special target on the manufacturing sector which he said needs a safeguard. Available data shows that the URA employs IOC (input output co-efficiency) analysis in the manufacturing sector to assess the right income/tax. For instance, if an importer brings...

Kenya’s exports to Tanzania grew the sharpest among all East Africa Community (EAC) markets in the six months to June 2022. Kenya’s exports to Tanzania jumped the highest by 46% to KES 28.66 billion ($236.7 million) extending a good trade run between the pair amid ongoing elimination of non-tariff barriers. Kenya’s trade with Tanzania has grown steadily in the past years in the wake of improved relations between the two countries after years of feuds that at one point resulted in retaliatory measures such as trade bans. Data by the KNBS shows that the value of Kenya’s exports to Tanzania jumped 43.39% to KES 45.6 billion ($376.6 million) in 2021 compared to the previous year. Tanzania’s exports to Kenya, on the other hand, also grew 95.3% last year—nearly double-to KES 54.47 billion ($449.9 million) in 2020. On the flip side, statistics by the Central Bank of Kenya shows Kenya’s exports to Uganda fell 8.5% to KES 46.77 billion ($386.3 million) during the half year compared to a similar period in 2021, breaking a growth trend in all EAC markets including Tanzania, Rwanda, and South Sudan. Although Uganda remains Kenya’s main export market, frequent trade tiffs over items such as sugar, eggs and milk have often soured trade. For instance, in June Uganda accused Kenya of sparking a fresh trade row by reintroducing a levy on eggs. Nevertheless, there was a 39% growth in Kenya’s exports to Rwanda in the half year to June to hit KES 19.28 billion ($159.2 million). Kenya’s exports to...

The Organisation of Women in Trade (OWIT), a trade and investment support oorganistion that works on improving the knowledge and skill base of women on trade laws, policies, rules and procedures, is scheduled to hold an impact-packed four-day conference in Abuja. In a statement signed by the president of OWIT-Nigeria, Mrs Blessing Irabor-Oza, this year’s Africa Women Trade Conference(second in series) on the heels of a successful hosting of its first outing in Nairobi, Kenya, will be hosted by OWIT Nigeria in collaboration with OWIT Zimbabwe, OWIT Nairobi, and OWIT South Africa. According to her, the conference will aim at providing better representation through integration for African women-owned businesses in regional and global value chains. It will help establish a better understanding of the links between gender and trade actions on the African continent and create a platform for African women in trade to navigate potential opportunities to trade in the Nigerian Market, build active partnerships and leverage existing networks. Irabor-Oza confirmed that the conference, being sponsored by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ-ECOWAS), International Trade Centre (ITC), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Africa Women & Youth Empowerment Group (AWYEG) was scheduled to span four days and will be launched with a pre-conference summit on policy dialogue for Women to trade under AfCFTA by Africa Women & Youth Empowerment Group (AWEYEG). The main conference will hold on the 28th and 29th of September with the theme “Positioning African Women For The Next Big Opportunity In The Regional...

Business Operators have been encouraged to participate in the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), a World Customs Organization (WCO) programme that is being implemented in the East African Community (EAC). Under the programme, the business community from different EAC Partner States can apply for the "AEO Status" which allows them to be handled as low risk companies that can be trusted by Customs. This implies that Customs can deal with the consignments of such companies/business or individuals with less controls compared to non-AEO program members. That way, the AEO programme is an instrument for growing compliance, according to officials. AEO status bearers, irrespective of the EAC State they come from, go through the same set of criteria. The programme aims to enhance efficiency in the face of increasing volumes of trade and the increasing vulnerability of the international trade supply chain to security threats as well as the use of the international trade supply chain as a conduit for high security risk materials. It tackles challenges by shifting the perspective, so that instead of focusing on the goods themselves, Customs focus on the traders. Speaking to The New Times, Yvonne Gatera, the Assistant Commissioner for Customs Operations Support at Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) described the AEO as "a program that facilitates legitimate trade in the EAC." She highlighted its benefits for the operators during the clearing process. For instance, she noted that it allows importers, exporters and manufacturers to expedite the processing of entries and declarations, enjoy automatic passing of declaration, and...