After a nearly five-year suspension of direct collaboration between the Burundian government and the European Union, a high-level political dialogue was launched Tuesday with a view to restoring relations with the EU and its member states. The two delegations met in Bujumbura on Tuesday and were led by Ambassador Albert Shingiro, Burundian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Claude Bochu, European Union envoy in Burundi. The resumption of exchanges between the two delegations also saw the participation of Ambassadors of the European Union member states in Burundi. According to a joint statement released by the delegations, the resumption of political dialogue constitutes a shared priority that will benefit the people of Burundi and Europe. The delegations agreed to work together towards restoring relations. ‘’I am delighted with the spirit of openness and mutual trust which characterised the resumption of political dialogue. The exchanges took place in a constructive environment with the ultimate goal being to get concrete results as soon as possible,’’ tweeted Ambassador Shingiro. Both parties recalled that Burundi and the member states drawn from the European Union are historical partners anxious to strengthen their bonds of friendship and cooperation. This comes days after President Evariste Ndayishimiye, held a ceremony with members of the diplomatic community accredited to Bujumbura where he reaffirmed the will of his government to strengthen the bonds of cooperation with friendly countries and partners. In 2016, the EU suspended all direct funding to the Burundian government for failing to meet EU concerns over its human rights...

For many African long-distance drivers, 2021 began in a traffic jam. In southern Africa in particular, border traffic is only possible under difficult conditions: on 12 January, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa tightened entry restrictions. Initially, only important goods such as food, gasoline or medical equipment are allowed to cross the strictly guarded borders for months until mid-February. Long queues of trucks are therefore formed, especially on the Zimbabwean and Mozambican sides. At the Beitbridge border crossing in Zimbabwe, drivers have to wait up to four days to enter South Africa. The daily losses to the economy are immense. Southern Africa: Borders tight, illegal cross-border commuters The small border traffic of traders and day laborers has also become more difficult. If you don't have a permanent visa for South Africa, you won't be able to get into the country easily. In addition, all those wishing to enter must have negative Corona tests. Legally, the border between Mozambique and South Africa can hardly be crossed "Many Mozambicans have casual jobs in South Africa, others regularly buy products in South Africa as traders that they sell in Mozambique. These people are suffering greatly from the current situation," says Mozambican journalist Milton Maluleque. A few days ago, he took stock of the Lebombo border crossing between South Africa and Mozambique. "Long queues form every day at the border," Maluleque told DW. Few trucks would pass through, most small dealers and workers turned away. Many Mozambicans are therefore trying to cross the green border into South Africa illegally,...

THE East African Community (EAC) economy will rebound in 2021 if partner states strengthen macro-economic policy coordination and adopt a regional coordinated approach in handling the Covid-19 pandemic. Disruptions brought about by the pandemic last year provided a learning curve on the need to have sustainable EAC regional value chains integration for the development of finished products with a view of reducing industrial and trade risks arising out of external shocks. East African Business Council (EABC) Chairman Nick Nesbitt has noted that the region is projected to recover steadily but it was dependent on how the pandemic is handled. He was speaking in Nairobi at a media breakfast meeting on the state of EAC economies amid the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the African Development Bank (AfDB) East Africa Economic Outlook 2020, the East Africa region is projected to recover to 3.7 per cent in the baseline scenario and 2.8 per cent in the worst-case scenario under the assumption that Covid-19 would be contained in the short-to-medium term. Mr Nesbitt emphasized the need for the EAC secretariat to fast-track a regional harmonised approach to promptly facilitate interventions at EAC border points to unclog trade blockages and facilitate faster clearance of goods. EABC has been emphasizing the need for EAC partner states to harmonise Covid-19 related charges and stop testing at border posts to avoid delays in truck and cargo clearance. This year, East Africa's inflation is projected to stand at 15.4 per cent in the baseline scenario and 16 per cent...

TradeMark Africa (TMA) and the Government of South Sudan launched a capacity building program that will benefit women entrepreneurs and informal women cross border traders. The Women in Trade Programme is a 9-month programme and is funded by Global Affairs Canada through regional trade agency TradeMark Africa. The programme will train women across the borders of Nimule, Kaya and Nadapal and will focus on improving the trading environment for women in trade as well as build business capacity of women traders, SMEs and Cooperatives. Through the Programme, TradeMark Africa seeks to increase incomes and improve livelihoods for women traders and women-owned enterprises through capacity building, addressing trade barriers and advocacy for policies that will create an enabling environment for women traders and women-led SMEs. This is part of a larger initiative by TMA to tackle poverty and reduce inequality through increased trade and competitiveness. The expected end of programme outcome is Increased Social and Economic Empowerment of Women Traders in Eastern Africa. The programs key objectives are to increase income from trade, increase the capacity of women to participate in trade and promote the rights of women in trade while reducing their vulnerability to violence and exploitation. The training will be undertaken by AMSCO Development Ltd, a pan African private sector development company. Read original article

With the African Continental Free-trade Area (AfCFTA) now operational, there are new opportunities for the UK and Africa to strengthen their trade and investment ties. AfCFTA came into effect on 1 January – a significant milestone in the journey towards creating a single market for goods and services. With a combined GDP of $3.3 trillion and a market of 1.2 billion people, AfCFTA has the potential to increase growth in Africa by $450 billion over the next decade, according to the World Bank’s estimates. By removing tariffs, reducing trade barriers, and standardizing regulatory frameworks, intra-African trade could rise from 15% currently to 25% by 2040, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The benefits of intra-regional trade are well known, and some examples already exist on the continent. Trademark East Africa, an initiative supported by the UK government that is aimed at driving trade across the East African community, has been effective in increasing trade flows and reducing trade costs by up to 10%. This initiative should be scaled to other regions in Africa to supplement AfCFTA and accelerate its rollout. Although the initial benefits will stem from increased intra-African trade, we believe that AfCFTA also provides a huge opportunity to boost the UK-Africa trade corridor. It will also stimulate significant investments into the continent, particularly in sectors such as technology, manufacturing and infrastructure. To achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates that Africa requires up to US$600...

JOHANNESBURG – AFRICAN delegates on the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Friday agreed that the continent might speed up the build-up of productive infrastructure via the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo mentioned it was essential that Africa harnesses its personal resources and deploy them as creatively as potential if it was to supply an inclusive, sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Akufo-Addo mentioned Africa should return to macroeconomic stability and monetary accountability, and leverage quickly the use of digital applied sciences to reinforce our socio-economic lives. “The multilateral system is under strain, and we must do all that we can to generate the needed resources to achieve sustainable development,” Akufo-Addo mentioned. “We in Africa should make every effort to generate for ourselves the additional funds we need to advance, and hopefully our external partners – private and public – will lend their backing to the priorities we set.” AfCFTA is a key pillar for the area’s financial recovery and the world’s largest trade settlement, spanning a market of 1.3 billion folks and a gross dpmestic product of $3.4 trillion. Akufo-Addo echoed President Cyril Ramaphosa, who advised the digital WEF Davos Dialogues on Tuesday that South Africa had mobilised round $51 bn (R774bn) in new funding commitments during the last three years. Ramaphosa mentioned round one-fifth of the dedicated worth had already been invested in development and important gear for mining, manufacturing, telecoms and agriculture. “These interventions will enable South Africa to better realise...

The East African Community (EAC) economy will rebound in this year if EAC Partner States governments strengthen macro-economic policy coordination and adopt a regional coordinated approach in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 disruptions in 2020 provided a learning curve, on the need to have sustainable EAC regional value chains integration for the development of finished products with a view of reducing industrial and trade risks arising out of external shocks. EABC Chairman Mr. Nick Nesbitt noted that the region is projected to recover steadily but it was dependent on how the pandemic is handled. According to the AfDB East Africa Economic Outlook 2020, the East Africa region is projected to recover to 3.7 percent in the baseline scenario and 2.8 percent in the worst-case scenario under the assumption that COVID-19 would be contained in the short-to-medium term. Speaking during a media engagement on the State of EAC Economies amid the pandemic in Nairobi, Mr. Nesbitt emphasized the need for the EAC secretariat to fast-track a regional harmonized approach to promptly facilitate interventions at EAC border points to unclog trade blockages and facilitate faster clearance of goods. EABC has been emphasizing the need for EAC Partner States to harmonize COVID-19 related charges and stop testing at border posts to avoid delays in truck and cargo clearance. This year, East Africa’s inflation is projected to stand at 15.4 percent in the baseline scenario and 16.0% in the worst-case scenario. This, with Kenya’s inflation, projected to stand at 4.9 percent in the baseline...

How was 2020? It was a challenging year, but thankfully, we managed to sail through. Through our trade facilitation initiatives, we are looking for solid recovery because we have done some substantive work around the border, among which include supporting trade facilitation infrastructure as well as supporting women who have been impacted by Covid-19. So, we are on the right track and a number of highlights including the completion of the $5m Nimule one stop border post (OSBP), have been noted. This is a big achievement because it anchors trade facilitation initiatives, which seek to reduce barriers that hinder movement of goods and services along the Nimule border. Secondly, we have supported South Sudan to strengthen its integration within the East African Community. The country is a new member, therefore it requires a lot of support, especially in trade policy initiatives. Thirdly, we have appropriated support towards private sector advocacy, where we have built and strengthened capacity of the private sector in South Sudan to actively engage with the East African Business Council. Beyond this, we have helped South Sudan to harmonise standards, using the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures given that the country depends mostly on imported food items, which calls for serious safe guards to promote health and safety. We have also been able to channel support towards women traders, who as you might be aware, have been heavily affected by Covid-19. This has been done through providing necessary tools and equipment such as TradeMark Africa - AMREF...

In Summary The Mombasa tea auction was started in 1956 to take care of the interests of the tea sector in Africa. The auction is the largest in the world and it is managed by the East African Tea Traders Association. President Uhuru Kenyatta will commission it in April. The East African Tea Traders Association managing director Edward Mudibo has confirmed that the tea auction has now been running electronically for the last six months. “We went live six months ago with funds from the Danish International Development Agency as the main donor and Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) as the implementers‚” he said. Speaking last week during an interview in Mombasa, Mudibo said they are in the final stages. In February 2015, EATTA members approved the proposal to adopt the electronic auction system. He explained that previously, members were required to physically visit the auction in Mombasa to buy tea, but now that is no longer a requirement. “With automation, members are currently buying tea from the comfort of their offices and homes. This is a big change from the past trend where all members had to be physically present,” he said. The Mombasa tea auction was started in 1956 to take care of the interests of the tea sector in Africa. The auction is the largest in the world and it is managed by the East African Tea Traders Association. Mudibo said the journey to the automation of the tea auction started in July 2011 during the First...

In Summary Stakeholders say the market is projected to spring-up cross-border trade between Kenya and other East African Community member states. The government and development partners will fund the construction of the market Traders across East Africa are set to benefit from the construction of a Sh1.4 billion modern market at the Busia border. The facility, to be built on 40 acres in Marachi on the Kenya-Uganda border, will accommodate 2,000 traders. The 40 acres is part of a 90-acre piece of land committed to the project. The remaining 50 acres will host a school, a police post and other social amenities. The government and development partners will fund the construction of the market. Last year, the National Treasury and TradeMark Africa signed an agreement worth Sh1.4 billion to facilitate the construction and completion of the project. It is not clear when the construction will start. East Africa Community and Regional Development PS Kevit Desai said on Wednesday the market would be a one-stop shop where traders will be buying a variety of products and get other services. “This investment breaks a great milestone in our efforts to create a cross-border market to serve the purpose of the informal sector and all those who would like to trade sufficiently across borders,” he said. The PS spoke during a ceremony to erect beacons on the land the facility will be built. Once complete, the modern market will constitute a business hub, a retail section and part of it will house wholesale...