The small scale business community in Moyale, Ethio-Kenya border urges the government to come up with an initiative to back their activity from both sides. The Ethiopian side said that it is in the final stages to introduce a protocol that will allow the community in the two border countries’ area to trade and move goods easily. Ethiopian Customs Commission disclosed that it is getting a lesson from Nairobi, which has more experience on One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) with its East African Community peers like Tanzania and Uganda, in order to make effective the Moyale OSBP. On the discussion held between small scale traders at the two Moyales and the customs officers of Kenya and Ethiopia, traders appreciated the improvement of activities at the boarder since Moyale OSBP became operational starting from the first week of June. While on the discussion held at the Ethiopian side of OSBP, traders expressed their desire to see improvements on the border trade particularly on the Ethiopian side to ease the transportation of commodities to the Kenyan Moyale border. One of the traders said that the situation from the Kenyan side is good and requested the Ethiopian side to smoothen the border trade similar to Kenya. Abebe Ersumo, Deputy Head for Operation at Moyale Customs Branch of Ethiopian Customs Commission (ECC), said that the OSBP, which was inaugurated on December 9, 2020 by the head of governments of the two countries had become operational as of June 9, and has since then been successfully...

Financed by TradeMark Africa and implemented by Tanzania Women Traders' Association, the project has so far witnessed more than 200 women entrepreneurs given knowledge and skills to produce quality products. TradeMark Africa’s Country Director for Tanzania, Monica Hangi said in Dar es Salaam on Friday during TWCC's exhibition which was also meant to congratulate women entrepreneurs who took part in the 45th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair, at which TWCC won an award that their products are not competing in the market. “Congratulations to TWCC Chairperson, Mercy Silla and TWCC Executive Director, Mwajuma Hamza for a job well done. Many of these entrepreneurs now have TBS logo, they can sell their products abroad, they have reliable markets that is a big deal for us,” Hangi said. She said TradeMark Africa’s project had the goal of helping Tanzanian women traders to do business not only locally, but cross borders by securing permanent reliable markets. “Sometimes you can find a market but you no longer have enough products to continue producing but for most their production is sustainable,” she added. On his part, TradeMark Africa Women in Trade Project Manager, Elibariki Shammy also commended TWCC and their members for the success. “We are really happy, because we have supported TWCC, and they have proved to be very effective, especially in reaching out to rural women,” Shammy said. He said when the project started, many of the women had no TBS quality mark hence failed to reach the larger markets and compete....

The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) says its Booster Program targeting 2000 Micro, Small and Medium sized enterprises (MSMES) has surpassed the set target with over 2,500 MSMES receiving training on various issues. Launched on launched on 25th February 2021, the training covered Introduction to e-commerce, digital marketing, aftersales, content creation & management. KEPSA says 1300 businesses were on-boarded onto various ecommerce marketplaces to increase and diversify their revenue streams hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic. The MSMEs targeted by the program were struggling with their digital brand presence with majority of the MSMES reporting they were either unaware of missed opportunities or did not have a digital brand strategy, which means they were edged out by their counterparts already offering their products and services online. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause disruptions in global and regional value chains, it is clear that e-commerce is an important tool and solution for both businesses and consumers. E-commerce can support small businesses in reducing their costs and effectively reaching their customers; it is an economic driver for both domestic growth and international trade that makes economies more competitive. The COVID-19 pandemic has occasioned a spike in business-to-consumers (B2C) online sales and an increase in Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce. The increase in B2C sales is particularly evident in online sales of medical supplies, household essentials and food products. As a result, attention has been drawn to several challenges hindering the full potential of ecommerce across countries. During the program, MSMEs gained the digital skills...

The East African Community Secretariat is keen to harmonise the region's Common External Tariff (CET)) to protect industries within the bloc and boost intra-EAC trade. It targets to have a uniform application of CET in the bloc by end of this year, Secretary General Peter Mathuki said as he marked 100 days in office this week. CET is a uniform tariff rate adopted by a customs union or common market to imports from countries outside the union. The 38th meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI), in May adopted a three-band CET structure of zero per cent, 10 per cent and 25 per cent. There is also a sensitive items list with exceptions to the three-band rule for specified commodities attracting high rates of duty (notably, all above 30 per cent). It is anticipated that an agreement on a rate that is above 25 per cent shall be concluded before the end of 2021. Reviewing of the CET is expected to encourage manufacturing whilst protecting local industries from imported finished goods. The EAC belongs to all of us and we have a collective duty to work together towards our common agenda for economic integration and sustainable development EAC Secretary General, Peter Mathuki Whilst consensus has been achieved on the lower tariff bands of CET, it is yet to be achieved for the upper tariff band. In Kenya, manufacturers holds that Kenya should adopt 35 per cent as the fourth tariff band, to support the industrialisation agenda. “We...

Uganda’s foreign affairs minister Gen Jeje Odongo met with the Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Uganda Attilio Pacifici to “discuss matters of regional and international interest for the mutual benefit of both parties”, the ministry said in a Wednesday statement. The European Union and the East African nation have been cooperating in wide-ranging areas of development since the commencement of diplomatic relations in 1975. For instance, according to Uganda Coffee Development Authority, Europe is the main destination for Uganda’s coffee, taking a 61% import share as per June export figures. The Union is also Uganda’s biggest trading partner outside of Africa. In 2018, Uganda recorded a positive trade balance with the EU, exporting goods worth $560 million to the EU market while importing goods worth $530m from the EU. Uganda exports on average $60.7million out of the $100bn of EU’s annual average imports, Amelia Kyambadde, Uganda’s former trade minister, said last year. Uganda’s major imports from the EU are machinery, transport equipment, chemical and related products, miscellaneous manufactured articles and manufactured products. Through the European Development Fund, the Union, by the end of 2020, had pumped 558 million euros into supporting sustainable development, good governance and the inclusive green economy. On average, the EU commits 140 million euros annually to development cooperation, according to Trademarkea.com. “If you consider not only direct EU funding but also our member states, 11 of which are present here locally, we are Uganda’s biggest development partner,” reads the website. “In 2017...

The East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP) has introduced a regional web portal as part of efforts to promote the region as a single tourist destination amid the ravaging effects of covid-19 pandemic. The region's tourism private sector body has launched the www.visiteastafrica.net portal that will enable tourists to plan and book tourist packages and offers from service providers of the region's various tourist attractions in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The portal has a 'My Trip-Planner' function that allows tourists to check for tour packages and operators to provide quotations for selected packages. Tourists can also find information on this portal, and can easily apply for the East Africa Single Tourist Visa. EATP's Chairman Fred Odek said in a statement on Friday that the platform will be enhanced to include an option for tourists to provide online reviews for places visited and an e-learning system for East Africa travel specialists. "The introduction of the portal will allow regional stakeholders to market to domestic, regional and international visitors directly. We are in discussions with more stakeholders from the other EAC countries to join the platform," said Mr. Odek Over 830 regional tour operators and travel agents have so far registered on the platform as the region joins efforts to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The platform, which has been created under the stewardship of the EA countries' tourism boards, enables tourists to have access to credible travel information on services to the region and also for travel trade operators to place their...

The African Continental Free Trade Area agreement officially began on January 1, 2021. What have you observed? The AfCFTA is outlined in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, with trade commencing on January 1, 2021. AfCFTA is the largest in the world in terms of participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organisation. The agreement was brokered by the African Union and was signed in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 21, 2018. AU member states have continued to show interest in this continental project and, to date, the agreement has been signed by 54 out of 55 member states. There has been a lot of progress since the agreement moved from conception to implementation of a trade area. The organisational structures and operational instruments have been put in place with the nomination of the chief executive officer and other principal officers and the formal opening of the headquarters in Accra, Ghana. The management of AfCFTA has swung into action, reaching out to regional and international partner organisations, as well as sensitising stakeholders about the objectives of the organisation. For example, the secretariat partnered with Future Investment Institute to launch an initiative that will eradicate illicitly traded products from AfCFTA countries, and the cooperation should help countries to reduce disruptive structures that deprive governments revenues through their operations in the informal economies. They are also introducing some initiatives such as the creation of the continental tool/mechanism for monitoring, reporting and elimination of non-tariff barriers to increase the volume of cross-border...

The Uganda-Burundi highway will connect to Kobero One Stop Border Post On the Tanzania Border. Read original article

Speaking in Nairobi, Kenya during the EABC-KEPSA CEO Round Table on EAC regional integration, Nesbitt underscored the need for the EAC to harmonize taxes and product standards, open up East African skies and enforce agreed-upon EAC protocols to markedly improve the business and investment climate and boost economic resilience, recovery and growth. “We need to implement a regional coordinated approach on Covid-19 measures and get into action to build back our economies better amid the pandemic,” said Nesbitt. He elaborated that the high air passenger ticket and freight fares in the EAC increase the cost of doing business. He also called upon the EAC to formulate supportive policies for SMEs to innovate, improve skills and technology to be able to expand across the EAC border and the continent. “Transport infrastructure development and interlinkage are important to enable giants of East Africa to march across the rest of Africa and access the continental market,” said Nesbitt. The Chief Guest, Adan Mohamed who is the Cabinet Secretary for East African Community & Regional Development Kenya and the Chair of EAC council of ministers committed to improving the business environment in the EAC region in close partnership with the private sector-led by EABC Speaking at the CEO Round Table, John Bosco Kalisa, EABC CEO said: “As EABC we appreciate the political goodwill from the EAC Heads of State evidenced by recent High-Level Bilateral Engagements and State Visit to Kenya leading to resolution of trade barriers such as visa fees and recurring Non-Tariff barriers.”...

It’s great for governments to do Trade Deals, but making the benefits flow to businesses in the real economy is what will determine if they are successful or not. The Institute of Export & International Trade has inked a partnership with multinational NGO, TradeMark Africa, aimed at doing just that by using digital technology, including distributed ledger or blockchain, to connect buyers and suppliers in Kenya and the UK. The Trade Logistics Information Pipeline, or TLIP, will enable all companies and government agencies in the supply chain to upload and access data simultaneously cutting out wasteful repetition. In supply chains like those for perishable food, think of green beans on the supermarket shelves, that will cut time to market but most importantly it will also cut cost. TLIP is the first example of this kind of initiative between the UK and a developing nation since the UK regained full control of its trade policy at the start of 2021. It builds on the Economic Partnership Agreement, a trade deal, the UK signed with Kenya in March of this year and is a sign of things to come. But it isn’t trade diplomacy that will decide if it succeeds or fails, that will be down to the extend that it is adopted by business, it has to be responsive to business needs and deliver meaningful, measurable improvement. Digital technology is an ever more important piece of the trade picture. We at the IOE&IT welcome the emphasis that the UK has put...