The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has received support from six partnering organisations amounting to 60 million euros to combat the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The initiative, funded by the European Union (EU), involves German development agency GIZ, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), TradeMark Africa (TMA), UNICEF and UNOPS. The initiative is primarily aimed at increasing access to health and socioeconomic support for vulnerable groups. The eight countries under IGAD will receive the support as part of the EU’s Team Europe Global Response Package for partnering countries and will reach twenty cross-border communities, six refugee camps and five migrant refugee centres in the region. It is expected to provide health services to more than 400,000 people and provide critical water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to over 500,000 people. The partnering organisations will support the programme by procuring essential personal protective equipment, creating safe trade zones, and promoting digital solutions for the response to the pandemic. Read the original article

In the Business Think Tank today, Smart24 TV’s Kamweya Tushabe will encourage our panel of experts to talk about the ‘Economic Contribution of Women in Informal Cross-border Trading’. The panelists are: Jane Nalunga, the executive director of SEATINI Jacob Siminyu, the spokesperson of the ministry of Internal Affairs Connie Kihembo, the CEO of Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL) Sarah Jesca Agwang, programme coordinator (Women’s Economic Justice and Empowerment) at Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) Sheila Kawamara, the chief executive of EASSI ( The Eastern African Sub-Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women. Follow this link to watch the event live Before Covid-19, Uganda enjoyed a booming cross-border informal trade, 80% of which was being done by women as their sole source of income. Research by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), (2018) notes that informal cross-border trade is still rampant at over 40% of all intra-regional trade Over the past decade, increasing the participation of women in cross-border trade has been a key focus area for stakeholders in trade, including the Government, through the ministries of trade and the East African Community affairs and development partners, including TradeMark Africa (TMA), USAID and the Eastern African Sub Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women. Policies have been instituted to increase the participation of informal cross-border women traders to boost their incomes, improve living standards, and contribute to the country’s overall economic development. Data from the Bank of Uganda (BOU) indicates that informal cross-border exports fetched the country...

The government and development partners are finalising plans to set up an exclusive Covid-19 test laboratory for truck drivers at the Coast Provincial General Hospital in Mombasa County. Speaking at the Port of Mombasa on Thursday, Health CAS Dr Rashid Aman said the ministry is aware of the critical role truck drivers play in the economy of the country and beyond hence the need to come up with a system to address efficiency testing of truckers. '' We have been testing the general population including high-risk persons but needed to come up with a different stream to test the truckers. We have held very successful discussions with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and have identified a laboratory at the Coast Provincial General Hospital where testing equipment will be installed for truckers,'' he said. Aman said once the truck drivers have their samples taken at the Miritini Testing Centre, they shall be sent to the new laboratory at Coast Provincial General Hospital for faster release of results. He explained that testing of truck drivers is very critical in this era of Covid-19 but has been hugely affected by constant delays at key border crossing points in the region leading to cargo delays across borders. ''Since Covid-19 free certificates is a requirement for all truck drivers plying the region’s highways and crossing common borders poses, the new will ensure results come good time. We are also coming up with an application that will enable quick transmission of the tested driver's results...

20 August 2020 10:20 pm | Kenya News Media Dedicated Covid-19 testing laboratory for truck drivers in Mombasa. The Ministry of Health is setting up a dedicated covid-19 testing laboratory for truck drivers at the Mombasa Teaching and Referral Hospital. The new laboratory which will be unveiled next week is aimed at fast-tracking the testing of truck drivers and speed up the movement of cargo from the port of Mombasa to other countries in the region. Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Rashid Aman also announced that results for covid-19 will be relayed digitally in a move aimed at easing the evacuation of cargo from the port. Dr Aman said the records for those who have undergone testing will be confirmed at points of entry and exit electronically.

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Kenya H.E. Simon Mordue is on a two-day visit of Mombasa. On Thursday 20th August, he handed over Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to Kenya Ports Authority to support its fight against COVID-19. The Ambassador was hosted by Mombasa Governor H.E Ali Hassan Joho, Permanent Secretary Ministry of East Africa Community (EAC) Kevit Desai, Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director Rashid Salim, and TMA Kenya Country Director, Ahmed Farah. Today’s PPE’s delivery will meet the needs of 2,730 Kenya Ports Authority staff, Port Police, Kenya Revenue Authority staff, Port health staff and sustain them for 60 days. The 2730 staff were prioritised as they are the first responders and most vulnerable dealing with port health, first aiders and handling of cargo as it arrives. The PPE’s include Reusable masks, Hand sanitisers, Hand washing points, Disinfectant spray, Infrared Thermometer, Reusable Safety Boots, Full protective PPE for front line health workers, N95 face masks and face shields, as agreed with KPA in consultation with KRA and port health and advice from medical agencies at regional and international levels. The European Union is the largest donor to Kenya’s component of TMA’s Safe Trade Emergency Facility (STEF) programme with a contribution of KES 600 million (EUR 5 million). Its under this programme that the PPE delivery has been made as part EU’s wider support for mitigation against the spread of COVID-19 and promotion of continuous safe trade in Kenya. The delivery to Port of Mombasa is critical as the port...

East African Community women traders have been the worst-affected by border closures, with trade declining by more than 50%. This is one of the unintended consequences of a lack of a regional approach to COVID-19 containment measures, which have caused havoc in the region’s major trade routes. Those in trade have termed this COVID-19 nationalism. When regional borders closed, only formal freight was allowed. “In our region, there is a significant amount of cross-border trade, which is primarily carried by women traders,” says Abhishek Sharma, a senior director of transport at TradeMark Africa. In the aftermath, dramatic contractions were seen in the women-driven cross-border trade. “The trade declined by more than 50% and around 60% in Kenya. The impact was hardest on them,” according to Sharma. TradeMark is an acronym for trades and market East Africa and is a multi-donor vehicle. It has a presence in 13 countries and most of its work is focused on the East African Community and the Horn of Africa. It has started initiatives in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. TradeMark Africa specialises in infrastructure and trade facilitation, and works with the private sector and governments. Its headquarters are in Nairobi. Help on the way It is now working on a $23m COVID-19 intervention funded by Canada, Denmark, European Union, Netherlands, Finland, the UK and the US. Most of the money will go towards border and port safety initiatives. The money will also fund food security and access to medicines, and preventing job losses and building resilience. “We are...

TANZANIA is on the right track in investment innovation and continuity as well as in increasing trade-- a key model to drive economic transformation for sustainable and inclusive prosperity. The country has surged forward with huge pace and resilience in the past five years under President John Magufuli ahead of other East African Community (EAC) partner states and some others in Africa. It was not distracted even by the emergence of the global Coronavirus pandemic. Under the stewardship of committed leaders, adhering to the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Election Manifesto for 2015 – 2020, the country has seen continued investment to increase the efficiency and productivity of the Dar es Salaam Port, Central Corridor and One Stop Border Posts (OSBP) and developing agriculture-related economic growth along the Dar es Salaam/SAGCOT corridor to Zambia. Continuity and Innovation under TradeMark Africa (TMA) has been cooperating with the government of Tanzania in the matter, focusing on inclusiveness by ensuring that women, the poor and small businesses are progressively involved in the local, regional and international trade. TMA says that its cross-border trade interventions focus on increasing access to information and simplifying trade information and procedures that enable small cross-border business to get started and developed accordingly. “The strategy provides guidance on the institutional and policy reforms necessary to execute the Vision 2025 and its implementation strategies (notably the Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP) 2016/17– 2020/2021,” TMA says in its statement. FYDP is for sequenced implementation of the Long-Term Perspective Plan 2011/12–2025/26. The...

Transnet CEO Portia Derby has said the state-owned rail and port operator is eyeing regional trade as an increasingly important part of its business strategy, as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to depress global economic activity. Derby was speaking during an online webinar at the Southern Africa Transport Conference on Wednesday morning. “The linkages in SADC are crucial for South Africa. For South Africa to grow, our region also needs to grow. The north-south corridor is an important priority for us, and we will continue to push on that front, ” said Derby. In a frank assessment of what is expected in the coming year, Derby said she was not sure that the optimism around overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic by 2021 was warranted. She said she would personally expect a return to normality when the world successfully develops and distributes a vaccine. While the global slump in demand at the start of the pandemic affected Transnet’s operations, Derby said that entity proactively sought out advice from other countries to formulate its response plan. “When we started to see the flu spreading, we spoke to Singapore. It gave us a bit of a head start. We set up a command centre led by some amazing South Africans. Whenever a new regulation came out, we addressed it quickly insofar as its impact on our operation.” This yielded benefits, said Derby, as Transnet only had to completely close for three days during the lockdown. In April Transnet Port Terminals said its port utilities were only...

The CPD will test three major components; technical competencies, emerging issues and matters on leadership & personal development. The Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA) has finalized development of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) policy framework and its implementation guidelines and tools in readiness for start of piloting in Uganda and Rwanda planned for this year. The new training curriculum update, which has been supported by the Trademark East Africa (TMA) under the EAC logistics skills enhancement program, will ensure that all the East Africa Customs and Freight Forwarding Practicing Certificate (EACFFPC) graduates are kept technically and professionally updated, as the industry takes new and dynamic trends. The CPD will test three major components; technical competencies, emerging issues and matters on leadership & personal development. “FEAFFA has already developed the CPD policy framework with the implementation guidelines and tools. The tools will guide the National Curriculum Implementation Committee (NCIC) of national associations of customs agents and freight forwarders in the region in piloting and rolling out the program in their respective countries,” FEAFFA President Mr. Fred Seka told Freight Logistics magazine Uganda and Rwanda were earmarked for the piloting of the CPD program to ascertain its success before rolling it out fully in the entire East Africa Community (EAC) region. Preparatory meetings for piloting the program have already been held in the two countries. These meetings helped in drawing roadmaps on how the program piloting should be rolled out. “The focus now is to make sure that the training is in...