Summary The chairlady of the Busia Cross-Border Cooperative, Ms Mariam Babu, said the banning of border trade has adversely affected over 7,000 traders. “Over 80 per cent of informal cross-border traders are women. This has caused strife in many families as women are unable to sustain their needs,” she said. The government says it will enhance surveillance on the Covid-19 pandemic at the country’s border points as it balances between minimising disruption of trade and keeping people healthy. Health Cabinet Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman, while raising concerns that the regions have become hotspots for transmission of the virus, assured traders Friday that they will not be adversely affected. “The sudden spike of cases is forcing us to put in place urgent but necessary measures to safeguard the lives of those involved and promote safe trade,” Dr Aman said in Busia. He attributed the increase in cases of Covid-19 at the border point to the huge traffic snarl-ups caused by truck drivers who queue to deliver goods on either sides of the boundary. “We are at the stage of community transmission and people must observe the stipulated health protocols,” he said. The European Union, in partnership with Trademark East Africa, donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to various stakeholders at the border. Led by EU Ambassador to Kenya Simon Mordue, the team delivered safety gears worth Sh552 million to both Kenyan and Ugandan authorities. The consignment included safety boots, reusable masks, infrared thermoguns, reusable face masks, hand sanitisers and gloves. Cross-border small-scale traders...

In Summary Businesses operating in tourism sector have welcomed re-opening of airports and resumption of international flights from August 1. Andrew Gatera runs a tour and travel company that largely targets tourists from China and Europe. He says since the Covid19 outbreak his company has lost up Rwf50 million. Businesses operating in tourism sector have welcomed re-opening of airports and resumption of international flights from August 1. Andrew Gatera runs a tour and travel company that largely targets tourists from China and Europe. He says since the Covid19 outbreak his company has lost up Rwf50 million. “Re-opening of airport for commercial flights is a positive development, but we still don’t expect a lot this year because we can’t be sure that clients will re-plan their trips and come,” he noted. “If this could lead to reinstatement of some of the cancelled bookings maybe the year would be saved, but this is not happening,” Mr Gatera added. He said tourism cycle needs at least five months of booking in advance, noting that so far no bookings have been done since the re-opening of the airport was announced. Mr Gatera noted that while Rwanda has been listed as one of the safest countries to travel to during this period, opportunities may only be available next year. "A few tourists who have been holed up in their houses for months are likely to visit at the end of the year, but these will be negligible to generate any significant returns," he said. Ministry...

Today the House of Lords’ International Relations and Defence Committee has issued its first report of the current parliament, The UK and Sub-Saharan Africa: prosperity, peace and development co-operation. The report rightly argues that the UK should take a greater strategic interest in and seek a stronger partnership with Africa to support the delivery of the African Union’s (AU) strategy. In fact, ODI’s written and oral evidence to the Committee argued that the government should consider building on the recent UK-Africa Investment Summit to lay the foundations for a new medium-term post-Brexit economic partnership, to diversify UK investment in Africa and increase trade by taking advantage of Africa’s integration. Together with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Trade out of Poverty, we also suggested a UK-Africa Prosperity Commission is set up to inform these efforts as equal partners. The government must now take note of the House of Lords report, reset economic relations and publish an ambitious Africa strategy. The strategic approach to Africa falls short The Committee’s diagnosis on the state of UK-Africa economic relations is stark. It warns of a flatlining of the relationship between the UK and African countries between 2008-2018 in terms of trade and investment, at a time of growth in the continent and increased integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Reflecting insights from the APPG on Africa and ODI, it also presents the UK’s visa policy as a thorn damaging the relationship, but notes the good track record of UK aid for trade programmes such as TradeMark Africa and aid to support industrialisation in Ethiopia. It...

A report by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said despite steps taken to develop the country into a regional e-commerce hub, the digitalization of government services is advancing and the government is investing resources into enhancing the overall business environment. “Despite this, Tanzania has yet to adopt a stand-alone e-commerce policy or strategy and e-commerce is not mainstreamed into the national or sectoral trade development strategies. E-commerce development is not currently on the agenda of existing inter-ministerial or public-private dialogue platforms,” the Tanzania’s Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessment report said. The report further noted that with a large and growing population, a competitive mobile network operators (MNOs) market and increasing mobile service delivery, the trajectory of growth of mobile Internet users is positive. “Building the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB), connected to the region’s main submarine cables, has resulted in lower mobile data prices for end-users. By the end of 2018, 3G and 4G networks covered around 61 per cent and 28 per cent of Tanzania’s population, respectively. This remains considerably lower than the 2G coverage of around 90 per cent,” the report noted. The UNCTAD report stated that although mobile data prices are reasonably low, they remain unaffordable for segments of the population that mostly reside in rural areas which has resulted in a large gap in Internet use between urban and rural areas. “Also, fewer women than men access and use the Internet. Given that most Tanzanians access the Internet through their mobile phones, the low Internet...

Efforts to speed up cargo movement in the region received a major boost Tuesday after the European Union signed a deal with the Trademark East Africa (TMA) to fund safe clearance at the ports and border points. Under the Sh602 million (€5 million) emergency trade programme, mobile testing labs will be provided at Mombasa port and key border crossings, including Busia and Malaba. The programme to be rolled out under public-private partnership will also provide personal protective equipment to port and border point workers to cushion them from Covid-19 spreading at these trade hubs. “This (fund) grant is very important and will complement the government’s efforts that ultimately cushion not only large enterprises but especially also the MSME who rely greatly on the flow of supply chains as most cannot maintain large inventories,” said Trade Secretary Betty Maina. The funds from the European Union will fund the Kenyan component of the programme, making the bloc the largest donor to the programme. “I am, therefore, happy to support this Safe Trade Emergency Facility in Kenya not only as a donor but also by drawing on the EU’s knowledge and experience. This action will support Kenya as the gateway to the EAC by making certain that all supply chains stay open,” said EU Ambassador to Kenya Simon Mordue. Source: Business Daily

From the safety of my lockdown office at home in Johannesburg, I’ve just “returned” from the first ever UK virtual visit to Kenya. Thanks to telecoms companies such as the UK’s Vodafone, which have enhanced capacity and networks in Kenya and across Africa since the start of lockdown, I was able to meet virtually with business, government entirely using digital platforms. My visit came at a catalytic time for Kenya. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the global economy. While we are still working together to respond to this, we must also turn our attention to how we recover, rebuilding better. We have a clear moment now to choose a greener, more inclusive and sustainable future. Technology isn’t just enabling us to recreate how we used to work, or what we used to work on. During my visit, I spoke to a number of female entrepreneurs, who are working with the UK-Kenya Tech Hub and are adapting to the extraordinary challenges the pandemic has created, all the time with unremitting trademark resilience and energy. It was also encouraging to hear that, even in these difficult times, innovation remains strong, as does the breadth and depth of the UK-Kenya relationship. This is framed by the Strategic Partnership that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Uhuru Kenyatta signed in London at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in January, where we also announced Sh170 billion of new UK investments in Kenya. Heartening too was learning about how larger companies—including Kenya’s...

The pilot phase of a regional Covid-19 surveillance system for trucks and their crew starts today, Monday, June 15, before its full implementation next week, an official has told The New Times. Towards the end of last month, East African Community partner states adopted the Regional Electronic Cargo and Drivers Tracking System that will be hosted at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. This came after a consultative meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on May 12 this year, brought together four East African Community (EAC) leaders and discussed regional efforts to tackle the COVID-19 that has ravaged the world. At the time, the leaders directed concerned regional ministers to "finalise and adopt an EAC digital surveillance and tracking system for drivers and crew on COVID-19 for immediate use by partner states." "Today (Monday) we are doing piloting and next week all goes live," Eng. Daniel Murenzi, the Principal Information Technology Officer at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, said. "The system delayed to be implemented immediately after the Ministers had approved the system to be used; this was because we had to first do direct integration to the national laboratories." According to Murenzi, last week, a technical test was "done successfully." "And now we are starting piloting this week since we have agreed with transporters. Also, we have finished purchasing equipment through support of Trademark EastAfrica that will be used for screening: these are tablets that will be having an application on." Murenzi noted that each country has assigned a national focal person...

Towards the end of last month, East African Community partner states adopted the Regional Electronic Cargo and Drivers Tracking System that will be hosted at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. This came after a consultative meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on May 12 this year, brought together four East African Community (EAC) leaders and discussed regional efforts to tackle the COVID-19 that has ravaged the world. At the time, the leaders directed concerned regional ministers to "finalise and adopt an EAC digital surveillance and tracking system for drivers and crew on COVID-19 for immediate use by partner states." "Today (Monday) we are doing piloting and next week all goes live," Eng. Daniel Murenzi, the Principal Information Technology Officer at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, said. "The system delayed to be implemented immediately after the Ministers had approved the system to be used; this was because we had to first do direct integration to the national laboratories." According to Murenzi, last week, a technical test was "done successfully." "And now we are starting piloting this week since we have agreed with transporters. Also, we have finished purchasing equipment through support of Trademark EastAfrica that will be used for screening: these are tablets that will be having an application on." Murenzi noted that each country has assigned a national focal person and "we are closely working together." The new system is considered to be another valuable tool to help mitigate the disruption of domestic, regional and global supply chain...

The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and TradeMark Africa (TMA) signed a contract to begin construction of the One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) at Mahagi in Ituri Province, on the border with Uganda on April 16, 2020.  The estimated nine-month project is co-financed by the Netherlands, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the British Department for International Development (DFID).  The works will be carried out by COIL limited. The kick-off meeting was held online on April 30, 2020 due to the precautionary measures related to COVID-19.  A ground-breaking ceremony will be held as soon as the situation allows.  COIL limited has begun mobilising the necessary staff and resources to start construction work soon. Mahagi (DRC)/Goli (Uganda) is one of DR Congo’s busiest border crossings, located at the axis linking the popular centres of Arua (Uganda), Bunia (DRC), Kisangani (DRC) and the port of Mombasa (Kenya) along the Northern Corridor. OSBPs reduce transit time and costs for cross-border movements by integrating Customs processes of border agencies of two neighbouring countries in one place without increasing risks to public security or revenues collection. Transiting users stop once in the destination country for customs clearance, entry and exit processes. In 2019, TMA supported the construction and initiation of One-Stop Border Posts across 7 border crossing points in the East African Community (EAC) Partner States and the Tunduma border post between Tanzania and Zambia. A survey of time and traffic to cross these borders showed that they have contributed to reducing crossing times by an average of...

An access road in Malaba border point is being revamped to ease traffic congestion that has been made worse by coronavirus. Transport secretary James Macharia told Parliament the Ministry is engaging TradeMark Africa (TMA) as the contractor for the upgrade. In the recent weeks, truck drivers have been stuck in traffic stretching 40km along the Bungoma-Kanduyi-Malava road due to lengthy wait for results of the Covid-19 test that is mandatory before crossing the border. “A Contractor will be on site this week to upgrade the stretch to the new bridge, to tarmac and to complete the bridge in one week,” Mr Macharia said in a statement to the Senate Committee on Roads. While traffic congestion is common on the Bungoma-Kandunyi-Malava road, it has become worse in the recent months after Ugandan authorities declined to recognise covid-19 results for tests conducted in Kenya. The road connects to the Malaba border point meaning that the traffic snarl-up is causing untold suffering to truck drivers and residents of the counties it passes through. Malaba border is the second busiest border crossing in Africa and serves a number of land-locked countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Nothern Zambia, DR Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan. Truck drivers have also complained of harassment from Ugandan authorities, time wastage before tests are conducted, poor handling when being tested and unlawful detention. Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula in his submission on the floor of the House noted that from Malaba border, the trucks are extending up to way...