The 2-day trainings will be offered over a period of 12 weeks East Africa Community (EAC) has planned to carry out training at the 12 “One Stop Border Posts” (OSBPs) in the region to enhance the capacity of staff to tackle infection and transmission of the Covid 19-related diseases on travelers. Border Posts are high-risk areas regarding the spread of coronavirus and other infectious diseases from one country to another. These points of entry are at the center of movement of people, animals and goods from one country to another. The capacity of border post staff to prevent the spread of the virus and to quickly and expertly respond to infections in people who cross the border determines the logistics efficiency. The region has started opening its borders and space to allow movement of travelers in the region. “This involves a risk as the pandemic has not yet ended”, said Hon Christophe Bazivamo, the Deputy Secretary General Productive and Social Sectors at the EAC Secretariat. Human mobility across borders has exacerbated the spread of COVID 19 within the EAC region and beyond. “It is hence pertinent and a matter of urgency that in addition to the measures already established, all staff of various sectors at the border posts are trained in the prevention of COVID 19,” Bazivamo said. The EAC Secretariat with support from the German Government through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has engaged AMREF Flying Doctors (AFD) to conduct the emergency intervention trainings for about...

The East African Community (EAC) is targeting one Stop Border Posts’ staff I campaign to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the region. Border Posts are high-risk areas regarding the spread of COVID 19 and other infectious diseases from one country to another. These “Points of Entry” are at the center of movement of people, animals and goods from one country to another. The capacity of border post staff to prevent the spread of the virus and to quickly and expertly respond to infections in people who cross the border determines the efficiency. “The region has started opening its borders and space to allow movement of travelers in the region. This involves a risk as the pandemic has not yet ended”, says Christophe Bazivamo, the Deputy Secretary General Productive and Social Sectors at the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat. To minimize this risk, the EAC will convene a training of trainers at 12 “One Stop Border Posts” (OSBPs) in the region to enhance the capacity of staff for infection prevention and for communicating the COVID-related risks to travelers. Human mobility across borders has exacerbated the spread of COVID 19 within the EAC region and beyond. It is hence pertinent and a matter of urgency that in addition to the measures already established, all staff of various sectors at the border posts are trained in the prevention of COVID 19. This will enable them to protect themselves effectively, while engaging with people at large scale. At the same time, it implements...

SUMMARY Immigration plays a pivotal role in economic growth and development. At a basic level, it determines who enters or departs a country. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted lives and operations, creating new challenges as well as opportunities. The pandemic has also highlighted immigration issues that need to be addressed. Immigration plays a pivotal role in economic growth and development. At a basic level, it determines who enters or departs a country. One condition of entry is that a visitor or returning resident should not carry any contagious disease, which is why many countries have imposed cross-border movement protocols like border closures and lockdowns to curb spread of the pandemic. However, as its impact evolves, it is becoming clear that the effective management of the pandemic requires reengineering of immigration processes, policies, precepts and practices. East African Community (EAC) partner states have approached the pandemic from different vantage points. While South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda imposed lockdowns, Tanzania and Burundi closely monitored the situation without interrupting day-to-day movement and activities. Kenya, on the other hand, opted for a curfew and the cessation of movement. All countries in the region closed their borders but have continued to allow cargo movement and approve the evacuation of foreign nationals. The different and evolving reactions to the pandemic have had many immigration ramifications. Many people have found themselves locked out of their domiciles. To ease immigrations, Ugandan and Kenyan authorities recently automated regularisation services. Even so, five immigration concerns still need to be addressed:...

Business people operating in the East African region have asked member state governments to open up their borders to enable them freely transact businesses in observance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Following the outbreak of Covid19 pandemic in the region, EAC countries restricted movement of people across their boundaries, allowing only cargo trucks. This left out small scale traders who used to move with their goods on buses and other means of transport stranded with their merchandise. Speaking at a two-day regional conference held in Kampala yesterday, small scale traders who comprised of mostly women suggested that proper emphasis should be put on preventing the pandemic instead of closing regional trade entirely. “Covid19 is here to stay; we must all work to keep each other safe and productive instead of increasing vulnerability to those who have been already marginalized,” said Shiela Kawamara executive Director EASSI one of the participants. Jane Nalunga the country director SEATINI Uganda said from this Covid period Government should help all business people recover from the losses they incurred through negotiations with other countries to open borders. “We need to fight Covid at a regional level not as a country because we don’t know when the vaccine will be discovered.” During this conference, some of the participants confessed that due to border closure they resorted to smuggling their goods through porous borders which is very risky. Read original article

In Summary According to the World Bank, the Covid-19 pandemic is set to cost East Africa partner states between $37 billion to $79 billion in output losses. The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) says ready to resolve some of the bottlenecks the region is facing. There is need for deeper collaborations between the public and private sector to boost intra-EAC trade and investment, industry players have said, as the region wades through Covid-19 effects on economies. During a consultative CEOs roundtable meeting organized by the East African Business Council (EABC) in collaboration with GIZ, in Arusha, the industry captains noted that the region's economies are interdependent hence need close collaboration. Dubbed 'Creating Perspectives Project', the Thursday forum brought together company chief executives in Arusha, with the aim of deliberating on approaches that the private sector can explore to revamp their businesses amid the pandemic. The business leaders have lauded the Tanzanian government for its commitment towards sustainable economic growth, following the attainment of the middle-income status from the World Bank, this year. The leaders also noted that the decision to keep the economy open, offered the private sector a major relief in terms of business resilience as it also strengthened local supply chains. This happens in the background of a recent report by the African Development Bank (AfDB), indicating that Tanzania’s economy is estimated to grow at 5.5 per cent in 2020, recording the highest growth in the region. During the meeting, EABC CEO, Peter Mathuki called upon businesses to...

The SOPs were developed by a team of experts in cargo transport, Warehousing, Freight Forwarding, Customs clearance and Public health. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) spelt out by the logistics industry stakeholders to contain the spread of Covid 19 through EAC’s supply chain as the industry copes with the ‘new normal’ are being finalized. Materials for sensitization campaign have already been developed and reviewed by the industry stakeholders including the East African Community (EAC), the East African Business Council (EABC) and World Health Organization (WHO) representatives in the region. “EAC has so far given its input on the Covid-19 SOPs and the sensitization materials. WHO have also reviewed the COVID19 messages to be used in the sensitization of campaign as other stakeholders share their input before full roll-out soon,” Fred Seka, Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA) president said. Since the COVID19 messages have been sanctioned by WHO, FEAFFA will work closely with the Ministries of Health in each partner state and other industry stakeholders to complement efforts geared towards stopping the spread of the virus especially among the customs agents, freight forwarders, warehouse operators and truckers, added Seka. “Furthermore, the messages are customized in adherence to partner states’ protocols and EAC guidelines on COVID19,” Seka said. Trademark East Africa (TMA) is supporting the initiative through FEAFFA, the regional apex body of freight forwarders in East Africa. It is being rolled out in collaboration with the Kenya Transporters Association (KTA), Regional Lorry Drivers and Drivers Association (RLDA), Tanzania...

East African countries are scrambling to secure bilateral trade deals with the United Kingdom for the post-Brexit era as the current multilateral agreement nears expiry and negotiations for a new collective pact stall over ideological differences. The East African Community is racing against time to get a new deal with extensive talks expected in the coming weeks. There are only four months left until the current trade arrangement ends December 31, which gives partner states duty and quota-free access to the British market. Rwanda has been chairing the bloc’s negotiations but is also pursuing a bilateral post-Brexit deal with the UK that will offer Rwandan exports continued free access to Britain from January 2021. The Tanzanian government is renegotiating its current bilateral trade relationship with Britain in the wake of the latter’s exit from the European Union, Deputy Minister for Trade Stella Manyanya said, noting that they are looking to protect locally-made goods. Kenya is considered the most vulnerable as the country will be affected most if the EAC does not sign a multilateral post-Brexit trade deal with the UK. Being a lower-middle-income country, Nairobi’s exports would be subject to taxes and other restrictions while other member states classified as Least Developed Countries continue to enjoy unrestricted access. The EAC is supposed to have signed a draft agreement by the end of next month, but that looks highly unlikely. An initial meeting that held last week was downgraded to “consultative talks” instead of a decisive agenda-setting forum, according to a report by The EastAfrican. More...

The East African Community has kicked-off national launches of the 50 Million African Women Speak Networking Platform (50MAWS), a digital platform aimed at empowering millions of women in Africa to start, grow and scale up their businesses. Gracing the national launch for the United Republic of Tanzania at the Karimjee Hall, in Dar es Salaam, Ummy Mwalimu, Minister of Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, seniors and Children, said the government of Tanzania has received the project, and was happy to embrace the initiative to further enable women to connect, network and transact business. “Implementing this project is critical in the empowerment of women in the region,” the Minister said, adding that the platform presents an opportunity to heighten the economic empowerment of women in the region. Mwalimu called upon womenfolk to pursue bigger entrepreneurial dreams, such as value addition in the value-chains and tapping the export markets. “I call upon the Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce to work with women and assist them to develop business proposals that can attract access to finance,” she added. Speaking during the same occasion, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Christophe Bazivamo, said that the 50MAWS Platform has been developed using information and content collected nationally and regionally, and therefore contains information closer to home and within reach in terms of reaching markets within the region. “I am aware that women in business present here today are already leveraging technology to market their products, designs and artworks....

The East African Community is a regional economic bloc comprising Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan. It is important to note that trade within the East African Community (EAC) has not remained the same since the outbreak of coronavirus in the region. Covid-19 is a global pandemic that is suppressing and damaging the social, economic, and political agenda of the EAC. It is sabotaging, frustrating, and obstructing trade within the region. It is greatly affecting trade within the EAC in numerous ways. From within the member states, some trade sectors like those dealing in clothes have been barred from trading. This means that some people are out of business and, therefore, the levels of unemployment have accelerated. Additionally, some traders who earn from hand-to-mouth have run out of capital and, therefore, they are unable to trade again even if the lockdown is lifted since they have used the capital they had to take care of themselves. It has enumerated delay in the clearance of the goods. Currently, Covid-19 has led to the introduction measures meant to prevent the spread of the virus, including testing and waiting for the test results for truck drivers hence raising the non-tariff barriers. Covid 19 is making transportation of goods difficult. The common mode of transport within the East African region has been road transport, yet statistics show that in Uganda, most truck drivers from Kenya and Tanzania are the ones bringing Covid-19 to Uganda. The pandemic is weakening the progress of trade...

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 19 – The East African Community has been urged to fast track the admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo into the regional bloc noting that it sources for goods that the EAC can ably supply, from very distant markets.   A study conducted by the East African Business Council reveals that the value of goods imported in the DRC in 2019, stood at USD 6.6 billion. The study reveals China is the top exporter to the country commanding a share of 31.2 percent, followed by South Africa at 15.8 percent and Zambia 13 percent. However, EAC exports to the DRC in 2018, stood at USD 855.4 million, representing 11.5 percent of total DRC imports. East African Business Council CEO Peter Mathuki says DRC will benefit from the larger EAC Common Market and Common External Tariff framework. He added that the country will also, have access to seaports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam at competitive rates. “DRC will benefit from the larger EAC Common Market and Common External Tariff framework. It will also have access to the seaports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam at competitive rates. Their huge population of 81 million people also provides a vast opportunity for SMEs from the EAC region,” Mathuki said. The study finds that non-tariff barriers in DRC have hampered business translating to high cost of doing business in the country. “EABC being the apex body for the private sector in the region will play a critical role in advocating for ease...