EAC secretary general Amb Liberat Mfumukeko in Arusha, Tanzania, addresses the media on Monday /ANGWENYI GICHANA The East Africa Community secretariat aims to save more than US$6 million (Sh59.63 million) in the current financial year through the cost-cutting strategy it adopted earlier this year. EAC secretary general Liberat Mfumukeko says the bloc has saved $588,760 in travel expenditure alone since the measures were adopted in May – around the same time he took over from Richard SezIbera on April 25. “Since we instituted several reforms in the EAC organs and institutions aimed at reducing costs in the EAC projects and programmes, the implementation of these reforms is going on very well, and already some positive results are being received,” Mfumukeko said. He told a press conference at the EAC headquarters in Arusha on Monday that “it is no longer business as usual”. The reforms focus on cutting wastage, containing and reducing frequency of travels where EAC officials should spend half of their working days in Arusha. Twenty-five per cent of the meetings are held via video conference facility. “We have also reduced the number of days for our meetings to a maximum of four,” the secretary general said, highlighting the achievements in the last five years and priority areas for the next five years. Mfumukeko said the EAC operations passed the European Union Fiduciary Risk Assessment. “The assessment on the secretariat’s operations in five pillars namely: internal control system, accounting systems, independent external audit, procurement and sub-delegation met the internationally...

Uganda’s High Commissioner and Permanent Representative to UN-Habitat Angelina Wapakhabulo (left), Kenya’s Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala (centre) and Belisa Kariza, Rwanda Development Board Chief Tourism Officer show solidarity during the opening of the East Africa Tourism Expo at KICC, Nairobi. [Photo: Elvis Ogina/Standard]Tanzania has dealt Kenya another blow by distancing itself from the common visa launched between Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. The common visa is meant to, among other things, enable the members states to jointly market their tourism as a single product. Tanzania also wants nothing to do with the joint marketing strategies pushed by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda and will not participate in the East African tourism platform events being pushed for by the neighbours. The joint visa has been issued to 4,000 tourists who will be visiting the three countries, now dubbed ‘the coalition of the willing’. In a media briefing Wednesday, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said Tanzania was wary of competition from Kenya. “Tourists who will be moving between the three countries that form the coalition will now be using a common visa that will be charged at $100 (Sh10,122) instead of $150 (Sh15,183) that each country charged before,” Mr Balala said. “The coalition of the willing has also agreed to have a common East Africa stand at the world Travel Market to be held in London on November 7. The stand has been dubbed ‘borderless East Africa’, but Tanzania will not be part of it,” he added. However, Balala asserted that if the...

The Port of Mombasa is the gateway to East and Central Africa,and is one of the busiest Ports along the East African coastline. The Port provides direct connectivity to over 80 Ports worldwide and is linked to a vast hinterland comprising Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Northern Tanzania, Southern Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia by road. Muhamad J. Jezan who heads the KPA Liaison Office in Kampala gives some insights into their operations.  Six states in Eastern Africa are implementing a common market protocol, providing for free movement of goods and services. What is the role being played by Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in facilitating trade in the EAC? The basic role played by the Port Authority is connecting the hinterland to the overseas market. We offer economies of scale to move bigger volumes of cargo at lower costs with optimal utilization of ICT innovations to create efficiency and provide an environment where all Partner Agencies interact to effectively clear cargo both in and out of the port to their final destinations. What kind of infrastructure is in place at the Port of Mombasa to handle the growing volumes of trade along the Northern Corridor? The Port of Mombasa as a multi-purpose port, has great infrastructure to handle the growing volumes along the Northern Corridor and this includes an excellent natural harbour with good shelter, a maximum draft of 15 metres and the capacity to handle approximately 23.7 million tonnes  of cargo per year. It has 13 general...

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA - Another large ship recently docked at Dar port attracting much attention as people contemplated its size writes DAMAS MAKANGALE. “I would like to assure our fellow Tanzanians and customers that our port has the capacity to accommodate large ships without any trouble with the arrival of this ship it has opened up doors for other larger ships to anchor at our port,” Eng. Deusdedit Kakoko, the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), Director General said. Registered in Grenada, MV Hammonia (left) has the capacity to carry 4,256 containers and offloaded 483 containers at Dar before and loading 656 containers and sailing off to Thailand. Kakoko said that some few people were thinking that their port was not in such a capacity, but the fact is that their port is capacity is unique and stable and they will continues to receive ships as usual. He said that even when President John Magufuli paid a surprise visit to the not long ago,  there were seven large vessels docked. Eng. Kakoko said  Dar es Salaam port has a dock with the capacity to cater for such vessels at number 8, 9 and 10 piers. The Authority Chief Pilot Capt, Abdullah Mwingamno said the ship was the biggest of ships that have been entering the port of Dar es Salaam. Mwingamno said that at the beginning the harbour entrance was meant to be able to serve ships with a length of just 234 metres, but due to changes in technology and...

Armed men on Monday ambushed three Uganda-bound buses inside South Sudan, and stole passengers' cash and merchandise. They incinerated one of the buses. We condemn this barbaric act and the fear it is calculated to instill. From November 2015 to this week, four Ugandans have been killed and three injured in four ambushes on five buses and a rescue UPDF convoy. This is grotesque, particularly that these stated incidents exclude unreported cases in which Ugandans have been attacked, killed or injured. South Sudan relies heavily on Uganda and neighbouring countries for supply of food, construction materials and other merchandise. Put another way, the necessities of life. That makes it a cash-cow for the exporting countries. This is a healthy symbiotic relationship envisaged between neighbours and under the East African Community bloc, which we support as a driver of prosperity for the citizens. South Sudan is a newcomer to the community and must prove its accession is a dividend, not a problem, multiplier. The Monday raid, whereas bloodless as by reports so far, still projects the lawlessness and potential losses that our nationals plying the Juba route endure. Twenty-one people were reported killed in ambushes on roads in Yei, in the Central Equatoria State, on the weekend preceding waylaying of the Ugandan buses hours later in Eastern Equatoria State. No doubt, Juba and other South Sudan towns provide lucrative markets. But increasing insecurity is making them less attractive. Our earnings from exports there in one year to May 2016 was $290.8...

The new East African Community (EAC) secretary general, Mr Liberat Mfumukeko, has reiterated his determination to cut down expenditure in the regional organisation. He has so far managed to save substantially from travel expenses and he says he is now targeting procurement as another area in which the EAC can cut down cost immensely. The new EAC boss' dream is to save $6 million in the current financial year, which is commendable thing, given that the regional body's budget is largely dependent on donors. Being cost conscious would impress donors and they would for sure be more committed, for they would see that what they give is well spent. While austerity at the EAC secretariat is laudable, we hasten to add that it would have been more praiseworthy if this would be translated into more profitable EAC entailing people-centred undertakings. The regional body was established to serve as a vehicle to bring together East African people. In that regard, any initiative taken by the secretariat or other EAC organ should aim to ensure this goal is achieved. Therefore, as Mr Mfumukeko and his team at the secretariat work hard to run a cost conscious EAC, they should also focus their efforts to making the regional body effectively save this region's citizens. Making the EAC people-centred is the best way to ensure we have a strong and vibrant regional bloc. If the EAC citizen feel attached to their organisation, it won't require much effort wooing them to wholly support it. There...

Nairobi — Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday asked Tanzania and Burundi to waive work permit charges in the spirit of East Africa Community (EAC) of allowing free movement of people and goods. President Kenyatta said the dream of a borderless East Africa would be realised if all partner states honoured an EAC Heads of State summit deal that sanctioned free movement of people, goods, services as well as capital. "My government provides free work permits to all East Africans and we urge other partner states to do the same," said President Kenyatta in a speech read on his behalf by Labour Services and EAC Affairs cabinet secretary Phyllis Kandie at the official opening ceremony of the East Africa Business and Entrepreneurship Conference and Exhibition in Nairobi. Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda have since waived the work permits but Tanzania and Burundi are yet to ratify the deal. The deal also allows research, law, architectural and real estate firms from sister countries to offer cross-border services. The move also saw single visas for foreign tourists introduced with hotels, tours and travel agencies now allowed to offer cross border services. The cost of permits in Tanzania ranges between $6 (Sh12000) and $3,000 (Sh6.3 million). In Burundi, it ranges between $60 and $84. The East African Common Market Protocol which was ratified in 2010 provides for free movement of workers but the governments have retained the permits on policy, health and security concerns. President Uhuru Kenyatta also called on partner states to look...

RAPID growing transport sector has led others to drive growth high in the second quarter of this year but the largest contribution came from the agricultural sector. The transport sector recorded 30.6 per cent growth in the second quarter up from 9.4 per cent in the first quarter to drive growth of the second quarter to 7.9 per cent which has put the nation firmly on course to meet the 2016 growth targets of 7.2 per cent. According to Central Bank Governor, Prof Benno Ndulu, growth in the transport sector was boosted by an increased railway transportation after upgrading of the railway infrastructure and fleet modernisation in the Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL). Growth in the transport sector was also due to a significant increase of transit cargo volume from Dar es Salaam port to neighbouring landlocked countries of Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi, and Uganda contrary to widespread speculations that transit cargo had declined. He said transit cargo volume to Rwanda had increased by 17.5 per cent, and Uganda by 22.3 per cent, Malawi (14 per cent), Burundi (4.8 per cent) and Zambia (3.7 per cent). Other key drivers included mining which posted 20.5 per cent growth in the second quarter compared to 11.2 per cent in the first quarter, communication which grew 12.6 per cent in the second quarter up from 11.8 per cent in the first quarter and finance and insurance sector which had grown by 12.5 per cent in the second quarter from 10 per cent in the...

By Syriacus Buguzi Dar es Salaam — For a tourist seeking direction through websites of major tour firms on "How to get to the Selous Game Reserve," there is one most reliable option--taking a flight. A road trip is suggested too, but there is little mention of train travel, despite the presence of a railway line leading to the game reserve. Yet, even the recommended road safari, which would have been a good option for sightseers, comes with a discouraging caution that says, "The trip (by road) is bumpy and uncomfortable and will take a full day." In that case, most visitors rely on the package of flights from Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Zanzibar. Despite being expensive, an air safari is the quickest way to the famous Selous--one of the largest faunal reserves of the world, located in the south of Tanzania. However, the demand for reliable ground transportation to the game by railway line is now slowly gaining momentum, as the government embarks on mega plans to revive the Tanzania Zambia Railway (Tazara) and make it more commercially viable. Recently, as Tazara commemorated its 40th anniversary, the corporation arranged a trial trip to the game reserve by train, taking on board journalists, Chinese government representatives, students and top public officials in the transportation sector. Tazara's deputy managing director Betram Kiswaga who was on the expedition, said, "We organised a train ride to Selous Game Reserve, to prove to people on board that there is great potential for tourism...

Farmers in Zanzibar and manufacturers will sigh with relief after a pledge by TradeMark Africa to facilitate entry of their products to the East Africa regional market. The multi-donor funded trade agency pledged to help Zanzibar exports become competitive in the region and form part of Tanzania's exports to the East African Community (EAC) market. The TMA Country Director, Mr John Ulanga, made the promise to the Zanzibar Minister for Trade, Industry and Marketing, Ms Amina Salum Ally, who visited TMA offices in Dar es Salaam over the weekend. Mr Ulanga said TMA would work on the request from the Zanzibar government to help products from Isles get access to the regional market. She asked TMA to promote Zanzibar products to Tanzania Mainland and other East African countries. She said Zanzibar products must be consumed as products from Tanzania once they enter into East African and International markets. The TMA boss said his office would work on the matter and make sure Zanzibar participates in various trade and business activities in East Africa. This would entail among other things building capacity of entrepreneurs. Recently TMA offered 200bn/- to Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) and Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture (ZNCCIA) for building capacity among its people. We hail this new development as an important step in the right direction as it will help Zanzibar enjoy the benefit of the regional organisation by eventually make optimal use of opportunities availed in the regional market for...