Kenya and Tanzanian wildlife conservation agencies are banking on closer collaboration to help curb illegal wildlife trade across the border. Speaking at the Voyager Beach Resort, Mombasa County, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Coast Conservation Area Assistant Director, Dr Arthur Tuda said that poachers and traffickers in illegal wildlife products have been devising ways to conceal wildlife products and defeat detection as they go about their illegal activities. He said that some of the most traded wildlife products lately include Pangolin scales which find favourable markets in the Far East nations and which are mostly sought after for use in black magic, tortoises, elephant tusks, sandal wood, reptiles, snakes including other flora species. The three day Kenya- Tanzania Coastal cross border enforcement training programme has brought together expects drawn from the immigration department, Kenya Revenue Authority, Tanzania Revenue Authority, officials from Tanzania Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife and Police to discuss how wildlife crime has evolved in the 21st century touching on wildlife crime trends. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is supporting the workshop. ''As IFAW ,we facilitate this kind of workshop  where different government agencies meet together  as we seek to enhance skills  and knowledge on how to combat  illegal cross border trade on wildlife and wildlife products,'' Mr Steve Njumbi, Head of Programmes  IFAW East Africa said. Njumbi added that the coming together of personnel from the different concerned agencies will leads to networking that makes it ideal to fight the menace at hand. ''I am confident that at the end of workshop, participants shall be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills acquired on the subject matter so as to make it easier in their day to day work,'' he said. He added that once...

It’s a shame that when the entire African continent is working on Continental Free Trade Area, the EAC is embroiled in a crisis that is detrimental to the economic welfare of EAC and the continental vision of economically integration. It’s a shame that at a time when the entire African continent has placed its guess on achieving Continental Free Trade Area, the East African Community (EAC), is embroiled in a crisis that is detrimental not only to the economic welfare of millions of EAC residents, but the continental vision of an economically integrated region. It’s even worse that the squabbling is premised not on any clear policy differences, normative misunderstandings, or legal complexities with regard to EAC treaty, but on personality differences between Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni on one hand, and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame on the other. The overriding factor is that the crisis in great part boils down to the two leaders’ poor democratic credentials and authoritarian tendencies. Both Kagame and Museveni are known to stifle opposition parties in their respective countries, the reason why they constantly live in fear of real and perceived armed dissidents against their regimes. This kind of blame game would not exist if both leaders had allowed for the opposition parties to operate freely. In essence the discord between the leaders of Uganda and Rwanda on one hand, and Burundi and Rwanda on the other hand is likely to lead to uncertainty in the economic and political future of EAC as long as they continue...

Engineers working on the Gatuna One Stop Border Post have said that construction progress has reached over 87%. Gatuna border which was recently temporarily closed to hurry construction has since triggered a war of words between Rwanda and Uganda leading to war threats. “ Construction works for the juxtaposed Gatuna One Stop Border Post on good track with current progress estimated to 87%,” Infrastructure ministry announced Wednesday. The ministry officials said that once completed, Gatuna OSBP is expected to promote trans-border trade, reducing border crossing time and facilitating mobility of people and goods in Northern Corridor. Meanwhile, Imena Munyampenda the Director-General of Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA), said in January that construction “will be completed by April and ready for official commissioning.” The Gatuna One Stop Border Post has consumed a total of Rwf 15,823,319,250 but could have been completed by March 2016 at a cost of Rwf 6,345,986,395. According to Auditor General’s report, construction of this border is being conducted by a local company NPD Cotraco which took over from the first contractor whose contract was terminated. One Stop Border arrangement was introduced by the East African Community authority aimed at bringing all border services of two neighbouring countries under one roof. Source: Taarifa

Ugandans living in constituencies bordering Rwanda find themselves trapped in a catch-22 situation: their very existence is being threatened by the continued closure of the border, and yet some of their political leaders are reportedly telling them not to call attention to their plight by speaking out. Such is the sensitivity of the matter that even when people's lives are at stake, few politicians feel comfortable publicly taking a stand on what has historically been a very delicate topic. For Rogers Ishimwe, the row between Uganda and Rwanda that saw the closure of the Kyanika and Katuna border posts by authorities in Kigali is choking his livelihood. On Saturday, March 16, Ishimwe walked to The Observer offices together with his friend Thaddeus Irumba to voice their concerns. "We have spoken to the area MPs but they have said 'no, don't talk about that.' What should we do?" Ishimwe wondered without naming the politicians they spoke to. Ishimwe and Irumba hail from Kyahafi village, Murora sub-county in the western Kisoro district. "It is absurd that even the small paths that we use have been blocked and bridges destroyed. They are telling us if you're crossing over to Rwanda, use Kyanika but people have never used it". Both in their mid-twenties, the two gentlemen think the row is not just affecting cross-border trade but also their social life. "We have families on either side of the border but now you can't even go for burial. Previously, we used shortcuts but now it...

Tanzanians have theorised on leadership, and the country has several leadership training schools. But, they are mainly based on the East/West divide of the Cold War days, whereby they produce loyal ruling party apparatchiks. Of course, there is nothing really wrong with that. The problem that Tanzanians face in this digital era is that the challenges have become much more than how people can be whipped into toeing the political party line and salute the party hierarchy. We are faced with an overwhelming youth numbers; youth who have had education, with some of them attaining varsity degrees –never mind the quality or relevance of the degrees to today’s market needs. It boggles the mind why so many of our problems refuse to go away and, instead, seem to multiply when we have so many degree holders walking around with dog-eared brown envelopes. Indeed, quite a number of them have lost hope of ever finding gainful employment. It is a sign of failure of our education system... But that’s another story. The mchakamchaka-type of training leaders was relevant for about 40 years post-independence. Today, while we still need good leaderships, these have been turned topsy-turvy by global changes that we can do nothing about. We must adopt and adapt. The paradigm has shifted so much that the people we were training to lead a nation of workers and farmers today find themselves in an unreal situation where they are now led by their followers – in terms of feelings, desires and...

The importance of digitalisation and the digital economy in driving growth and structural transformation, as well as optimising fiscal performance in Africa cannot be overstated, economic experts have said. Vera Songwe, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), noted this while officially opening the 52nd session of the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, underway in Marrakech, Morocco The value of the global digital economy, she said, is estimated at over $11.5 trillion, set to rise to over $23 trillion by 2025. It is now estimated to represent 15.5 per cent of global GDP and is expected to reach 25 per cent of global GDP in less than a decade. Songwe said: “There has been a rise in the digital innovation hubs on the continent, such as the Silicon Savannah in Nairobi and the Kumasi Hive in Ghana, not to mention more solution-oriented technologies such as ‘Flutterwave.’” The Flutterwave application enabled global payment processing in Nigeria through a single, seamless platform. Last year, it processed $1 billion worth of transactions. Such digital developments, Songwe said, can have a transformative effect across the economy by reducing barriers to entry and expanding market reach for businesses, creating jobs, and boosting both domestic and foreign trade in goods and services. “Digital trade in Africa is rapidly growing at an estimated annual rate of 40 per cent, and is expected to constitute a growing share of trade, especially for intra-African trade.” Digital technology, she added,...

In November 2018, we were proud to organize the first ever Africa Trade Forum on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Nigeria. The convening examined the role that the AfCFTA could play in securing brighter futures for its bulging population of over 1 billion. The Agreement commits countries to removing tariffs on 90 percent of goods, liberalizing services among African countries, and tackling so-called “non-tariff barriers” – such as long delays at the border – which hamper trade between African countries. AfCFTA has the potential to boost intra-African trade by over 50%. Underpinning the agreement is a belief that consolidating Africa into one trade area provides greater opportunities for businesses and consumers alike, and increases the chance to support sustainable development in the world’s least developed region. In fact, ECA estimates that the AfCFTA has the potential to boost intra-African trade by over 50%, which would have significant implications for wealth creation, employment and social infrastructure in education and health. Co-organized by the ECA and The Rockefeller Foundation in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the AfCFTA convening brought together and connected governments, advocates, corporations, NGOs and other civil society organizations — very much in the spirit of The Rockefeller Foundation’s pursuit of positive change around the world. With these values in mind, the Forum not only targeted policy makers and traditional influencers from across the continent but also included and gave voice to African citizens. This contributed to injecting...

Africa lags behind in the international trade of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) goods earning just a small percentage from the lucrative sector. The continent’s share of the USD 2.1 trillion in 2017 remained negligible despite the demand for electronic components used in Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices driving the value of trade in international ICT goods in 2017. According to figures released by UNCTAD, trade in ICT goods grew slightly faster than merchandise trade representing 13.4 per cent of the total in 2017. The Global ICT Trade Indicators. Africa still lags behind importing more than it exports.Global ICT goods imports rebound The global market however shrunk from the 16.1 per cent high during the dot-com boom in 2000 but it remained the highest in two years. By comparison, in 2017 machinery and transport equipment accounted for 37 per cent and food for 8 per cent of merchandise imports. “This is the first time that global ICT goods imports have rebounded since 2014, showing a good 6 per cent annual growth and bringing a reprieve to the past two years of decline,” Shamika Sirimanne, Director of the Technology and Logistics Division at UNCTAD, said. Demand for electronic circuits and semiconductors Among ICT products, trade in electronic components continued to expand with an annual growth rate of 8 per cent – just below that of computers and consumer electronics (9 per cent) – and it shows long-term, steady growth. “The expansion of electronic components, which are the basic building blocks of electronic circuits...

In a week that marks the anniversary of the treaty for an African continental free trade area, signed in Kigali on 18 March 2018, this column asks whether it is a turning point on the road towards economic integration. There are signs of progress: the inclusion of negotiations on trade in services; progress-tracking on removing barriers to trade in goods; easing the movement of persons; and improving hard and soft infrastructure to lower trade costs. But starting off with a small membership that does not include all the big players and the possibility of backsliding under the guise of indiscriminate promotion of regional value chains pose serious threats. Source: the Forum

I think so little of the squabble between Uganda and Rwanda, which blew up when Kigali decided to close the Katuna border (in Rwanda Gatuna) to build a one-stop border point, that I won’t dwell much on it. There’s, however, a telling and interesting story behind the Gatuna/Katuna name. Until 1926, Katuna was part of Rwanda. It became part of Uganda when the Belgians and British cut a deal over the two countries’ border. Which brings up a question that many puzzled non-Ugandans have asked me – are Banyarwanda one of the “tribes” of Uganda? Under President Yoweri Museveni’s rule, who is or is not a Rwandan is as emotive an issue as who is or isn’t a Kenyan Somali. Thus, while in the 2009 Kenya census there was an uproar after it reported “too many Somalis,” leading to that specific statistic being quashed, the 1991 census in Uganda also found “too many Banyarwanda,” and their numbers were fudged when it became a hot political potato. The reality is that, as the wonderful Ramkrishna Mukherjee observed in his book Uganda, an historical accident?, first published before Independence, already by that time Ugandans of Rwandan ancestry (a result of migration, political phenomena, and intermarriage dating back to the 14th century, were probably one of the largest nationalities in the country. Today, that hasn’t changed. At the end of last year, I asked Ugandan scholar Mahmood Mamdani (author of When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda) where he saw the...