AFRICA Country Business Index (ACBI) has called on African countries to ratify and sign important agreements to promote trade and investment in the continent. According to ACBI recommendations from the study conducted in seven African countries show that they performed better in awareness and use of free trade areas followed by a commercial environment. This was revealed on Tuesday in Arusha by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and ACBI report that surveyed businesses in Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa. Some of the agreements that African countries were advised to ratify are namely African Aviation Market, People's Free Movement protocols, Copyright and Electronic Trade. Speaking at the Webinar on Primer for the AfCFTA Country Business Index report that was organized by Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Executive Director, East African Business Council (EABC) Mr John Kalisa said, there is a need for flexible and clear predictable rules of origin for business to benefit from AfCFTA. He also elaborated that the Rules of Origin consists of three broad dimensions as the first is the Good Restrictiveness and Costs, AfCFTA Knowledge and Commercial Environment in particular domestic environment related to services and other new generation issues under negotiation in the AfCFTA. Mr Kalisa further explained that intra-regional trade is sliding back below 20 per cent due to persistent tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers imposed on both large and micro small medium enterprises. He also recommended the sensitization campaigns on the AfCFTA, harmonization of standards and sanitary...

In Summary KRA reported that it had raised over 1 trillion shillings in the first seven months. This is 28.8 per cent above the revenue collected by KRA within the same 7-month period in the last financial year. Last month, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) reported that it had raised over 1 trillion shillings in the first seven months of the 2021/2022 Financial year. The results showed that KRA is continuing with its impressive post-COVID recovery strategy as it remains on course towards surpassing its revenue target for the Financial year with five months to go. This is 28.8 per cent above the revenue collected by KRA within the same 7-month period in the last financial year. The January revenue alone increased by 28.3 per cent from 142.8 billion shillings compared to 111.3 billion shillings in the same period last financial year. This is an indication that this year’s revenue could increase at a higher rate in a very long time. One of the areas of its operations credited with the improved revenue collection is the use of enhanced technology in Customs operations, especially cargo scanning. This has strengthened multi-agency collaborations to deter smuggling at the border points leading not only to improved revenue collection but also tighter border security. KRA, working alongside other border agencies including the Immigration Department, Port Health Services, Border Police Patrol Unit, Kenya Bureau of Standards and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, now boast of better inter-agency collaborations. They also enjoy seamless operations, faster clearance...

Ghana has several opportunities for investors including abundant raw materials including gold, cocoa, and oil/gas It however faces several challenges that hinder foreign direct investment, among them costly and difficult financial services and lack of government transparency Low-cost labour, a national airline with well over 100 passenger connections and growing consumer markets are key elements attracting foreign investment into Ethiopia Companies often face long lead-times importing goods and dispatching exports due to logistical bottlenecks, corruption, high land-transportation costs, and bureaucratic delays Ghana remains a favourable investment destination in Africa in 2022, despite the impact of the challenges the economy faces including the COVID-19 pandemic. Data by the US Department of State indicates that the economy has continued to rebound from the negative impact of the virus, and has made attracting foreign direct investment a priority. The economy has expanded at an average of 7 per cent since 2017 to 2020, but reduced progress amid the pandemic to only register 0.9 per cent. In 2021, the IMF said the country’s growth would rebound to 4.6 per cent in 2021 from the shocks of COVID-19, as a result of improved port activity, construction, imports, manufacturing, and credit to the private sector. “In general, Ghana’s investment prospects remain favorable, as the Government seeks to diversify and industrialize through agro-processing, mining, and manufacturing,” the Department said. Pros of doing business in Ghana  According to available data, Ghana has several opportunities for investors. These include abundant raw materials including gold, cocoa, and oil/gas. The country...

In Summary Uganda accounts for 83.2 per cent of transit cargo through the port of Mombasa. South Sudan takes up 9.9 per cent while DR Congo, Tanzania and Rwanda account for 7.2 per cent, 3.2 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively. The Ugandan government has started warming up to the Standard Gauge Railway following the exposure of how it works. On Saturday, the Kenya Railways MD Philip Mainga led a Ugandan Finance, Planning and Economic Development Parliamentary Committee on a fact-finding tour of the Naivasha Inland Container Depot. Minister of State General Duties, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Uganda, Henry Musasizi led the delegation. The nine-member and three support staff delegations started a seven-day fact-finding mission in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania before making their way to Mombasa Port and finally Naivasha Inland Container Terminal. The Chair of the Committee Keefa Kiwanuka and deputy chairperson Avur Jane Pacuto were present. At the Naivasha ICD, the delegation was keen to learn how goods were being moved seamlessly from SGR to MGR for onward transmission to Malaba then Uganda. “We decided to do a visit to Kenya particularly to appreciate how the movement of our goods along the Northern Corridor is. We did our visit in Mombasa at the Kenya Ports Authority and now we are here,” Musasizi said. Kenya and Uganda in May last year joined forces to rehabilitate the old meter-gauge railway as a means of enhancing the seamless movement of goods. The Kenyan government has since revamped...

What you need to know: Although the industry has made significant progress with 4G coverage, one-third of our population don’t have mobile internet. New opportunities have emerged with mobile connectivity at the heart of economic and societal recovery. Last week, I joined global players at the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. I spoke and engaged with policymakers, regulators, technology and telco industry stakeholders across the globe in various sessions. Read original article

As Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to operate joint ventures in the military and infrastructure, this year’s DRC-Uganda Business Forum is expected to find ways of how to deepen bilateral trade and partnerships between the two countries. The forum, which is organized and coordinated by the DRC-Uganda Business Association (DUBA), through Uganda’s embassy in Kinshasa and the DRC embassy in Kampala, will run for four days from March 22 to 25, 2022 in Kampala under the theme “Deepening Bilateral Trade, Partnerships, Knowledge Transfer for Mutual Peace and Prosperity.” In a press statement released by DUBA, the forum is going to be a high-level engagement, graced by both Uganda and the DRC ambassadors, ministers, as well as prominent public and private sector players and entities. DR Congo is an important business partner for Uganda. It is estimated that nearly all the gold that Uganda exports – which makes the mineral the country’s largest export earner for Uganda – is from the DR Congo. The presence of gold refineries such as that by African Gold Refinery in Entebbe, has boosted the export of gold by Uganda, and brought the country the much- needed foreign exchange reserves. “Uganda and the DRC enjoy fraternal and excellent bilateral relations which are evidenced by established cooperation frameworks including the Joint Permanent Commission, joint security operations and many other bilateral understandings which have enabled the two sisterly states to achieve common goals and objectives,” reads the statement. The forum seeks to enhance...

Opinion piece by Abebe Haile-Gabriel Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations March 8 is marked around the world as International Women’s Day. For many women in Africa, including those in the agriculture sector, it will be just another day where invisible barriers hold them back from their true potential. At the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, we believe that inclusivity and fairness are key to achieving sustainable development in agriculture, and that this objective cannot be obtained without accounting for the central role played by women in the sector, including in agriculture markets, trade and value-chain development. The African Continental Free Trade Area or AfCFTA is a major opportunity to boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and broaden economic inclusion. We must seize this opportunity for gender equality as well. The agricultural and agribusiness market in Africa is undergoing rapid expansion, with its value estimated to reach USD 1 trillion by 2030, according to the World Bank. This represents an immense potential for Africa to boost food and non-food trade within the continent and enhance food security and resilience for all. The AfCFTA has opened up immense new market and trading opportunities to capitalize on this potential. The agreement, signed by 54 African Union member states and covering a market of 1.2 billion consumers, establishes the largest free-trade area in the world since the creation of the World Trade Organization almost 30 years ago. The agreement creates a regional single market...

Summary Amani Abou-Zeid, the commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, has urged countries to embrace transnational projects to facilitate the movement of cargo, noting that no meaningful development can take place without significant investment in infrastructure. The African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga noted that while countries have increased budgetary allocations to infrastructure projects, funding from private and institutional investors was missing to bridge the continent’s infrastructure deficit. Lack of infrastructure is a bigger hurdle to trade within Africa than uncertain non-tariff barriers, eating up close to 40 percent of logistics expenses and affecting free movement of goods, officials have warned. Amani Abou-Zeid, the commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, has urged countries to embrace transnational projects to facilitate the movement of cargo, noting that no meaningful development can take place without significant investment in infrastructure. “We need to invest in infrastructure to boost our intra-trade on the continent. This can only be achieved by increasing budgetary allocation toward infrastructure projects,” said Ms Zeid in a speech during the official launch of the Programme For Infrastructure Development in Africa (Pida) Week in Nairobi, organised by the African Union Development Agency (Auda)-Nepad. The African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga noted that while countries have increased budgetary allocations to infrastructure projects, funding from private and institutional investors was missing to bridge the continent’s infrastructure deficit. Mr Odinga said Covid-19 had also negatively impacted cross-border trade as AU members...

The warning comes at a time when Rwanda has fully re-opened its land borders with Uganda. The Rwandan authorities partially reopened the border on January 31st, 2022 until last week when they announced a full reopening this week. Rwandan President Paul Kagame had closed the borders on February 27, 2019, accusing Uganda of hosting Rwandan dissidents, abducting Rwandan nationals, and locking them in non-designated areas. Rwanda then issued a travel advisory to its nationals against traveling to Uganda, saying their safety was not guaranteed. At the time, cases of smuggling goods especially food and jelly through porous borders increased. As a result, about five Ugandans were shot dead by Rwandan security operatives on accusations of smuggling. Speaking to Uganda Radio Network at Katuna border on Monday evening, Peter Gikwiyakare, Uganda Revenue Authority Customs Manager in charge of the south-western region said that however much border reopening brings many opportunities for cross border trade and household income improvement, traders must endeavor to comply with requirements set by the Rwandan government. Gikwiyakare advises that Ugandan traders should always liaise with Ugandan authorities to help them in complying by providing permits. He also says that traders should first conduct a study and regulatory terms and conditions about goods they have before crossing to sell. Victor Ninyikirizamukama, a resident of the Gicumbi district in Rwanda was found at the Ugandan border side of Katuna. He says that during the impasse period, some people would wake up at 5:00am and stealthily cross to Uganda through...

Summary The stakeholders urged health officials across East Africa states to allow fully vaccinated drivers to only present 14 days negative PCR tests when crossing borders. The Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (EAFFA) president Fred Seka had earlier asked EAC partner states to slacken Covid-9 protocols to ease congestion at border points. The positivity rate in Kenya according to official data was at 0.1 percent from a sample size of 3,956 last week. Logistics players in East Africa want governments to ease Covid test protocols in the wake of a decline in positivity rate and vaccination rollout across the region. The stakeholders urged health officials across East Africa states to allow fully vaccinated drivers to only present 14 days negative PCR tests when crossing borders as a means of reducing Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs). “Many countries in the world have adopted this system and we view it as the best way forward under the prevailing circumstances. We should allow drivers tested within 14 days to cross the borders to reduce congestion,” said the Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) chairman Newton Wang’oo. The transporters’ association with more than 5,000 members in a statement addressed to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan authorities said Covid-19 protocols ought to be eased to boost cross-border trade. The Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (EAFFA) president Fred Seka had earlier asked EAC partner states to slacken Covid-9 protocols to ease congestion at border points. “We need to urgently revise the Covid-19 protocols,...