Parliament is in the process of ratifying an agreement to establish a tripartite free-trade area that will bring 26 African countries into a single market governed by preferential free-trade arrangements. The agreement was ratified by the select committee on trade and international relations of the National Council of Provinces on Wednesday and will be considered by the portfolio committee on trade and industry of the National Assembly in two weeks time. So far 22 countries have signed the agreement which was launched in Egypt in June 2015 with SA signing in July 2017. It will enter into force once it has been ratified by 14 member states. So far only Egypt and Uganda have ratified it. The agreement is built on the three existing trading blocs: the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and the East African Community (EAC). The countries included in the tripartite free-trade area — seen as a critical driver of regional integration on the continent — have a combined population of 626-million and a total GDP of $1.2-trillion. Once the tariff negotiations are finalised, the deal will offer exporters preferential or zero tariffs into the markets of member countries. Some countries that fall within the tripartite free-trade agreement (TFTA) such as Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, are among the fastest growing economies on the continent. Briefing the select committee department of DTI chief director Wamkele Mene said SA’s trade with TFTA countries represents 16% of its trade with the...

The East African Community (EAC), a natural and critical trading block for East African nations, has painstakingly been built from the scratch since its collapse in the 1970s. Originally founded in 1967, it crashed 10 years later thanks largely to jingoistic politicians, who failed to see the great economic potential in it, but were rather obsessed with pursuit of short-term political goals. Very unfortunately, despite the billions of shillings that trade within the community generates for its citizens, governments are behaving as if that is not important. The challenge is that trade numbers rarely feature in the political debates or even popular discourse. EAC, with a GDP of $159.5 billion (Sh15 trillion) and 149 million people in 2014, has been feeding small traders, farmers, industrialists and the hospitality sector for years. Trade among member states, dominated by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania stood at $5.63 billion (Sh500 billion) in 2014 after falling from $5.8 billion in 2013. Indeed, for all the six countries, the three are the most important trading partners. But that is not what has been headlining news of late. Instead, things seemed to unravel at the Kenya-Tanzania where locals protested the arrest of informal traders ferrying goods from Dar es Salaam. Incidentally, this came days after Kenyan tour van drivers blocked their Tanzanian colleagues from accessing the Kenyan — on grounds that Tanzanian authorities had treated them in a similar manner.  President John Magufuli has pursued policies that do not promote robust commercial exchange across national borders –...

NAIROBI, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on Monday urged the East African Community (EAC) to liberalize trade in professional services in order to spur growth of the manufacturing sector. Stephen Karingi, the Director of Capacity Development Division at UNECA, told Xinhua in Nairobi that the region's manufacturing sector is not as competitive as it should be due to relatively high cost of services including in the insurance, legal, logistic and finance sectors. "There is empirical evidence that efficiency gains occurs when markets are opened up. The EAC will further its industrialization agenda if it can access cheaper services from a liberalized market," Karingi said on the sidelines of the Fifth Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Annual Research Forum. EAC member states includes Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. Karingi called for the partners of the trading bloc to amend their national laws so that they permit free movement of professionals across the region. He said that the region has already signed the EAC Common Market Protocol which calls for free movement of capital and labor but implementation has not been completed. Karingi said that for every manufactured good, there is an element of services input which must be procured at a competitive cost in order for merchandise to compete regionally and globally. He noted that the EAC is one of the most integrated regions in the continent. He observed that intra-EAC trade has been increasing primarily because Uganda...

On JULY 6 this year Nigeria’s eminent public servant, Africa’s regional integration doyen and scholar-diplomat Professor Adebayo Adedeji was buried at his home in Asuwaju Court, Ijebu Ode, in Nigeria’s south-western Ogun state. The memorial service took place at the Cathedral Church in Ijebu Ode, which I attended. Adedeji was born on 21 December 1930 in Ijebu Ode and died on 25 April this year at the age of 87. On 7 July 2018, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca) hosted a symposium in Lagos to honour the life and extraordinary work that Adedeji had done during his tenure as executive secretary of Uneca between 1975 and 1991. I was privileged to have known Adedeji during my critical years of completing a doctorate in international relations with the University of Witwatersrand, which focused on Africa’s regional integration efforts. I also co-edited a book which was dedicated to Adedeji in 2016 titled Region-Building in Africa. He was instrumental in key policy documents including the harmonisation of regional policies that guided Africa, such as the 1980 Lagos Plan of Action (LPA), the Abuja Treaty of 1991, and outlining the need for a fully integrated internationally competitive regional economic community prioritising infrastructure, trade and services, as well as an airspace-driven liberalised market strategy for the free movement of people, goods, and services. Adedeji also called for Africa’s five sub-regions to harmonise their policies - through the Yamoussoukro Declaration of 2000 - with a view to fully liberalising Africa’s airspace market by 2002....

The East African Community should channel its resources to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) as an alternative to pacts with Europe, Asia and the US. “Africa has a lot of potential in intra-regional trade that is untapped; that is why we are exploited by the West and Asia, who offer trade deals that benefit them more than they do African states,” said Seth Kwizera, the co-ordinator of think tank Economic Policy and Research Network. “When over 40 states signed the CFTA, it was a strong statement. Once it is in force and the major barriers to regional trade are eliminated, liberal trade will start across the continent. This will give a stronger voice to countries and regions when dealing with global economic powers.” It is thought that intra-Africa trade could double under the CFTA, and benefit blocs like the EAC that are at advanced stages of free trade protocols such as free movement of people and establishment of a Common Market. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca) said that the “Anything But Arms” deal with the European Union, established in 2001, has not brought about the expected industrial growth in EAC economies despite exports from the region enjoying duty-free and quota-free access to the EU. The region’s trade deficit with EU has stagnated at an average of $1 billion every year for the past three years, according to data from the European Commission. In addition, Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with Europe have met...

The East African Rift Valley is generally considered to be the area in which modern humans first appeared. Fast forward 200,000 years and this 'Cradle of Humankind' has been reborn economically. Three of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world last year were located in East Africa. The African Development Bank (AfDB) has forecast growth of 5.9pc in the region this year and 6.1pc in 2019, with Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda all reporting GDP growth in excess of 5pc. Trade between Ireland and Africa is also on the rise, forecast to reach €24bn by 2020. This year East Africa will be the continent's fastest-growing region. It is little wonder then that the region's burgeoning middle class, estimated to comprise about 10-15pc of its 430 million-strong population, is on the radar for exporters. Opportunities also abound in other high-value sectors, such as healthcare, fintech, and ICT. Nairobi, Kenya's capital, is at the heart of East Africa's transformation. Indeed, its reputation as an ICT hub has earned Kenya the moniker 'Silicon Savannah'. It was in Kenya that mobile money technology was pioneered. The electronic wallet service - which allows users to store, send, and receive money using their mobile phone - has transformed how many Africans receive their pay and spend funds. The service is actively used by an estimated 66pc of all adults in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Dublin-based provider Oxygen 8 offers mobile payment solutions through its Tola subsidiaries in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda,...

The East African Community (EAC) is mobilising funds for renewable energy projects which can lead to the reduction of firewood and charcoal use by 50 per cent. The new drive would start with formulation of the Regional Renewable Energy Master plan alongside with energy efficiency and conservation programmes. “Our main focus is on ensuring environmentally friendly energy sources through attracting investments and promoting competitiveness and trade,” said the EAC deputy secretary general (Productive and Social Sectors) Christophe Bazivamo. He was speaking during the on-going exhibition of renewable energy technologies by the German energy initiative called Energiewende. The July 23 to August 10 exhibition at the EAC headquarters is aimed at exposing the region to efficient energy technologies from Germany, which intends to stop the use of nuclear energy. “Modern energy services mean accessing 50 per cent of the population that currently uses traditional cooking fuel to renewable sources,” he said. Available statistics indicate that modern energy consumption in EA was about 130 KwH per capita, which is considered one of the lowest in the world. In an effort to promote renewable energy, the community last year created the EA Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency based in Kampala, Uganda. According to Bazivamo, funds are also being mobilized to facilitate the formation of the proposed Regional Renewable Energy Association and harmonisation of the standards. The Germany government pledged to assist the region in the renewable energy drive, saying it would increase energy efficiency and protect the climate. “We are glad to demonstrate how to move towards secure,...

What are the challenges to commercialisation of agriculture in Africa? The greatest is how to take advantage of the tremendous opportunity presenting itself right now across Africa because of the shift in consumer behaviour and consumer demand globally towards higher quality agricultural products. This can potentially lift millions of farmers out of poverty. This provides tremendous revenue generation potential and job growth. So, the key challenge for governments is how to support the agriculture sector to take advantage of this. In addition, you see many countries in the region are focused on mineral resources but once the commodities’ super cycle ends, agriculture will still be here. This poses a challenge because governments once had their eye on precious earths and mineral oil and forgot the principles for inclusive growth. East Africa must take advantage of this opportunity-based narrative. The second big challenge is, of course, how can countries position themselves in the face of volatile environment in terms of climate and international markets. We live in an age of increasing protectionism and with little regard for the principles of international trade and that often leads to volatility rather than creating solidarity among countries through trade. How about how Qatar, a desert country, which has reacted to its being blockaded by its neighbours to the extent of importing cows so it can become self-sufficient in milk? This is a reaction we would have recommended for small countries about 15 years ago rather than strive for integration into international trade, because that...

President Donald Trump has suspended Rwanda’s right to export clothing duty-free to the United States over Kigali’s decision to increase tariffs on imports of used clothing and footwear, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said. The move, initially threatened in March and confirmed on Monday, was seen by many in Washington and Africa as foreshadowing how the Trump administration planned to apply its ‘America First’ trade ideology on the continent. In spite of the suspension, Rwanda will maintain its other duty-free benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), America’s flagship trade legislation for Africa. “We regret this outcome and hope it is temporary,” Deputy USTR C.J. Mahoney said in a statement, adding that the move would affect about 1.5 million dollars in Rwandan exports, or about three percent of its total exports to the U.S. Clare Akamanzi, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, told journalists that companies producing garments for export were already approaching European buyers. “We expect some Rwandan companies to be affected,” she said. “We have a plan for them. We have engaged them and we will be helping with the transition to new markets.” Akamanzi said the government would also assist them financially, though she declined to give details. On the streets of Kigali, where residents say the increased duties on used clothing imports have driven up prices, condemnation of the U.S. decision was muted. “The ‘Made in Rwanda’ clothes are expensive,” said Jean-Marie Nsengimana, a hotel worker and father of four. “It used to be...

Africa’s most populous nation and biggest economy, Nigeria, Eritrea and Guinea Bissau are the only African nations that are yet to make any commitment to the African Union’s Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). According to the A.U. Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, these three have made no commitment to the deal signed in Kigali in March 2018. The A.U. chief said the body’s projection was to have all nations on board so that the AfCFTA could enter into force in January 2019. On the flip side, six African countries have since ratified the deal while the vast majority of countries have only signed it. The six are: Rwanda, Niger, Chad, Kenya, Ghana and Swaziland (eSwatini.) Three others; Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana, have only signed the Kigali Declaration but have yet to sign the deal and deposit instruments of ratification with the A.U. Back in Kigali, 44 of the 55 African Union Heads of State and Government enacted the AfCFTA at its 10th Extraordinary Session, under the leadership of Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou. The Kigali Declaration, as it is known, was also witnessed by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda as current AU Chairperson, and Chairperson of the AU Commission. Nigeria and South Africa’s refusal to join from the beginning raised issues with the deal given that the two were the continent’s economic powerhouses. South Africa subsequently signed the deal but Nigeria insisted that it was doing broader consultations back home before any concrete decision is made. President Buhari recently intimated that he...