Trade Mark East Africa has signed a Sh152 million ($1.6 million) deal with the South Sudan National Bureau of Standards to help boost cargo inspection. South Sudan is regarded as an emerging market for Kenya’s industrial goods as well as the re-exports ordered through the port of Mombasa. The strengthening of its quality agency is also set to cut the amount of counterfeits and sub-standard goods that come into Kenya through the border of the two countries. The partnership, being funded by a grant from the UK government’s Department for International Development, will see TMA provide technical support to the nascent quality regulator, improving the speed at which it clears shipments. The agency’s officials said the partnership was meant to make the bureau a strong quality regulator whose staff fit the bill. It will also support the development of standards in line with the standards, quality, metrology and testing regulations and help create better laboratories. Quality products “As a young nation, SSNBS will play a critical role in developing standards for South Sudan that are in line with EAC standards. The SSNBS will also receive a state-of the-art laboratory equipment to aid in streamlining trade, cutting the cost of doing business and bringing down costs to consumers,” TMA South Sudan Country Director Eugene Torero said in a statement. The regulator’s staff will be trained in food safety and standards development and technical regulations. The support is also aimed at helping the bureau to build collaborative engagements with the East African...

Juba – May5, 2015 – South Sudan continues to strengthen and modernise its national standards bureau which is an integral agency when it comes to consumer protection and streamlining of trade. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today between TradeMark Africa (TMA) represented by Eugene Torero, TMA SS Country Director and Hon. Dr. Mary Gordon Muortat, Executive Director, South Sudan National Bureau of Standards (SSNBS). TMA has committed to provide technical support to the SSNBS amounting to US$1.6M funded by the UK government’s Department for International (DFID). [caption id="attachment_7266" align="alignleft" width="600"] Right to Left - Eugene Torero, TMA SS Country Director and Hon. Dr. Mary Gordon Muortat, Executive Director, South Sudan National Bureau of Standards exchanging the signed MoU documents.[/caption] This project aims at assisting the government of South Sudan (GOSS) towards the institutional building of the SSNBS and the capacity building of its staff. It will also support the development of standards in line with the Standards, Quality, Metrology and Testing (SQMT) regulatory framework and further support the revitalisation of standards laboratories in South Sudan. The procurement of priority laboratory equipment is envisaged as a critical aspect in building and strengthening the capacity of the bureau. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Eugene Torero, TMA South Sudan Country Director noted that TMA is keen to support South Sudan participate fully in regional trade through facilitating the standards bureau. “We are happy to support SSNBS, which is an important trade facilitation agency. As a young nation, SSNBS will play a critical...

Arusha. A partner state that will not attend key meetings of the East African Community (EAC) without any sound reason will now face the music, it was resolved here at the weekend. A partner country to EAC is now required to give a seven-day notice in the event it won’t be able to participate in the meeting in question. “In the event that a seven-day notice is not given and other partner states are already at the venue of the meeting, the session shall proceed and deliberations and outcome of the meeting and decision reached shall bind the absent member country,” the secretariat said yesterday. The new directive focuses mainly on the Sectoral Council Meetings of the regional organization where important issues for each sector are discussed by senior officials and technical experts from the partner states. It is at the level of the Sectoral Councils where comprehensive implementation programmes for each sector covering the region are prepared as well as setting out the priorities Sectoral Councils, through their respective committees, also monitors and keeps under constant review the implementtion of the programmes of the Community with respect to its sector. Following the just-ended meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers here, the Arusha-based Secretariat was directed to report on the absenteeism of the partner states from sectoral council meetings for action. The ministerial council, which is the policy organ of the Community, directed the secretary general to officially communicate to partner states challenges faced due to postponements of meetings....

East African governments have increased their annual budgets for the 2015/2016 fiscal year, with more spending directed to security and key sectors expected to drive growth. But the ballooning spending plan for the region comes against the backdrop of faltering revenue collection and declining donor support, creating a fertile ground for increased domestic borrowing. In Rwanda, the total budget for fiscal year 2015/16 is projected at $2.47 billion, reflecting an increase of $8.26 million, compared with the 2014/15 revised budget of $2.46 billion. The Finance Ministry announced that Rwf882.5 billion ($1.32 billion) equivalent to 50 per cent of the total budget will finance economic transformations, rural development, employment and accountable governance. Economic transformation projects will be allocated Rwf413 billion ($619 million)—23 per cent while rural development will be get Rwf227.9 billion ($341.8 million) — 13 per cent. Productivity and youth employment will be allocated Rwf152 billion ($228 million) —nine per cent while the remaining Rwf89 billion ($133 million) — five per cent will go to accountable governance. Foundational areas (education, health, public accounts, justice and sustainable development) will receive Rwf645.6 billion ($968.4 million) or 37 per cent of the total budget. Rwf240 billion ($360 million) or 14 per cent will go to service delivery and ICT promotion. Donor funding is expected to decline to 5.7 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015/2016 from 7.3 per cent of GDP in 2014/15 as development partners opt to channel funds directly to specific projects and to non-governmental organisations. According to...

KIGALI, Rwanda - Better customs system means higher revenues and better controls, lower trading cost and fewer delays. This is why reducing transit costs, simplifying customs procedures, and improving national and regional trade environments are of critical importance. Rwanda Revenue Authority Commissioner for Customs Raphael Tugirumuremyi said this while opening a two days 8th Meeting of Management Committee of the Regional Customs Transit Guarantee (RCTG) Scheme. The meeting was organized by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Rwanda Revenue Authority in Kigali last week. The aim was to discuss ways of making the RCTG programme more successful for businesses. “A landlocked country trade to a large proportion depends upon transportation and this is why high transport costs facing landlocked developing countries have become a far more restrictive barrier to trade for these countries than tariffs,” said Tugirumuremyi . He said: “Those countries on average pay almost three times higher for transport services than these tariffs, which is why there is a clear correlation between distance and transport costs.” According to World Bank 1% increase of distance from major markets could result in more than 1% decrease in the volume of external trade. “That’s why in view of this am pleased to learn that the RCTG scheme which was rolled out in the Northern Corridor countries in December 2011 has achieved the significant progress in the operations of the scheme particularly in the Northern and Central corridors’ countries,” Tugirumuremyi said. More than 13,000 RCTG general bonds...

The council of Ministers of the East African Community (EAC) will this week meet in Arusha, Tanzania, with the status of negotiations regarding South Sudan's application to join the community expected to be among the top issues on the agenda. The council meetings are attended by the ministers responsible for EAC affairs of each partner state. This week's meeting, which opened yesterday and runs until Thursday, is the 31st ordinary meeting of the council. It normally takes place in three sessions beginning with that of senior officials of the EAC followed by that of EAC permanent secretaries before climaxing with the ministers' meetings that mainly considers key issues forwarded by their technical officials. Innocent Safari, the permanent secretary at Rwanda's Ministry of East African Affairs, told The New Times, yesterday, that the status of negotiations regarding South Sudan's application to join the EAC as a sixth member will be one of the key issues for the council to consider. The Republic of South Sudan, which is currently embroiled in a contest for political power between President Salva Kiir's government and rebels loyal to his former deputy Riek Machar, applied to join the EAC on June 10, 2011. The EAC Council of Ministers then established a high level negotiation team to negotiate the country's entry into the Community, a process that was initiated by the South Sudanese government delegation appointed by President Kiir on March 13, last year. In November, last year, the South Sudanese delegation met the Secretary General of...

While the Kenyan portion of the new Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is in part already under construction, the Ugandan portion of the project between the Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan section will only reach up to the Ugandan border from where separate work contracts and funding will be needed to cross the “Pearl of Africa.” Information received over the Easter weekend speaks of Uganda President Museveni himself witnessing the signing of US$3.2 billion deal with the China Harbour Engineering Company, which will be handling the engineering and procurement side of the project. The main line of the new railroad will cross Uganda and link the border with Kampala. From there, the line is expected to move on to the border with Rwanda, while the dormant line from Kampala to Kasese will also be upgraded. In addition, a branch line will go north to connect the South Sudanese border town of Nimule, from where the section to Juba and beyond then has to be constructed under separate contracts. Questions have already been asked about the route to the Nimule border point, as the Rift Valley Railways operated a narrow gauge line which already extends to Gulu, only a short distance from the South Sudanese border, and with special reference being made to the planned LAPSSET railway. This new SGR line will connect the port of Lamu with both Ethiopia and South Sudan and will no doubt compete for cargo volumes with the branch line from Uganda to South Sudan. Only...

Encouraging results achieved over the past year, including investments at key ports have resulted in reduced cargo transit times on East Africa’s main transport corridors, and accelerated implementation of the EAC’s Single Customs Territory. Harmonisation of product standards has expanded the EAC trade basket says TMA Annual Report. [caption id="attachment_6830" align="alignleft" width="600"] Minister Works and Transport John Byabagambi, Ms. Edith Mwanje Permanent Secretary Ministry of East African Community Affairs, Frank Matsaert CEO Trade Mark East Africa and Karin Anderson Programme Chair Investment Committee Trade Mark East Africa pose for a photo during the official hand over of the 2013/2014 TMA Annual Report to the Ugandan Government in Kampala[/caption] Kampala, 24 March 2015. Investments in trade infrastructure as well as the dismantling of bureaucratic and procedural barriers to economic integration, is positioning the EAC region as the destination of choice for doing business, TradeMark Africa (TMA) said today as they launched their annual report covering the period 2013/2014. TMA further stated that its partnership with the East African Governments has resulted to great progress in delivering 7 key One Stop Border Posts (OSBP) across East Africa this year to increase physical access to markets for both formal and informal traders. Pilot operations at the Kobero/Kabanga between Tanzania and Burundi borders already indicate a two day reduction in transit times at Kabanga for cargo trucks, as well as reduction in tedious formalities for traders which have had adverse impact on time and costs of business in the past. This announcement was made...

South Sudan and Somalia may not be allowed into the East African Community unless they return to stability and adopt democracy, EAC Chair President Jakaya Kikwete has hinted. While delivering the State of EAC Address in Bujumbura on Thursday last week, President Kikwete said democracy, good governance, human rights and rule of law are critical tenets of the EAC. “Better governed member states contribute to a prosperous region... badly governed states frustrate integration. It impedes trade, co-operation, as well as movement of people, goods, services and capital. Moreover, it deters investment and makes the region an unfavourable destination for investment and trade,” said President Kikwete South Sudan has been pushing to be admitted to the EAC since 2011, soon after it obtained Independence from Sudan. The 1999 EAC Treaty sets out conditions for membership, including adherence to universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy, rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice. At the EAC Heads of State Summit in Nairobi on February 20, the five presidents agreed that the final negotiations on the bid by South Sudan to join the community should begin between March and August 2015 despite its current security situation. The EAC heads of state have been at the forefront in calling for an immediate end to hostilities in South Sudan. In December 2012, EAC members rejected South Sudan’s application, citing its periodic conflict with neighbouring Sudan, not holding democratic elections and lack of a democratic culture. At the time, Tanzania was concerned about...

The impact of the deadly Ebola virus has fallen mainly on three African countries but tourism has taken a hit across the continent, tourism chiefs say. About 56 million people visited Africa in 2014, a two-percent rise from the previous year, according to UNWTO figures. However, growth lagged behind that in Europe, Asia and the Americas. And the increase was also down on the robust 4.8 percent gain a year earlier. "Africa has done well in spite of suffering from the Ebola symptoms which were associated unfairly" with Africa as a whole, UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) head Taleb Rifai said at the Berlin tourism fair (ITB) on Friday. Africa needed support, especially after the Ebola crisis, he said, adding: "It was very unfair the generalisation that happened." Marie France Adieme-N'Dja, of Ivory Coast's tourism office, said Ebola had created panic. "We have operators who have had cancelled bookings because of the fear of Ebola. However, in Ivory Coast there has not been a single case," she said. Showing off its nine national parks and 550 kilometres of sunny beaches, the Ivorian tourist office is one of many African stands at the ITB trying to woo back visitors as the epidemic appears to have been brought under control. Almost 24,000 people have been infected with the Ebola virus since December 2013, almost all in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, and 9807 of them have died, according to the WHO. The countries at the centre of the epidemic are forecast to...