With steady growth in trade volumes, Uganda is not far away from achieving Vision 2040, a strategic master plan for Uganda's development. In the Vision 2040 strategic plan, boosting trade was identified as one of the pathways through which Uganda will be able to transform the society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country. The Government pledged to undertake numerous trade initiatives to improve the country's trade balance so as to achieve the goals. These include increasing and diversifying exports and ensuring stable supply to meet market targets, identifying new export destinations in regional and emerging markets and ensuring that the exports are competitive and meet international standards. Additionally, it planned to develop an effective incentive system to attract and expand investments in export commodities. The incentive system was expected to facilitate productivity enhancement in production for exports, especially high value and Hi-Tech products to highend markets. The Government pledged to promote the manufacturing of consumer, investment and Hi-Tech goods, and value addition to agricultural products. The steps taken so far and starting to bear fruit; Uganda's trade volumes have been growing steadily over the years. The country's exports have indeed posted substantial growth over time. Available statistics indicate that Uganda's overall merchandise exports have registered substantial growth over the years, growing from $450.1m (sh1.65 trillion) in 2001 to $3.3b (sh12.2 trillion) in 2017, before rising to $3.64b (sh13.4 trillion) in 2018. In 2019, Uganda's exports were valued at close to $4.09b (sh15.1 trillion), according to figures from...

James Duddridge's visit shows how Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office brings together development and diplomacy to act as a force for good in the world. The UK Minister for Africa, James Duddridge, travelled to Malawi and Zambia this week (5 to 9 October) where he built on UK partnerships across Southern Africa to promote, support and reinforce our shared national interests – with a focus on boosting regional trade links and tackling the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. He visited businesses in the 2 countries – including Zazu, a British-backed financial services start-up in Lusaka and 14Trees, a CDC investment in Lilongwe producing environmentally sustainable bricks. In Zambia, the Minister announced UK funding to help small-and-medium-sized (SME) firms to access investment, innovate and improve productivity. This support will help create 50,000 jobs and facilitate over £100m of private sector investment into high-potential Zambian businesses. James Duddridge meeting His Excellency Lazarus Chakwera, President of Malawi. In Malawi, a major focus of discussions with the President, Vice President and Finance Minister was how to drive growth through improving the investment climate and reforming state-owned enterprises, building on the foundations of the UK-Africa Investment Summit in January. He also met with the Zambian Minister for Finance and trade bodies to discuss a new UK-backed partnership between the Government of Zambia and Trademark East Africa (TMA). The support will help improve trade flows at one of Southern Africa’s busiest borders – the Nakonde border post between Zambia and Tanzania, through which 135,000 trucks...

TradeMark Africa (TMA) has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) that will be used by frontline workers to improve safety against the New Coronavirus for border staff and persons crossing through Rwandan borders. The donation worth over $200,000 was handed over by Patience Mutesi the TMA-Rwanda Country Director and received by Michel Minega Sebera, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry on behalf of the Rwanda government. The consignment contains high quality (N95) single and reusable face masks, plastic face shields, hand sanitizers and liquid soaps, disinfectant sprays, disposable gloves, thermal guns and fabricated washing points that will be dispatched to four borders- Sebera said the support will be an added value to Rwanda’s campaign against the New Coronavirus spread through open borders but also maintain the movement of persons and goods which are highly needed in maintaining cross border trade activities under the Covid19 pandemic in East Africa. “Equally important as we fight the pandemic is the need to sustain our economies and seek to recover the lost ground. The PPE provided by Trade Mark East Africa is very crucial in ensuring safe trade continues in and out of our borders” Sebera said. TMA Rwanda Country Director, Mutesi also said that the equipment is part of the TMA Safe Trade Emergency Facility and will be distributed in partnership with the World Food Program (WFP) which has a well-developed logistic mechanism and reach. Since 2010, TMA has driven trade prosperity in East Africa with construction of 13 border...

The scope of the training focuses on operations at the OSBP with close contact to travelers and their luggage. s the Partner States in the East African Community (EAC) region ease measures that were established to prevent and respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the EAC Secretariat has commenced a training of trainers’ course for staff at 12 One Stop Border Posts between the Partner States. This training aims at strengthening the prevention of and response to COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. The training programme kicked off last week at the Isebania-Sirari border post between Kenya and Tanzania and is being conducted by AMREF Flying Doctors in close cooperation with the EAC Secretariat. Between 16 and 32 staff members are trained as trainers in a 2-days course. They come from customs, immigration, port health and animal health, bureau of standards, security, cargo and baggage handlers. Clearing agents are also included targeted in the training. “The participants in this training will in turn train their colleagues on the skills they have acquired to further cascade the message and ensure that the busy border posts can effectively prevent the spread of COVID 19 and detect and respond to infected passengers”, explains Anthony Kihara of AMREF Flying Doctors. “The scope of the training focuses on operations at the OSBP with close contact to travelers and their luggage.” The Principal Customs Officer for Capacity Building at the EAC Secretariat, Stephen Analo, who is coordinating the training is convinced that “all the EAC Partner States...

President Paul Kagame on Wednesday joined Presidents João Lourenço of Angola and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda for the Regional Leaders Summit of Heads of State held via video-conference which was hosted by President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Head of State called for increased cooperation between countries to ensure peace and stability. The meeting took place virtually after several attempts by President Tshisekedi to convene the regional summit physically, bringing together leaders of Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Uganda and the hosts DRC, failed to take off due to a number of reasons. In his message, President Kagame called for improved cooperation between regional countries to ensure security and stability in the regional and for the regional economies to overcome the impact of the New Coronavirus by boosting trade and investment. “We are obliged to meet via video conference, but the spirit of positive cooperation demonstrated by this meeting is clear. Rwanda is pleased to participate and make our contribution,” “Cooperation in fighting insecurity in our region is at the core of our efforts as we allow trade and investment to thrive across borders. Stability is the catalyst for increased trade and investment. This is in the interest of each of our countries and the region as a whole,” President Kagame said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has cost lives and disrupted our economies, but by working closely together to mitigate the impact, we can minimise the damage of this pandemic and build capacity to withstand future pandemics,” he...

THE East African Community (EAC) and the European Union (EU) are partnering to realize a fully-fledged EAC Custom Union as they launch a regional economic integration programme. The EU Ambassador to Tanzania and the EAC, Mr Manfredo Fanti and the Secretary General of the EAC, Ambassador Libérat Mfumukeko launched a new Euro 16,400,000 joint programme that will strengthen regional economic integration, through advancing implementation of the Customs Union and Common Market Protocols. The Common Objectives in Regional Economic Integration (CORE) programme will be instrumental in moving towards a fully-fledged Customs Union, by supporting more robust Information Communication and Technology (ICT) based on data exchange protocols for the clearing of goods. The EAC Customs Union was established under the EAC Treaty. The EAC Customs Union Protocol was signed on March 2nd 2004 and became operational on 1st January 2005 with the passing of the EAC Customs Management Act. The overall objective of the Customs Union is the formation of a single customs territory. The aim of creating one single customs territory is to enable Partner States to enjoy economies of scale, with a view to supporting the process of economic development. A needed critical change is to upgrade IT and leverage it to implement the SCT, particularly as concerns three functions: exchange of data between Partner States and with the EAC Secretariat for customs operational purposes, extraction of data from national customs systems for a systematic monitoring, and support functions with a regional component in risk management and valuation. A well-developed...

Look around your room. Chances are that everything inside has been in a container, on a plane, or inside a truck at some point. The miracle of international trade is a complex beast, a series of arteries feeding goods to each corner of the globe. And for the average consumer, we know almost nothing about it. It’s our lack of knowledge that’s given rise to an exploding market for counterfeit goods. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EU Intellectual Property Office, counterfeit and pirated goods make up 3.3% of all global trade — over half a trillion dollars annually. It’s here, in dealing with inauthentic goods, that we run into a bit of a blindspot. We know that we bought a jacket. We know where we purchased it (Amazon), how it got to us (DHL), and its country of origin (China). But it’s what we don’t know that’s far more interesting. Have you ever given thought to where the buttons originated? What about the dyes? The thread? Consider the number of miles, collectively, each material traveled, the number of borders crossed before a manufacturing facility turned it into a jacket, and shipped it to your door. The global supply chain is an impossible tangle of logistical hurdles somehow made possible. With complexity comes opportunity, and unscrupulous actors are taking these opportunities to sneak illicit goods into a legitimate supply. What Can We Do About It? In such a complex network, you’d assume paper would...

Over 25,000 truck drivers have so far registered in the RECDTS system since the exercise was launched two weeks ago. lans are underway to embed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in tackling Covid19 pandemic campaigns to the East Africa Community Regional Electronic Cargo and Driver’s Tracking System (RECDTS) app as the implementing team seek to reach a regional audience. RWANDAIR The Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA) recently started a publicity campaign to promote the use of the SOPs, which will guide the industry in coping with Covid19 as the logistics industry seeks to spring back in a ‘ new normal’ environment. Last week, FEAFFA conducted a training for the South Sudan stakeholders mainly from Nimule-Elegu border. The meeting was also attended by the representatives from Trademark East Africa (TMA), which is supporting the implementation of the project in the region. “We plan to embed COVID19 SOP materials on the RECDTS app. The SOP messages will be tailored to create awareness among the drivers through the app,” FEAFFA president Mr. Fred Seka said, adding that there are plans to work with health officials and other relevant officers at all other border entry-exit points to sensitize the industry on the new SOPs. Another engagement meeting especially with system developers is scheduled in a week’s time before the materials are finally embedded on the app, added Seka. Over 25,000 truck drivers have so far registered in the RECDTS system since the exercise was launched two weeks ago. An average of...

The African Union has amplified action to tackle non-tariff barriers and increase small businesses’ use of the tradebarriers.africa tool through its new online platform The African continent is about to become the world’s largest free trade area. If not addressed, non-tariff barriers (NTBs) may slow down this effort. Although the negative impact of NTBs on intra-regional trade is recognized, so far there has been limited success in addressing them. “The success of the AfCFTA depends in part on how well governments can track and remove non-tariff barriers,” said Ambassador Albert Muchanga the African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry. A new campaign to spotlight and remove non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in intra-continental trade launches this week. The #TradeEasier campaign aims to promote the uptake and use of the African Union’s tradebarriers.africa, a non-tariff barriers reporting mechanism tool. The tool, developed by the African Union in partnership with UNCTAD, supports efforts to make continental trade easier and less costly by helping African businesses report such barriers and supporting their elimination with the help of governments. NTBs slow down the movement of goods and costs importers and exporters billions of dollars annually. They also stand in the way of the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). “If we want the AfCFTA to thrive, we have to ensure operational barriers are dropped and businesses and traders, especially small ones; don’t suffer from undue limitations placed on them as they try do the basic thing that makes economies work – trade.” Every...