THE government has commended horticultural champion TAHA and UNDP for setting up a pioneer ultra-modern National centre of excellence for horticulture, a massive boost to the high-flying sector. The state-of-the-art national centre of excellence for horticulture is part of TAHA, UNDP, Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) TRIAS, Ricolto among other key players’ grand strategies to unlock the multimillion-dollar industry. Currently, horticulture earns the economy $779 million (1.8tri/-) annually, up from $100 million (230.3bn/-) in 2004, making the industry a nascent venture to watch in terms of creating jobs, wealth, and health. Inaugurating the Tengeru horticulture farmer’s services centre of excellence (CoE) in Arumeru District in the Arusha region, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Mr Hussein Bashe poured praises to TAHA and UNDP for truly complimenting the government’s efforts in building key infrastructures critical to unleashing the potential of the agriculture sector. “I take this opportunity to congratulate TAHA, UNDP and urge development partners to emulate the spirit to enable the farmers meet the market requirements,” Mr Bashe explained. He asked TAHA and UNDP to ensure that the centre is equipped with hi-end lab technologies so that extensive research could be carried out for producing high-yielding varieties of fruits and vegetables. “This Centre of excellence must have high tech poly-house for vegetable nursery and a high-tech nursery for fruits to help farmers to maximize their profit” Mr Bashe noted. TAHA Group CEO, Dr Jacqueline Mkindi said the centre also has a mobile cold refrigerator, the first facility of its kind in the...

EFFORTS to up efficiency of the Dar es Salaam Port got major boost as the port Tuesday started receiving modern work equipment purchased from 210bn/- that the government had disbursed for that purpose. The received facilities were seven Reach Stackers, three pilot boats and one large crane all worth 27bn/-. Works and Transport Minister Prof Makame Mbarawa noted that more other equipment have been ordered and will be arriving in the country between now and June next year. The move is to ensure that the country's largest port gets enough tools for increasing operational efficiency, said Prof Mbarawa when officiating receiving of the new equipment at the port in Dar es Salaam. Prof Mbarawa said the investment made by the government was reforming the port and helping it to handle more cargo. "The arrival of these tools is a continuation of the major reforms taking place in our ports. This is a proof that the sixth phase government is looking at this sector with a special attention. "My advice to the management of the TPA (Tanzania Ports Authority) is that they should ensure that these valuable equipment are well preserved and maintained timely as well as operated by qualified staff for them to last longer and bring returns," he said. He reminded that his Ministry will continue to monitor the performance of the TPA by providing consistent guidance all the times to enable the ports to make a greater contribution to the national economy. Professor Mbarawa thanked President Samia Suluhu...

Agriculture is one of East Africa’s most important sectors, with about 80 percent of the population of the region relying on it directly and indirectly as their source of revenue. East African Community (EAC) member states produce similar products, and much as enhancing food security and rational agricultural and livestock production is vital, there is need to harmonise agricultural policies and programmes for efficient and effective production and market within and outside the community. Foodstuffs dominate exports within the regional markets, and farmers enjoy improved yields due to somewhat favourable weather. Even so, farmers face weak demand for their products with waning hopes of stronger demand for agricultural products. The agricultural sector contributes immensely to regional development. In Uganda, for example, the sector’s total employment was averagely 72 percent before the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector has been given priority in the National Development Plan III (NDPIII) structures along the lines of traditional cash crops (coffee, cotton, tea, cocoa, tobacco, sugarcane), non-traditional cash crops (maize, rice, beans, soya beans, palms, and horticultural produce), livestock, fishing and aquaculture. Despite this decipherable growth in the agricultural sector entirely as a region, local farmers still face many challenges from intensified non-tariff barriers, shortfalls in the trade balance of power, that contradict the EAC common market commitments. On top of common recurrent challenges like the limited use of mechanisation and over-dependence on rain seasons, there are protocols that are not honoured by member states in preference of other regional bodies. The East African region needs...

Kenya has often been referred to as the ‘gateway to East Africa’ because of the strategic importance of Mombasa, which has one of the busiest ports on the East African coastline, and the central political-economic roles she plays in the region. The government has been pushing for rapid economic growth through social, structural and economic reforms under the Big Four agenda, which focuses on food security, affordable housing, universal health care, and manufacturing. This is all aimed at turning Kenya into a middle-income country by 2030. We are now in the last decade of Vision 2030 timeline, with numerous goals left to hit. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its eventual circumvention of the globe by mid-last year seriously curtailed economic growth worldwide. Kenya was no exception. Since then, however, concerted efforts are being put towards building back better and weaving resilience into world economies. The depth and breadth of interference the pandemic has had on global economies highlights just how vulnerable we are to shocks. Across sub-Saharan Africa, the combined shocks of Covid-19, conflicts and climate change have denied more than 190 million Africans access to the most basic of needs – food. This year’s Africa Green Revolution Forum, which was held in Nairobi, brought stakeholders from all over Africa together to discuss how agriculture and agri-food systems can be transformed to improve food security and reduce poverty across the continent. The African Continental Free Trade Area was singled out as an opportunity to increase intra-African trade and...

East Africa’s economic growth is expected to recover to an average of 4.1% in 2021, up from 0.4% posted in 2020, according to the African Development Bank’s latest economic outlook report for the region. In 2022, average growth is projected to hit 4.9%. The flagship report, launched on 28 October, reviews the socio-economic performance of 13 countries: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. According to the report’s findings, Covid-19 containment measures and global supply and demand disruptions hit businesses and livelihoods hard and increased poverty, while political fragility in some countries and limited economic diversification in others were significant impediments to growth. The report, themed Debt Dynamics in East Africa: The Path to Post-Covid Recovery, notes that the rapid recovery of the region is being driven by sustained public spending on infrastructure, improved performance of the agricultural sector, and deepening regional economic integration. According to the report, while East Africa is undergoing a shift toward a more service-oriented economy, some countries are experiencing deindustrialization. To accelerate recovery and build post-Covid-19 resilience, the report recommends that countries accelerate structural transformation through digitalization, industrialization, economic diversification and consolidation of peace, security, and stability. In his keynote address at the launch, Somali Finance Minister Abdirahman Dualeh Beileh warned the pandemic could continue to impede progress toward inclusive growth. “The contraction of economic activities, increase in fiscal deficits due to high public spending to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic amidst reduced public revenues, and exchange...

Summary Once ratified, AfCFTA will expand business prospects for women-led businesses by integrating informal SMEs into the continental markets, breaking the barriers they constantly encounter as they try to penetrate more advanced regional and overseas markets. CBC-CIPE Women’s Empowerment Conference: Afcfta - An opportunity for women-run SMEs in Africa to competitively trade  Towards the successful implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement for inclusive and sustainable development across Africa. Expected outcomes of the full implementation of AfCFTA: Raise intra-Africa trade from 15 percent or $50 billion in 2017 to 25 percent or $70 billion by 2040 - United Nations Economic Commission of Africa (UNECA). Lift 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty and boost the incomes of nearly 68 million others who live on less than $5.50 a day – World Bank. Boost Africa’s income by $450 billion by 2035 (a gain of 7 percent) while adding $6 billion to the income of the rest of the world – World Bank. Whilst women comprise the vast majority of informal cross-border traders in Africa, they are disproportionately affected by non-tariff barriers (NTBs), including corruption, harassment, misinformation about customs procedures and regulations and confiscation of goods. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents one of the greatest opportunities for bolstering inclusive growth and sustainable development on the African continent. Under the Agreement, the African Union Member States explicitly seek to achieve gender equality and enhance the export capacity of women and youth. The AfCFTA holds a huge growth potential for businesses, within and outside...

SUMMARY Kenyan maize imports account for 58 percent of the grain traded among East African countries between July and September, as poor weather affected the country’s production. Latest data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that the country imported 155,610 metric tonnes of the grain in the period, followed by South Sudan at 114,660 metric tonnes. Kenyan maize imports account for 58 percent of the grain traded among East African countries between July and September, as poor weather affected the country’s production. Latest data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that the country imported 155,610 metric tonnes of the grain in the period, followed by South Sudan at 114,660 metric tonnes. Tanzania contributed the most to the basket with 152,880 metric tonnes of exports (57 percent) while Uganda sold 117,390 metric tonnes of maize (43 percent) to Kenya and South Sudan. Underwhelming rains in Kenya’s maize producing areas have affected production this year, with the Ministry of Agriculture projecting production will drop by 20 percent this year. To bridge the gap, the government in March lifted a ban on maize imports from Tanzania, which had been barred due for containing high levels of aflatoxin. The agriculture ministry said that the lifting of the ban saw imports rise nearly six-and-a-half times to 118,329 ninety-kilogramme bags in May from 16,137 a month earlier. “The above-average volume traded was supported by seasonal exports from Tanzania to Kenya as increasingly fresh supplies from the May-to-August harvest entered the market amid high demand in Kenya...

The Kigali International Financial Centre has announced the entrance of a $250 million investment fund dubbed Virunga Africa Fund I which will invest in sectors capable of driving economic growth and social transformation across Africa. The anchor investors of the fund are the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB). RSSB is the largest investment fund in Rwanda with investments in infrastructure, financial services, hospitality, manufacturing, and healthcare. The Fund will be managed by Admaius, an independent investment firm with experienced pan-African investment teams. The senior leadership team includes Donald Kaberuka, the former President of the African Development Bank Group, acting as Non-Executive Chairman. Others in the firm's leadership include Marlon Chigwende, Davinder Sikand, Amine Allam, Maty N'diaye and Anita Umulisa. Umulisa is the firm's Chief Financial Officer and previously played a similar role at I&M Bank Rwanda. The Fund's Head Office will be based in Kigali and domiciled in the Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC) serving as a centralized holding presence for financial activities across Africa. Other offices will be in Kenya, Tunisia and Côte d'Ivoire, and the United Kingdom. According to officials, the fund will target investments capable of delivering tangible change for Rwandans and people across the continent. The fund aims to invest in projects that will increase access to essential services including healthcare, education, digital infrastructure, and financial services. "The Fund will leverage strong in-house and industry sector expertise to guide businesses through digital transformation and create long-term value, capitalizing on post-Covid-19 opportunities,...

The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the Mouvement des Entreprises de France International (MEDEF) have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a period of five years, in support of trade between Kenyan and French businesses. The initial MOU, signed in 2012 has seen KEPSA and MEDEF collaborate in hosting high-level business forums both in Kenya and France to facilitate trade and investment opportunities for their respective members over the years. KEPSA CEO Carole Kariuki noted that France is the fifth top source of Foreign Direct Investment inflows to Kenya, making it one of Kenya’s leading markets in Europe. “In 2020 our businesses exported USD 87 million in products such as avocados, pineapples, cut flowers, beans, and vegetables. Likewise, we imported USD 219.1 million worth of products such as food preparations, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and machinery, among others. This is in addition to 46,000 French nationals who visited Kenya in 2019, a major boost for our tourism industry,” she said. In March 2019 KEPSA and MEDEF co-hosted a networking dinner with 45 French business leaders in Nairobi alongside the state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. In October last year, KEPSA participated in a high-level luncheon hosted by MEDEF in Paris. “With the renewal of our MOU with KEPSA, MEDEF is looking to increase investment in Kenya, which is now a regional economy, through building a stronger and sustainable value chain,” said Philippe Gautier, MEDEF CEO. MEDEF Is the largest employer federation in France. Established in 1998, It has...

In Summary Guide being developed through a one-stop-shop portal housing the regulatory processes and investment opportunities that local investor needs to know. The policy is based on Kenya’s ease of doing business approach to improve efficiency and eliminate bureaucracy. Lamu County is drafting a trade and investment policy to help local firms take full advantage of the potential of the Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport. The policy is based on making it easy to do business, eliminating bureaucracy and improving efficiency to facilitate trade and domestic investment. The county executive for trade and industrialisation Josephat Musembi said the county guide is being developed through a one-stop-shop portal housing regulatory processes and investment opportunities local investors need to know. Speaking at the launch of Fadhili Micro-Enterprises Ltd Branch in Mpeketoni in Lamu west, Musembi said the Lamu port is a big plus for trade and industry in the county. Plans were on to ensure businesses make the most of it. He said traders and youth are essential for the success of trade and industrialisation. DO BUSINESS: Traders at the launch of the Fadhili Micro-Entreprises in Mpeketoni,Lamu West. Image: CHETI PRAXIDES "Countless milestones drive a thriving trade environment," Musembi said. He cited the installation of security lights throughout the county, construction of markets and the rehabilitation or modernisation of old retail markets, the opening up of rural roads, or cabro paving of towns and markets. He said the the Ministry of Youth and Gender will soon start sending cheques to youth, women and...