The Mombasa Tea Auction has been fully automated to boost efficiency and transparency. East Africa Tea Trade Association (EATTA), which runs the auction said that the new Integrated Tea Trading System (iTTS) costs Sh230 million. The automation was funded by the Danish International Development Agency (Danida) through Trade Mark East Africa, said EATTA chairman Arthur Sewe. Mr Sewe said automation of the auction will reduce the period in the tea trading cycle as well as direct costs associated with the auction process. The iTTS project automated the manual processes along the tea value chain and stakeholders hope it will enhance tea volumes traded at the auction and productivity. He said iTTS will ensure availability and access to tea trade data in a timely, reliable, accurate and verifiable manner. “When fully implemented, iTTS will significantly reduce the need for physical presence or representation. It will simplify the tea trading process, reducing, among other things, the learning curve for new entrants into the tea sector and streamlining of processes,” Mr Sewe said. He noted that automation will contribute to an increase in the income of farmers even in the event that prices remain constant. Mr Sewe explained that the digital platform will enable tea packers to effectively participate in the auction and enhance the opportunities for marketing and selling value-added teas. KTDA board chairman David Ichoho expressed hope that smallholder farmers will gain following the automation of the auction. [Sammy Omingo, Standard] “iTTS will increase the volumes of tea sold at the auction....

Summary The bloc’s highest decision-making organ, the Heads of State Summit, will review the protocol at the High-Level Summit Retreat on the Common Market before this year’s summit in April. EAC Secretary-General Dr Peter Mathuki confirmed the plan. Described as one of the most ambitious regional integration agreements globally, the CMP was meant to spur intra-EAC trade but partner states have not enjoyed its full benefits. Other trading bottlenecks include Covid-related measures that saw Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda close their borders at the height of the waves of infections, hampering free movement of goods, workers, services and capital. The East African Community is reviewing the Common Market Protocol to allow a smooth entry of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and spur intra-regional trade, which has stagnated at around 15 percent. The bloc’s highest decision-making organ, the Heads of State Summit, will review the protocol at the High-Level Summit Retreat on the Common Market before this year’s summit in April. EAC Secretary-General Dr Peter Mathuki confirmed the plan. The Common Market was adopted in 2009 and entered into force on July 1, 2010, with the aim of boosting the growth of the EAC through free movement of goods, services, labour and capital. Its introduction five years after the first pillar, the Customs Union (2005), required that it combine the region’s economies, create opportunities for the private sector and increase competitiveness. But, 11 years on, its requirements have been hampered by tariff and non-tariff barriers, red tape and noncompliance by the...

The Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) has announced plans to simplify trade procedures for Avocado and Fish in the current financial year 21/22 in a bid to lower  administrative burden costs for traders. Speaking to a Nigerian delegation who visited KenTrade head offices in Nairobi on a benchmarking  exercise, KenTrade Director, Trade Facilitation David Ngarama said, the move is aimed at reducing the  time and cost of trade for the two commodities. Kenya mainly imports frozen tilapia, frozen mackerels, sardines, prawns and salmon among others while  the country exports frozen nile perch, tuna, octopus, whole tilapia and lobsters notably to the European  Union. Avocado on the other hand has been a major contributor of the earnings in the horticulture sector. Last  Year, Kenya topped Africa’s avocado exports and was among the world top 10 producers. Avocado  farmers earned Sh14.48 billion between January to November 2021. KenTrade is in partnership with GIZ in this simplification exercise. Other stakeholders involved in the exercise include KEPHIS, Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD),  Directorate Public Health, Port Health Services, Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Kenya  Fisheries Services, County Directorate of Fisheries, State Department of Trade (NTFC) Kenya Fish  Processors and Exporters Association (AFIPEK), Avocado Society of Kenya, Avocado Exporters  Association of Kenya. KenTrade has been able to map out procedures for ninety-five (95) commodities, which include all  procedures of export, import and transit on the trade information portal, dubbed InfoTradeKenya Portal. "Upon mapping the procedures, the team started simplification of trade procedures in 2018. To date, ...

Summary Many women hold top positions in various institutions, but their rise was not smooth at all Dar es Salaam. On March 8, the world celebrated Women’s Day. Once again for Tanzania, The Citizen’s Rising Woman Initiative made the day even more exciting. The initiative, a brainchild of Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), which kicked off last year, attracted women and men from different organisations who gathered at the Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel and deliberated various issues including the importance of women holding top positions for inclusive societal growth. Starting in the morning with a special occasion of “Women in Energy Breakfast” the day culminated in the evening during the main event with panellists expressing their views on how the bias can be broken. Some recounted the ordeal they had to go through before reaching the current level of being recognised in their communities. One such story that made this year’s initiative so unique, is that of Ms Rose Njilo from Ngorongoro who was married when she was just 12 years old. Hailing from the Maasai community, Ms Njilo, who was one of the panellists and director of the Mimutie Women Organization (Mwo), a watchdog for specialist groups (children and women) in pastoralist communities, says it is her courage and diligence that brought her to where she is today. She says she got married shortly after finishing standard seven in 1997 as the third wife amidst many challenges that forced her not to tolerate the marriage. “I was married off when...

Thirty-five women entrepreneurs have scoped awards of excellence in their business in an event which was coordinated by Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce (TWCC). The colourful event was held in Dar es Salaam on Thursday and was graced by the Minister for Community Development, Women and Children, Dr Dorothy Gwajima. Speaking during the ceremony, Dr Gwajima said women can do wonders if they are given chances and she urged men to trust them and give them space so that they can show their abilities. She also advised the event organiserto increase the trophies from the current 35 up to 150 next year. She said there were a lot of opportunities for loans with low interest where women can apply and start their own business instead of depending too much to their spouses. TWCC, Chief Executive Officer, MwajumaHamza, said there were five judges who scrutinized entries of the competitions from 16 sectors and eventually they came up with 35 winners across the country. She said there were criteria that were used to select winners among of them the sustainability of the business, strategic plan of the business, if it has TBS certification and the ownership of the business. The team leader of the GIZ Regional Program Employment and Skills for Development in Africa, KabongoMbuyisaid that women are key drivers of change and do provide majority of employment opportunities as well as contributing to the national economy (GDP) as in Tanzania women owned enterprises stands at 54 percent. “As we have seen...

Dar es Salaam. John Ulanga is the Regional Director for East and Central Africa at TradeMark Africa. He is responsible for the overall portfolio of TradeMark Africa support in seven countries, namely, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the DR Congo. He has held different leadership positions and sits in more than 22 boards, one being that of Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL). Mr Ulanga shares his life story and how he has managed to be where he is today, including his life-long support towards women in leadership agenda and beyond. He says that he comes from a very humble beginning with parents who worked as public servants. Ulanga parsued his education in public schools. His story is that of determination, wanting to succeed and waking up every day saying ‘I want to be a better version of myself’. Ulanga studied his primary education and Ordinary level of secondary education in Dar es Salaam before joining Mazengo Secondary School in Dodoma for his A-level education. Later he joined the University of Dar es Salaam where he did his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. Upon joining the country’s labour force, Ulanga worked for private and public sectors. According to him, all these successes up to that level were mostly inspired by parents, particularly, as they kept challenging him to achieve a higher goal. He would go home proudly to hand over a report that said he ranked 2 or 3 in his exams. However, his father would always look at the school...

International trade, however, has a huge part to play in keeping the UK’s florists stocked with fresh cut flowers. The second top import market to the UK for flowers is Kenya, which supplies just over 8 percent of British-sold flowers, or 10,000 tons, worth not far off £67 million. Cut flowers account for 25% of all Kenyan imports to the UK. The Institute of Export & International Trade has been working with donor organization TradeMark Africa (TMA) to implement a ‘digital trade corridor’ between the UK and Kenya to help simplify trade between the two nations. The initiative, called the ‘UK-Kenya Trade Logistics Information Pipeline’ (TLIP), aims to eliminate documentation and introduce better visibility in the supply chains flowing between the UK and Kenya. This initiative builds upon on the Kenya-UK Economic Partnership Agreement, which was signed in December 2020. TLIP's system uses blockchain technology to link all those in a supply chain together, enabling faster logistics and easier trading. Marco Forgione, director general of the IOE&IT, said: “This Valentine’s Day when you were giving your loved one a beautiful bouquet of flowers, consider the journey they have taken to put that smile on their face. Around nine different organizations are involved with the transportation of flowers from Kenya before they enter your home and all of these actions in the supply chain require documentation to move the goods along on their journey. “The trade corridor we are creating will provide more transparency and enable all actors to view the...

In 2020, South Sudan’s exports summed up to US$87 million to the EAC member states, while imports amounted to US$573 million They (traders) explained that the delayed implementation of the EAC Single Customs Territory by South Sudan causes delays in cargo clearance at the border EABC urged the EAC secretariat to bring together more resources to support South Sudan to finalise the construction of a One-Stop Border Post Trade in East Africa The East African Business Council is persuading the Republic of South Sudan to fully implement the East African Community’s Single Customs Territory to accelerate Intra-EAC trade. Traders, transporters and clearing and forwarding agents spoke at the EABC-TMA Public-Private Dialogue at the Elegu/Nimule One-Stop Border Post. They explained that the delayed implementation of the EAC Single Customs Territory by South Sudan causes delays in cargo clearance at the border. The traders and transporters noted that, at times, trucks await clearance up to two days in the parking lot. South Sudan joined the East African community joined the EAC in April 2016, after being the youngest nation to gain independence on July 9, 2011. In 2020, South Sudan’s exports summed up to US$87 million to the EAC member states, while imports amounted to US$573 million. In contrast to the year 2016, the exports and imports to the same stood at US$2.6 million and US$400 million respectively. According to the International Trade Center, South Sudan exported US$86 million and imported US$357 million from Uganda in 2020. The East Africa Business Trade Council urged...

Summary South Sudan is second after Uganda on the use of Kenya's Port of Mombasa, accounting for 9.9 per cent of total transit volumes. South Sudan joined the East African Community in April 2016. The East African Business Council (EABC) has called on South Sudan to fully implement the East African Community Single Customs Territory to spur intra-EAC trade. The Single Customs Territory, which Kenya and other member states have adopted, is aimed at facilitating faster clearance and improvement in cargo movement along the two corridors serving the region. These are the  1,700 kilometre-long Northern Corridor that runs between Kenya, Uganda Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern D.R. Congo, with an exit and entry point at the Port of Mombasa. The 1,300 kilometre long Central Corridor serves Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Eastern D.R. Congo, with an exit and entry point at the port of Dar-es- Salaam. The two corridors facilitate export and import activities within the EAC region on a combination of rail, road and lake transportation networks. South Sudan is second after Uganda on the use of Kenya's Port of Mombasa , accounting for 9.9 per cent of total transit volumes. Uganda accounts for the lion share of 83.2 per cent while DR Congo, Tanzania and Rwanda account for 7.2 per cent, 3.2 per cent and 2.4 per cent, respectively. Among benefits of the SCT is the assessment and payment of duties at the destination Partner State while goods are still at the first point of entry. During an EABC -Trade...

THE government has challenged the private sector to produce high quality goods at low costs to compete in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market. Deputy Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade, Mr Exaud Kigahe made the remarks on Monday at the opening of a three-day workshop on a capacity building programme for the private sector in Dar es Salaam to grasp AfCFTA opportunities. “This market is likely to create trade competition, so I urge you to ensure that we continue to produce high quality products that will be able to enter other African countries and encourage market competition,” he said. The workshop was organised by TradeMark Africa. He said the government is committed to creating a friendly environment by ensuring the availability of reliable and affordable electricity which is fundamental in producing goods at low cost. He also said the government is in the process of conducting a comprehensive analysis of the AfCFTA agreement on the country’s economy and preparing the national AfCFTA charter. “Recognizing the importance of the AfCFTA agreement, the government has engaged various experts to obtain information and stakeholders views on the implementation of the agreement,” said Kigahe. He added, “The strategy will help us to organize ourselves as a country to ensure that we take full advantage of the AfCFTA agreement opportunities,” He said the AfCFTA market was an opportunity that could be used by Tanzanians to attract investors who would produce their products and sell them on the local market and the AfCFTA...