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East African Community Pleased With Inter – Burundi Dialogue

The Office of the secretary General at the East African Community looks pleased with the progress the inter-Burundi dialogue has achieved so far. According to a recent statement from The East African community body, the mediator, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Facilitator, Benjamin William Mkapa, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania have so far done a recommendable job in ensuring that peace and stability in Burundi is received soon through the Inter-Burundi Dialogue (IBD). However, the office of the secretary General seems not pleased with local and international media that seem to be misleading the general public on the progress of the dialogue and hence forth has released a detailed statement on a few basics as reproduced below; The Office of the Secretary General would like to set the record straight as follows: As put clearly by the Facilitator, the Inter-Burundi Dialogue is an EAC-led process under the Mediatorship of H.E President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, a Member of the EAC Heads of State Summit. The Summit appointed former President Benjamin William Mkapa of the United Republic of Tanzania as the Facilitator of the Dialogue to support the Mediator. As per the EAC Treaty requirement, the EAC Secretariat implements Council and Summit Directives. Therefore, the EAC Secretariat headed by the Secretary General, who is also the Secretary to the Summit of the EAC Heads of State, has the obligation to give technical and logistical support to the activities of the Facilitator.  However, the Facilitator is fully responsible for the conduct of...

Turkey, Kenya set target to increase trade volume to $1 billion

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta held a joint press conference in Nairobi, the second stop on Turkey's two-nation East African tour, and Erdoğan said that Turkey and Kenya aim to raise the volume of trade from the outstanding $144 million to $1 billion a year. Erdoğan said the two countries have the potential to achieve this target. Erdoğan is accompanied by a committee of 135 business people who came to Kenya ready to hold meetings on a sectoral basis with counterparts in the Business Forum, organized for the evening. Erdoğan said that to achieve the new trade volume target and achieve strategic partnerships in many fields including trade, energy, healthcare, education, infrastructure and superstructure projects, Turkey has given full support to eliminating all the barriers that prevent the fostering of business relations between the two countries. Erdoğan said the agreements on double taxation and preferential trade, which aims to eliminate the biggest hardships in conducting business, will be concluded in August through the visit of Kenyatta to Turkey. During the business forum, Erdoğan invited Kenyan businessmen to visit Turkey with their president.Erdoğan said Turkey will make efforts to further strengthen business ties, by creating opportunities for Turkish business people to invest in Kenya, such as the Build-Operate and Transfer (BOT) business model, which will result in the increase and sustainability of investments. He added that the Turkish Export-Import Bank (Eximbank) will provide business people with the necessary credit and incentives to invest, in the East...

Trademark East Africa gives Uganda sh100 million for the Northern Corridor Project

Trade East Africa has given Uganda office equipment worth sh100 million to support initiatives of creating a coordinating center for the Northern Corridor Integration Project initiatives. The equipment which includes laptop, desk computers, printers, projectors and heavy duty photocopier will complement the resources required to effectively discharge the coordination role. The equipment was handed over to the Permanent secretary in the ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. James Mugume by a senior director at TMA, Richard Kamajugo at the ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. While handing over the equipment, Kamajugo said given the multi institutional and cross border dimensions of the projects being undertaken, effective coordination which is currently done by the ministry is critical for the successful implementation of the projects. He said that since initiatives of the Northern corridor were launched, there have been some achievements in reduction in times spent which has enhanced efficiency of trade and logistics in the region. Receiving the equipment, Amb.Mugume said that once the road is completed, it will be alternative diversion from traffic from Rwanda to Uganda. "We have a responsibility of enhancing regional integration as a c tool of delivering economic development, when the NCIP project is fully implemented, it will lead to a faster transformation of the region hence improving competitiveness and the business environment," Mugume said. He however advised TMA to make ensure that such a project leads to the development of other income generating activities like tourism and growth of centres along the major corridors in East Africa....

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Turkey's head sign Sh100b trade deals

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Turkey counterpart Tayyip Erdogan signed the deals at State House Nairobi yesterday. President Kenyatta said he would travel to Turkey in August to ensure the trade deals are implemented. The two Presidents led their delegations in bilateral talks that sought to deepen ties and boost trade. "Our talks seek to improve the relations between the two countries that span over a century. More than 10 co-operation instruments have been signed between our two countries," Uhuru said. "We import many Turkish goods and support the Government of Turkey on a number of initiatives. The ties bonding the two nations have increased from $41 million (Sh4.1 billion) in 2009 to $148 million (Sh14.9 billion) in 2015." Erdogan said: "We are trading at $144 million (Sh14.5 million). This is insignificant. As soon as possible, the figure should shoot to $1 billion. This is the threshold set." The Turkish President, who was accompanied by 135 businesspersons, underscored the need for the two countries to sign deals on preferential trade that would cater for double taxation. "We agreed as a matter of priority to remove any barriers that would prevent our private sector from doing business and as such hasten the signing of double taxation between the two countries and this to be done before my next visit to Turkey in August," Uhuru said. On the fight against terrorism, Erdogan accused the West of double standards. Firm stand President Erdogan said developing countries were struggling with refugee crises as a result...

Trade facilitation projects induce an additional US$50million trade for Uganda

Kampala: Trade Facilitation Projects implemented in Uganda by TradeMark Africa, will induce about US$ 50 million in attributable new trade for the country for 2015/16. Further, TMA attributable time savings have thus far resulted in a 5.7% reduction in transport time between Kampala and ports since inception. This resultantly reduced trade costs and improved a consistent supply of goods like fuel. The results have emerged from independent evaluation of 10 TMA projects in Uganda. East Africa’s renowned businessperson and TMA board chair Ali Mufuruki made the announcement during an event at Sheraton Hotel, Kampala on Tuesday 31st May. TMA CEO Frank Matsaert and TMA Uganda Country Director Allen Asiimwe joined Mr. Mufuruki in announcing the results. TMA launched its Uganda Country Programme (UCP) in 2011 with an approximate budget of USD 100 Million. Independent evaluators conducted the evaluation in 2015 for a period of six months. They analysed projects in Customs modernisation, which includes support to Uganda Revenue Authority’s (URA) ASYCUDA, Electronic Cargo Tracking System and Authorised Economic Operators. Other projects include infrastructure development, Support to Ministry of East Africa and Uganda National Bureau of Standards, support to elimination of Non Tarrif barrier projects. The customs management system, ASYCUDA world has reduced the processing time for imports by 30%. This is 72 hours of time-savings as previously it took 120 hours on clearing imports and exports. Through the Single Customs Territory, URA/KRA integration has increased the pre-clearance and reduced delays at the port for essential goods like fuel. Standards compliance,...

Speed up regional integration, former First Ladies urge governments

Kampala- The founding First Ladies of the East African Community (EAC) have called for fast-tracking of the integration plans by the member countries. This call was made during a special sitting of the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) in Arusha, Tanzania, on Tuesday. Ms Ngina Kenyatta, the widow of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta, and Ms Miria Obote, the widow of former president Milton Obote, reminisced over the memories of the first EAC and challenged Eala members to ensure the future of integration is both guaranteed and realised. Ms Maria Nyerere, widow of Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania, did not attend the function and was represented by Makongoro Nyerere, an Eala member. Ms Obote called for the prioritisation of economic investment projects, including oil refineries, the Standard Gauge Railway, agricultural research, food security and climate change. She urged the region to move faster to have an integrated syllabus and curriculum to stabilise the labour market within EAC. “For instance, a majority of Ugandans have never learnt proper Swahili. We are now learning proper Swahili in schools and in the public engagement. This is the best way towards integration,” she said. Ms Kenyatta informed the regional MPs that EAC’s founding fathers had “walked and worked tirelessly” in anticipation of unity of the region. “In 1967, all three of us were witnesses to the establishment of a community that spoke to that shared sentiment. The East African Community was built on the understanding that our nations and our people were...

SGR heads to completion ahead of schedule, Uhuru told

President Uhuru Kenyatta was on Saturday told that the construction of Sh420 billion Standard Gauge Railway which runs from the coastal city of Mombasa to Nairobi will be completed ahead of the schedule. President Kenyatta, who visited a section of the 472-km Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project which is more than three-quarters done, said once completed, the project will enhance Kenya's position as a regional business hub. Speaking during the inspection tour, Uhuru said the government is in talks with investors to put up industrial parks along the SGR line to create jobs. "We have discussed on how to set up industrial parks at Dongo Kundu in Mombasa, Voi, Mtito Andei, Nairobi and Naivasha, which will help us create jobs for our young people," he said. More than 75 percent civil works have been completed on the first phase of the project, with over 235 km trackline laid between Voi and Sultan Hamud. The second phase will cover 487km from Nairobi-Kisumu-Malaba. It is divided into three subphases. These phases include 2A, which is 120km from Nairobi to Naivasha. Phase 2B, which is 262 km, will stretch from Naivasha-Narok-Bomet-Ahero-Kisumu while phase 2C will cover 107 km from Kisumu-Yala-Mumias-Malaba in western Kenya. The President said the construction of SGR will not only boost the transport development but also promote integration and industrialisation in East and Central Africa. The SGR is also expected to ease movement and reduce transportation cost of goods from the Mombasa port to Nairobi, and other destinations, projecting Kenya’s...

Dar es Salaam prepares for U.S. $16 Million Grant for Logistics and Transport sector

The second round of Challenge Fund support for entrepreneurs working in the logistics and transport sector was launched recently with a financing mechanism in the range of $16m. The Logistics Innovation for Trade (LIFT) Challenge Fund, which is a $16 million (Tsh.35.2 billion) grant-based financial mechanism, supports innovators with good ideas for products or services that can reduce the costs of transport and logistics in East Africa. According to TradeMark Africa (TMA) which is a non-profit organization, LIFT will provide grants ranging from $ 150,000 to $ 1,000,000 (Tsh.330 million to Tsh.2.2billion respectively) to winning proposals from innovators from across the world whose project ideas will be implemented in the East African Community (EAC). East Africa is reported to have the highest freight and transport costs in the world. It is said that the freight costs are over 50% higher than those of the United States and Europe per kilometre. Successful LIFT projects will contribute to TMA’s objective of reducing transport time along the main East Africa transport corridors by 15% by the end of 2016. Dr. Josephat Kweka, Country Director Tanzania, TMA said it was their hope that the entrepreneurs and innovators of the EAC in partnership with their counterparts internationally will drive forward development through the adoption or introduction of ‘best practice’ technologies in the transport and logistics sector, enabling local businesses to compete favorably in the increasingly global economy. “LIFT is a valuable financial instrument that supports private sector ‘can-do’ to develop and test new ideas that...

East Africa: EAC Member States Set to Adopt Kenya's New Driving Schools Curriculum

The six East African States are set to replicate a new driving curriculum recently launched in Kenya as the region moves to harmonise its roads' instruction manual. East African Community (EAC) secretary-general Liberat Mfumukeko said Kenya's curriculum meets the standards of the proposed regional one that would be launched soon and adopted by all member states. The bloc's members include South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. Mr Mfumukeko said EAC would use the syllabus to test the implementation of the regional training manual. "The curriculum that you have launched meets the requirements of the regional standards. We at the community will use the implementation modalities for the Kenyan curriculum to test the implementation of our manual guide," said Mr Mfumukeko. Last week, Kenya launched a new curriculum to replace the one that is currently on use as the country seeks to curb increasing cases of road accidents that have largely been attributed to human error. TradeMark Africa has developed the regional curriculum and training material for drivers of large commercial vehicles in EAC. The syllabus comprises the EAC standardised curriculum for drivers of large commercial vehicles for both passengers and freight. The curriculum was developed with input from Kenya's National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). The country's Transport Cabinet secretary James Macharia said it is important for the region to harmonise the driving curriculum for the benefit of member states. "It is good to note that we are heading towards harmonisation of the regional curriculum for drivers, this...

Tanzania, Rwanda finally mend relations at trade forum in Kigali

After years of frosty trade relations, Rwanda and Tanzania now seem focused on removing obstacles faced by traders on both sides of the border, especially congestion and theft of Rwandan goods at Tanzanian ports. President John Magufuli’s recent visit to Rwanda paved the way for the first ever Tanzania-Rwanda Trade Forum that was held in Kigali last week. One of the issues Rwandan traders complained about was rampant theft of minerals in Tanzania. The Tanzanian government has installed cameras and boosted security to secure Rwandan containers at the Dar es Salaam port. Previously Rwandan traders were not allowed access to the container station. But now they have complete access, which has helped secure goods. “Minerals from Rwanda are escorted by armed security from the time they arrive until the time they leave the port. Cameras were also installed at the port to monitor any kind of activity,” Emmanuel Kakuyu, head of Tanzanian trade delegation to Rwanda, said. “Minerals from Rwanda are now offered a special parking zone for easy monitoring, and transporters are also allowed access to the yards where the containers are held,” Mr Kakuyu added. But despite efforts to eliminate non-tariff barriers along the Central Corridor, many still exist: There are still seven weighbridges, as only one has been removed so far. Rwandan traders also still incur among the region’s highest in transport and logistics costs, making up as much as as 75 per cent of the value of exports and imports. For example, transporting semi-processed roofing materials...