East African Community leaders and the business community are excited at the move by Kenyan President William Ruto to ease trade restriction between Kenya and Uganda, saying it gives new hope for deeper integration. Since his inauguration in September last year, Ruto has reversed several of his predecessor’s policies including lifting restrictions on imports from Uganda mainly dairy, poultry and sugar products. Though President Kenyatta largely maintained silence as the products were being confiscated, he was seen as responding to concerns by farmers’ and political leaders there, that Uganda’s low-priced products were killing the Kenyan agricultural sector. President Ruto has severally said no product from Uganda should be barred because EAC was all about free trade. Uganda has also recently attempted to stop importation of rice from Tanzania to protect local producers, while previously Tanzania had rejected sugar and maize from Uganda saying the country could produce enough for its own market. John Bosco Kalisa, the Chief Executive East African Business Community says the resolution of these disputes should lead to the removal of more non-tariff barriers to trade. First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for EAC Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga said a lot still had to be done, and condemned the practice of closing borders as hurting the business community and the innocent citizens. Speaking on Friday before a retreat of the EABC Board on the regional integration agenda in Kampala, Kadaga regretted that the traders at the Uganda-Rwanda border had got hope after Kigali announced the reopening of the...

The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA)  of the African Development Bank Group will provide a $1 million technical assistance grant to the Green Mobility Facility for Africa (GMFA). GMFA provides technical assistance and investment capital to accelerate and expand private sector investments in sustainable transport solutions in seven countries: Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. The SEFA grant will support the creation of an enabling environment for Electric vehicles (EVs), the design of EV business models and guidelines for the public and private sector, the development of a bankable pipeline of e-mobility projects, regional coordination, and knowledge sharing amongst other upstream activities to help catalyse follow-on private sector financing during the subsequent investment phase of the GMFA. “Mobility is a fundamental lifeline that connects people to critical services, jobs, education, and opportunities,” said Nnenna Nwabufo the Director-General of the Bank’s East Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office. “The African Development Bank is committed to building a sustainable and more climate-resilient future by catalysing private investment in low-carbon solutions. We believe GMFA will have a tremendous impact on the African market by accelerating the shift to green mobility, reducing over 2,175,000 carbon dioxide equivalent tons  of greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating the creation of 19,000 full-time jobs.” “Future demand for mobility solutions and vehicle ownership is expected to increase with rapid urbanisation, population growth, and economic development. We are delighted to receive this support from AfDB. We see this as a vote of confidence in...

There was relief to Busia Cereal business ventures as a Sh. 38million market constructed by TradeMark Africa (TMA) was inspected in readiness for use in two weeks’ time by cross border traders. The first modern cereal market is set to house over 160 traders both from Busia Kenya and Uganda and is 99 per cent complete according to the report by the committee comprising of TMA, office of County Commissioner Busia led by ACC Adano Duba, Cross border traders and CEC Trade Investment and cooperation Omuse Olekachuna. “This is the first modern cereal market with the best facilities that will give a new look to the town of Busia. The market is dear and a big relief to traders who have been doing their business on the roads in scorching sun,” noted CEC trader Olekachuna. The market will be launched at a time when traders had lost their structure constructed along road reserves in efforts to reorganize the town. Simon Konzolo, the project manager at TradeMark Africa-Kenya who has been overseeing the construction of the market applauded the traders for their patience noting that over 300 traders who were displaced will be given first priority in the allocation of stalls at the market. “The process of allocation of stalls will be free and fair with priority being given to displaced traders who paved the way for the construction of this market,” noted Konzolo. This is the first phase of the project even as traders seek the county government of Busia...

Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, member countries of  Southern African Development Community (SADC), have signed the Lobito Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (LCTTFA). The LCTTFA Agreement aims to provide an effective and efficient route that facilitates the transportation of goods within territories between the three Corridor Member States, through harmonisation of policies, laws and regulations; coordinated joint corridor infrastructure development strategies and activities; dissemination of traffic data and business information; and implementation of trade facilitation instruments to support greater participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in business value chains mainly in agriculture and mining with the view of increasing trade and economic growth along the Lobito Corridor and across the SADC Region. Honourable Ricardo Daniel Sandão Queirós Viegas de Abreu, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Angola, highlighted that the Lobito Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency will provide alternative trade route for importers and exporters from the DRC and Zambia and improve international and domestic traffic levels. The Agency will promote the sustained maintenance of the infrastructure and stimulate the development of the Lobito Corridor, ensuring that such development, infrastructure and other support services meet the present and future user requirements and encourage the reduction of costs associated with the movement of cargo and passengers along the Corridor. He said the Corridor presents an opportunity for the three Member States to establish and consolidate cooperation in the movement of people and goods; ensure cooperation in rail and road traffic; provide a more efficient and effective route...

South Sudan’s Juba International Airport has the heaviest costs for travellers and transporters, showing just how pricing can be a barrier to movement in the East African region. A study on air transport ranks the Juba airport as the fourth most expensive in Africa in terms of passenger charges, just below Niamey, Monrovia and Bissau airports. The study, released in January and titled ‘‘Air Transport Services Liberalisation in the East African Community, Focus on Drivers and Regulations’’, was carried out by the East African Business Council (EABC), TradeMark Africa (TMA) and the government of the Netherlands. Juba (South Sudan), Melchior Ndadaye International Airport (Burundi) and Entebbe (Uganda) airports have high airport tax on passengers, making them expensive destinations. “The airport tax charged of $122 at Juba International Airport on passengers is above the EAC regional average of $67,” the report says. Infrastructure, qualified personnel EABC chief executive John Kalisa attributes the costs to the lack of well-developed infrastructure and qualified personnel to control the airspace. “The major factors constraining the growth of air transport in EAC especially in South Sudan, is poor infrastructure and insecurity. The airport lacks cold rooms for storage of cargo making, among other facilities,” said Kalisa. “There is also non-uniformity in passenger handling charges in the EAC making some of the airports, including Uganda and Burundi, slightly expensive.” Uganda imposes a charge of $0.6 per boarding pass and the $10 on transfers, which are not imposed by other EAC member countries, other than Burundi which imposes...

Ministry of Trade and Industry Principal Secretary Francis Zhuwao has said the One Stop Border Post project will increase trade, tourism and stimulate the country’s economy. Speaking on Friday when the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances and Public Sector Reforms visited Mwami One Stop Border Post in Mchinji, he said the commissioning of the K10 billion facility has improved the way people conduct business at the border. The facility, a collaboration between by Zambia and Malawi, opened operations last year. Said Zhuwao: “The one stop border post concept is a good initiative and the fact that the Mchinji One Border Post is fully operational, we have seen some great improvement in terms of revenue from both sides.” He further said Malawi and Mozambique are finalising the construction of about K12 billion Dedza and Mwanza One Stop Border posts. “At a one stop border post passengers spend less than five to 10 minutes to clear goods. In the past, it took about two hours. So, there is a lot of efficiency,” he said. Committee chairperson Noel Lipipa commended government for initiating the One Stop Border Post project, saying it is improving the way people do business. He said: “We hope that we will have these posts on all borders of entry so that people do not take days to have their goods cleared.” Ministry of Trade and Industry and Malawi Revenue Authority are facilitating the one stop border posts. Ministry of Trade and Industry Principal Secretary Francis Zhuwao has said the...

Summary The excessive costs and associated problems are thought to be resolved by a single air transport services agreement involving all seven East African Community partner states Arusha. Industry players have suggested how the prohibitive air fares in East Africa can be lowered. These have to include total unification of air transport service or deliberate preference to local airlines registered rather than the international carriers. A single air transport services agreement binding all seven East African Community (EAC) partner states is seen as a solution to the exorbitant costs and related challenges. “It will lower the cost of air tickets for both passengers and cargo in the region,” said the East African Business Council (EABC) executive director, John Bosco Kalisa. He made the appeal on Wednesday during a validation webinar for the recently concluded study on air transport services Liberalisation in the EAC bloc. He challenged the EAC partner states to give “favourable treatment” to the EAC airlines in order to lower the fares through proximity and economies of scale. The study commissioned by EABC, an apex body of private sector associations in the region, aimed to seek ways to bring down air transport fares in the region. Also incorporated in the study is TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), an organization funded by a range of development agencies with the aim of growing prosperity in East Africa through trade. Mr Kalisa regretted that foreign airlines that connect to the region often enjoyed more “favourable treatment” than EAC airlines. “The region can...

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and Trademark Africa (TMA), signed a partnership agreement here Friday night to facilitate the development of trading infrastructure across Africa to boost trade. A memorandum of understanding between the two parties was signed during the ongoing Africa Prosperity Dialogue in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Wamkele Mene, secretary general of AfCFTA, said he expected the partnership to help improve the collective competitiveness of all countries under the continental free trade agreement. “It is possible to see the ambition of TMA to support our vision of integrating the $3.4 trillion African market becoming a reality,” said Mene. Alluding to the success stories of TMA in East Africa and the Horn of Africa region, the secretary general said the introduction of digitization and other modern trade infrastructure would reduce the time and cost of transit trade in Africa. “We shall adopt a corridor-to-corridor approach in reforming the transit processes and improve the collective competitiveness of all the trade corridors on the continent,” he said. The signing of the agreement coincided with the simultaneous rebranding of the company as Trademark Africa from the previous Trademark East Africa and the opening of its West African business. “Africa is a sleeping giant due to its vast potentials that are yet to be tapped. But now, we are closer to that dream than when we started,” said Erastus Mwencha, board chairman of TMA. He said the partnership would enable the private sector player to expand its impactful programming...

TradeMark East Africa, one of the world’s leading Aid for Trade organisation, has today rebranded to TradeMark Africa (TMA) (www.TradeMarkAfrica.com) and simultaneously officially launched its West Africa operations. Founded in 2010 in Kenya, today marks TradeMark Africa expansion from its previous core operational area of East Africa and the Horn, to also support countries in West and Southern Africa. TradeMark Africa now has a presence in fourteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Ghana. TradeMark Africa has to date made cumulative investments of over $1.3 billion in East Africa and the Horn, to reduce the time and costs of trading across borders, and to improve export competitiveness of African businesses. These have among other results slashed the time for traders to cross borders – by 70% on average; and for businesses to receive certification – often from many days to a number of hours. Its programmes have contributed to a 16.5% reduction in the total time it takes to transport a container on the Northern Corridor from Kenya’s Mombasa Port to Bujumbura, Burundi. As part of the pivot to West Africa, TradeMark Africa will support the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), based in Accra, Ghana, to realise its vision of integrating the $3.4 trillion African market. TradeMark Africa will also work with regional economic communities (RECs) such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to...

Ghana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TradeMark Africa (TMA) for the development of trading infrastructure along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor to boost intra-Africa trade. The signing of the agreement on the corridor that connects Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria and accounts for more than 75 per cent of West Africa’s trade, occurred on the back of the just ended Africa Prosperity Summit. It occurred at Peduase in the Eastern Region of Ghana and coincided with the rebranding of the company from TradeMark East Africa to TradeMark Africa and the expansion of its business operations in West Africa. It also demonstrated the commitment and determination of the parties to improve trade related infrastructure and environment to enhance the performance of the Abijan-Lagos corridor to support intra-African trade as envisioned by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Herbert Krapa, signed for Ghana, with Mr Erastus Mwencha, the Board Chairman of TMA signing for his company, and was witnessed by the Caretaker Minister of Trade, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor and Mr Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, AfCFTA Secretariat. The development of the trade infrastructure is expected to reduce the time and costs of trading across borders, improve export competitiveness of African businesses and the integration of the $3.4 trillion African market under AfCFTA. Mr Jinapor said the initiative by Trademark Africa would support actions taken by African governments to advance trade facilitation and custom clearance of goods and people through various...