By Zephania Ubwani Bujumbura — Gitega, a town located 65 kilometres east of the Burundian capital, is one place whose past will touch the emotions of the people a country for years torn by violent conflicts. The town is sandwiched between the mist-covered mountains in the central highlands, almost about the same distance from the Tanzanian border. Historical records indicate that it was once the capital of the country until shortly before independence in 1962. Although the capital was relocated to the present seat years later, Gitega retained its position as the home of the Burundi National Museum. At one time also, it was the seat of the monarchy when the country adored the traditional leaders as was the case in other area of the Great Lakes Region. A royal court still stands there as are royal drum sanctuaries. It was due to its strategic role in the country's affairs that Gitega tested a bitter side of Burundi's history. When King Ntare V was overthrown in the famous military coup d'etat of 1966 which disbanded monarchy in Burundi, he fled the area for a few years. But when he reinstated his kingdom in 1972, he was assassinated and that opened another chapter of the country's tragic history. The country was plunged into one of the most horrific bloodsheds, leading to the killing of nearly 300,000 in the massacre which bore hallmarks of a genocide in neighbouring Rwanda two decades later. The bitter fighting pitted the Hutu against the Tutsi, the...

The Aid & International Development Forum (AIDF) has released an infographic that explores infrastructure resilience and access to energy in sub-Saharan East Africa (SSA). Africa has massive infrastructure needs yet invests only 4% of its GDP in infrastructure, in contrast to the 14% spent by China. A projected $100 billion will be required to meet Africa's infrastructure needs over the next decade. The share of citizens in Africa with access to services varies considerably. 63% of Africans have access to piped water and only 30% have access to sewerage. In contrast, over 90% have mobile phone service. Modern energy services are essential to human well-being and economic development; 95% of those living without electricity are in SSA and developing Asia. In Kenya, only 23% of people have access to electricity compared to the global average of 85%. If current trends continue, it will take Africa until 2080 to achieve universal access to electricity. There is significant potential for renewable energy development in Africa. Renewable energy consumption in Kenya is in excess of 78%, far surpassing the global average of just 18%. Hear more about infrastructure resilience and energy from international and regional experts, including Dr Stephen Mogere, Infrastructure Advisor at JICA, Dr Sharad Sapra, Director of Global Innovation Centre, UNICEF and Christopher M. Hoffman, Regional Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs Director at World Vision. The agenda features panel discussions on supporting resilient livelihoods and strengthening rural infrastructure in SSA as well as mobile innovations to support community resilience the region. Source:...

The private sector in East Africa has asked Tanzania to harmonise the preferential treatments it offers to transit goods as a way of encouraging use of the central corridor . While Rwandan trucks transiting through the central corridor (Dar es Salaam Port) each pay $150 (Shs535,000); other East African member states such as Uganda are charged $500 (Shs1.7 million) per truck for goods in transit. Mr Kassim Omar, the chairman Uganda Clearing Industry and Forwarding Association, who is also East Africa Business Council (EABC) vice chair for Uganda, said: “Indeed, the Dar es Salaam Port has improved. But they need to harmonise the transit fees to make doing business in the region less costly.” Mr Omar, together with other EABC members, had paid a courtesy visit to ambassador John Kijazi, chief secretary, office of the president of Tanzania on Tuesday. Value Added Tax The EABC officials further urged the Tanzanian government to remove the recently introduced 18 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on ancillary services rendered to transit goods such securing, cargo inspection, preparation of customs documentation, container handling and storage of goods to be transported. Mr Kassim said though the VAT is levied on companies based in Tanzania, the tax is finally transferred to owners of the transit goods who are later supposed to pay VAT in destination country on arrival. Achievements EABC chairman, Mr Audace Ndayizeye, commended president John Pombe Joseph Magufuli as chair of the EAC summit for the remarkable progress towards the realisation of the...

Regional authorities are upbeat over the prospects of increased business and revenue after 1,115 trucks imported by Nigerian business mogul Aliko Dangote docked at the Mtwara Port at the weekend. “This is a good beginning as we open up economic opportunities for the region,” said Acting Regional Commissioner Khatibu Kazungu who witnessed the docking of the ships carrying the trucks. The trucks are destined for the Dangote Cement factory. They add to the Nigerian businessman’s current fleet of trucks transporting cement from Mtwara to various parts of the country. Mtwara Port general manager Stella Katondo said later this month another vessel carrying 500 vehicles for the same cement plant is expected at the facility. The acting RC, who doubles as the Mtwara District Commissioner, said the docking of the ship had proven to the world that the Port has the capacity to handle large volumes of cargo. According to him, the Port could now be used by the neighbouring countries of Malawi, Mozambique, DRC Congo and Zambia. He appealed to stakeholders to take advantage of the Port and not to rely solely on the Dar es Salaam Port. Diamond Shipping agency manager John Lemomo said one of the vessels that carried the trucks, Morning Composer, is 200-metre long ship with capacity to carry 60,000 metric tonnes of cargo and ferry 6,500 vehicles. “We would like to express our warm thanks to both the Dar es Salaam Port and Dangote company as we witness this huge ship docking at Mtwara Port...

Jordan has said it will make Kenya its East African trade hub after it signed a raft of agreements to ease exchange of goods and services. The country’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Investment Affairs Jawad Anani said the private sectors from both countries will be encouraged to form partnerships that promote their economies. “Our leader, King Abdullah and the Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta believe the private sector should formalise relations to drive business as our countries have diverse goods and services that could be traded in for mutual benefits,” he said. Mr Anani said Jordanian laws had been reviewed to encourage outward and in-bound trade which has the potential of creating jobs for partner countries. A total of 142 Jordanians representing 62 companies from different sectors visited the country. Industrialisation secretary Adan Mohamed asked the firms to establish subsidiaries in Kenya and enjoy higher returns and easy access to the rest of African markets. Mr Mohamed said Kenya was closely monitoring licensing processes and conducting reforms in other areas with the aim of enhancing local investments. On ease of doing business, Mr Mohamed said Kenya was working on easing regulations on land ownership with investments in infrastructure going on to help reduce the cost of power and transport. Source: Business Daily Africa

Officials in Kenya remain tight-lipped over the fate of millions of shillings collected from sale of the region’s single visa even as the second year of trial comes to a close. The National Treasury, citing stringent fiscal rules, has been holding the cash collected on behalf of Uganda and Rwanda since the three states started piloting a common tourist visa in February 2014. Both Treasury secretary Henry Rotich and PS Kamau Thugge declined to respond to our queries even as official statistics show shift to national border passes as the standoff persists. The regional visa has netted only Sh40 million in two years. Kenya is a gateway to the region. It receives hundreds of region-bound tourists by cruise ships and chartered planes is a top collection point. Under the Kenya’s Constitution, however, tourist visa collection is regarded as any other public revenue which has to be surrendered to the Consolidated Fund. The money in the Consolidated Fund can only be spent or shared out according to an appropriation Bill approved by Parliament. “Kenya has not been able to remit any of the money collected in the last two years from issuance of the regional visa because we don’t have a legal framework to do so,” said Mr Alfred Kitolo, director of productive services at Kenya’s East African Community (EAC) ministry. “We are not suggesting that any money collected on behalf of Rwanda and Uganda has been lost. Kenya will release all the cash once it gets around the legal hurdle.”...

Kenya is set to benefit from a Sh1.08 billion (€10 million) European Union (EU) funding after it won a bid to host a Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTTC) for Africa. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) had in April invited formal expressions of interest to host the facility from member states. Kenya presented the bid through a consortium of organisations consisting the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). It beat South Africa, Namibia and Ghana which has also submitted their bids. Kenya will now establish the centre as one of the five IMO Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres worldwide. Other centres will be set up in Asia the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific. The announcement was made last week during the IMO technical committee meeting in London. Establishment of the MTCCs is a joint IMO – EU project titled “Capacity Building for Climate Change Mitigation in the Maritime Shipping Industry”. According to IMO, the MTCCs will act as centres of excellence, providing leadership in promoting ship energy-efficiency technologies and operations, and the reduction of harmful emissions from ships. Among other roles, the centre is expected to promote the uptake of low-carbon technologies. “The selection of countries to host the IMO centres in the target regions was done competitively,” said Cosmas Cherop, acting KMA director general in a statement. “Winning organisations and consortium of organisations had to have credible standing in their regions, considerable engagement with industry and government,...

Kenya based logistics firm Siginon Group is eying fresh produce and garment exports once direct flights to the US start next year. Siginon head of commercial services Jack Mwaura in an interview with the Business Daily said the firm’s cargo business strategy for next year has factored in direct US flights. “The opportunities we see are mainly for fresh produce to the US. Kenya is a signatory to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) pact, we see more textile reaching America,” said Mr Mwaura. “On the in-bound, we see a lot of cargo mainly from gaming equipment, a lot of oil and gas machineries, we see cargo in the relief industry from US NGOs.” The US direct flights are scheduled to commence next year after Jomo Kenyatta International Airport meets security and safety measures imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. The flights are expected to promote export of fresh produce and encourage more US citizens to visit Kenya. According to ‘‘Building the Future: A Look at the Economic Potential of East Africa’’, a US Chamber of Commerce report it released a few months ago, East Africa is the most promising trading partner for the US on the continent. Dynamic The region is home to diverse and dynamic economies which have significant potential across several industries. It is already a leading exporter of agricultural commodities like tea, coffee and horticultural products. Also, large apparel manufacturers are increasingly sourcing their garments from Kenya and Ethiopia. The region has significant offshore gas...

The East African Community (EAC) is behind schedule as regards establishment of the East African Monetary Institute, a key body meant to carry out preparatory work for the East African Monetary Union (EAMU), officials have said. When regional leaders approved the EAMU Protocol, in 2013, it provided for gradual establishment of four institutions, including the East African Monetary Institute (EAMI), a transitional institution responsible for laying the foundation for the EAMU. “We are already lagging behind. It was supposed to be in place by 2015,” said Peter Njoroge, deputy director for economic affairs in Kenya’s Ministry of EAC Affairs. Establishing the EAMI; initiating the pertinent legal instruments, identifying the host partner state, signing host country agreements and operationalising the institute were activities for 2015. “However, even the legal framework for establishing these institutions has to be negotiated. We have to go through the normal process of negotiating how it is to be structured, and, you know, issues of negotiations take some time,” Njoroge added. “That partly explains why we took longer and why we are yet to have the institution in place”. By 2018, three other institutions: the East African Surveillance, Compliance and Enforcement Commission; the East African Statistics Bureau; and the East African Financial Services Commission, are supposed to be in place, according to the EAMU road map. Other activities to be concluded by 2018 include coordination and harmonization of fiscal policies, as well as coordination and harmonization of the monetary and exchange rate policies during the transition to the Monetary...

AS the government embarks on establishment and revival of industries in the country, at least 15 companies have shown interest to establish industries in Morogoro Region, the Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS), Dr John Ndunguru has said. The companies expressed their interests soon after the completion of the investment forum that took place in the region in September, this year. Speaking during the launching of training on the application of technology on tailoring, Dr Ndunguru said his office expects to receive more applications and commitment from other companies. The function was graced by the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Labour, Youth and Employment, Mr Anthony Mavunde. At least 200 youth out of 1,000 who have been registered for the training attended the launching at Mazava Fabrics and Production Ltd grounds in Morogoro. He said some of the companies are interested to invest in sugar factories, construction of modern abattoirs and meat processing, fruits processing and other areas. “Morogoro has been a home of industries since the first phase government, we are happy that the fifth phase government is reviving industries across the country and there all signs that Morogoro is going to record good performance,” he said. He said with the current spirit and government commitment, Tanzania is soon becoming an industrial country. He said the government is committed to cooperate with private companies under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework in developing and strengthening industrial sector in the country. According to the RAS the establishment and revival...