Summary President Magufuli said the country was coronavirus-free thanks to prayers. He asked every local leader to use his or her capacity to be an ambassador for the rest of the world. Covid certificates will be available to both citizens and foreigners living in the country with plans to travel. After Tanzanian President John Magufuli declared the country free from Covid-19, the government has now issued new guidelines for obtaining coronavirus clearance certificates. The certificates will be available to both citizens and foreigners living in the country who plan to travel to countries where the documents are required. According to a statement issued by Minister for Health Ummy Mwalimu, the fee for screening is Tsh40,000 (about $17.26) for Tanzanians, Tsh60,000 (about $25.90) for foreigners who are residents and $100 for visitors in the country. In a statement released to the media, she said that travelers who have a Covid-19 clearance certificate will only be seen to be legal after it is stamped and verified electronically. “The procedure for obtaining the certificate is clear, the screening results will be taken to the regional chief medical office and issued within 72 hours for those who don’t have the infection and their names sent to the borders for verification,” she said. The tests can only be obtained at the regional hospitals and not otherwise. The regional chief chemist’s office will supervise the screening at the national laboratory and the traveler will be informed on the need to test five days before day of travel because the certificate is...

NAIROBI, KENYA: The East African Business Council (EABC) has endorsed sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed for the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Director-General position. In a statement, the outfit noted that Amina joining the WTO will be timely as Africa is keenly focusing on the African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). “She is a strong advocate for the actualization of the AfCFTA and has also chaired the WTO’s 10th Ministerial Conference held in Nairobi in 2015, the Dispute Settlement Body and the WTO’s General Council in 2005, her passion for international trade, exemplary strategic leadership, diplomatic and negotiation skills maker her the right candidate for the job,” said Peter Mathuki, CEO East African Business Council. Her success in the position will be a great opportunity for the EAC bloc and Africa towards championing global economic policy to increase the continent’s share in global trade. “The business community in East Africa is assured that Amb. Mohamed will steer the WTO to greater heights. As a former Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Kenya she is bold and proficient, it will be an honour for the continent to have the first African and first woman as the Director-General of the WTO,” said Dr. Mathuki. Mohamed said on Monday she is seeking Washington’s backing and expressed some sympathy with its criticism of the global body as she emerges as one of two reform-minded African female frontrunners. Delegates say Mohamed, a 58-year-old minister, and former WTO chair, is one of...

Paradoxically, the health and economic crisis have shown that the restoration of local production will be achieved through greater trade and economic integration. The post-pandemic period promises to be a moment of opportunity for Africa, that of securing supply by bringing production back to the continent. Yet the risks of supply disruption are not as much linked to a lack of factories in Africa as they are to the concentration of trade. Africa imports 75% of its drugs from Europe, India, and China. First and foremost, securing supply requires greater diversification of suppliers, backed up by trade agreements. Can this be done in a way that benefits African countries? Intra-community trade within EAC Intra-continental trade circuits are more fragile than international circuits. Despite the pandemic, cargo aircraft continue to land in Nairobi, container ships dock in Djibouti and oil tankers leave Port Sudan. Traffic in the Kenyan port of Mombasa is only expected to decrease 2.1% in the first quarter of 2020 as compared to 2019. The problem lies elsewhere. Quality of infrastructure Intra-Community trade within the East African Community (EAC) represents only 20% of its total trade (as opposed to 70% in Europe). Several factors are to blame for this, including the poor quality of infrastructure, complex administrative procedures, low competition in the carrier industry, and a lack of interconnectivity between the various modes of transport. For example, clearing a container takes eight days in Mombasa, less than two days in Mauritius and barely ten minutes in Europe. These differences are even more pronounced...

In Summary The app will follow the trajectory of the truck and detect any smuggling or short-landing. The app is expected to be launched within two weeks. Truck drivers have welcomed a decision by the government to introduce an application through which they can access coronavirus test results. EU ambassador to Kenya Simon Mordue said Friday they are partnering the government to release the app in two weeks. The cargo transporters said on Sunday the app will limit the frequency of travel to Covid-19 test centres to pick their results. They also said the development will hasten the delivery of test results to individual drivers thus reducing the time they spend queuing on the roads. Mark Kibet who plies the Mombasa-Tororo route transporting clinker to the Tororo Cement Industry in eastern Uganda said he was ready to download and use the app. “That is a good decision because that app will help us when our samples have been taken. We will only be returning to our vehicles and wait for the results to come out through our phones,” he said in Amagoro. Results take two to three days and when they are released, drivers have had to travel again to Malaba to pick them, he said. Truck drivers are screened for the coronavirus after every 14 days and it has been cumbersome for them to travel to test centres to collect result certificates. Abdallah Boru who plies the Mombasa-Kampala and Mombasa-Juba routes said developers of the app deserve commendation. It...

Summary Kenya and Tanzania’s rise to lower-middle-income countries raises the bar for fellow East African Community (EAC) member states. I would argue that we should not be thinking of when Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan will become middle-income countries, but how. The World Bank on July 1 categorised Tanzania as a lower middle-income country (MIC), becoming the second country in the East African region to achieve this milestone after Kenya. The World Bank categorises a middle-income country as one with gross national income (GNI) per capita between $1,006 and $12,235. Tanzania’s GNI per capita was reported at $3,140 in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators. Becoming a middle-income country reflects the hard work and sacrifices of citizens, and sustainable, people-centred development programmes by the Kenya and Tanzania governments. It requires a quantum of resources and discipline in the governments’ expenditure pattern. Kenya and Tanzania’s rise to lower-middle-income countries raises the bar for fellow East African Community (EAC) member states. I would argue that we should not be thinking of when Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan will become middle-income countries, but how: How they effectively implement their development plans, and if they strategically identify the key priority sectors they can massively invest in to accelerate growth based on each country’s comparative advantage. Several factors contribute to attaining the middle-income status. Kenya and Tanzania’s long-term political stability provided a solid foundation for growth and development, providing the impetus for citizens to focus on and achieve individual...

Summary In its latest African Economic Outlook 2020 Supplement report, the African Development Bank (AfDB) says that despite countries embarking on a cautious reopening of economies to stem further damage, the impact of the pandemic is bound to be severe. Losses are expected to be carried over to 2021 because the projected recovery will only be partial with losses ranging from $27.6 billion (baseline) up to $47 billion (worst case) from the potential GDP of $2.76 trillion without the pandemic. Cumulatively, the pandemic could lead to GDP losses in 2020–21 of between $173.1 billion and $236.7 billion in current value terms. At mid-year, African economies, already battered by the Covid-19 pandemic are now facing a total GDP loss of at least $145.5 billion. With many countries recording an unprecedented surge in the number of infections, and the continent’s total cases surpassing the half million mark as per World Health Organisation data, Africa is forecast to suffer GDP losses of between $145.5 billion and $189.7 billion from the pre-Covid-19 estimated GDP of $2.59 trillion. In its latest African Economic Outlook 2020 Supplement report, the African Development Bank (AfDB) says that despite countries embarking on a cautious reopening of economies to stem further damage, the impact of the pandemic is bound to be severe. Losses are expected to be carried over to 2021 because the projected recovery will only be partial with losses ranging from $27.6 billion (baseline) up to $47 billion (worst case) from the potential GDP of $2.76 trillion without the...

​​​​​​​IN a move to tackle foreign domination of shipping business in Africa, the African Union (AU) has adopted the Deep Blue Economy strategy by taking initiatives to promote maritime transport, port activities, maritime security, as well as interstate exchanges. In a report “Africa Blue Economy Strategy”, the AU noted that foreigners intentionally destroyed the budding African shipping lines and conferences to ensure that only Europeans offer such services and at their own prices. Besides, the AU is also expecting port activity in Africa to reach two billion tonnes by 2040. West Africa is home to port facilities in the process of continuous modernisation since the end of the colonial era. East Africa has expanded its ports, including Djibouti, which is responsible for exports to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India. The port of Dar-Es-Salaam in Tanzania carries many imports from India and China. To this end the group also concluded plans to reduce, if not eliminate foreign domination of shipping businesses in the continent as it commenced research and studies in fisheries, aquaculture, conservation and sustainable aquatic ecosystems, shipping/transportation, trade, ports, maritime security, safety and enforcement, coastal and maritime tourism, climate change, resilience, environment, infrastructure, sustainable energy and mineral resources and innovative industries, polices, institutional and governance, employment, job creation and poverty eradication as well as innovative financing. According to the report, the AU noted that in its current configuration, maritime trade remains dominated by arms conglomerates which unilaterally set freight rates and thus organise the shipping market as they see...

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...

The East African Community (EAC) is likely to see a sharp decline in Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) this year owing to the current Covid-19 pandemic that continues to ravage economies across the globe. According to the latest World Investment Report 2020 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) FDIs in East Africa declined by nine per cent to $7.8 billion in 2019, from $9 billion in 2018. The report forecasts FDI inflows to the continent will fall by 25 to 40 per cent in 2020, exacerbated by low commodity prices. “Although all industries are set to be affected, several services industries including aviation, hospitality, tourism and leisure are hit hard, a trend likely to persist for some time in the future,” said James Zhan, Unctad director of investment and enterprise. The decrease, according to the report, comes after the continent recorded a 10 per cent decline in FDIs flows to $45 billion in 2019 from $46 billion in 2018. Alternatively, the expected transformation of international production also brings some opportunities for development, such as promoting resilience-seeking investment, building regional value chains and entering new markets through digital platforms, the report reads in part However, capturing these opportunities will require a shift in development strategies. According to Mukhisa Kituyi Secretary-General of Unctad, export-oriented investment geared towards exploiting factors of production, resources and low-cost labour will remain important. But the pool of such investment is shrinking, and the first rungs on the development ladder could become much harder to climb. He...

Dar es Salaam — Tanzania's economy is forecast to grow at 5.2 percent this year, while six Eastern African countries' economies are projected to plunge into recession, blaming the trend on the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report shows. The new projection by the African Development Bank (AfDB) is lower than the 6.4 percent it projected before the pandemic. Tanzania's growth will beat 12 other Eastern African countries in 2020, according to the report. The government predicts the economy will grow by 5.5 percent this year, while the World Bank projects it to slow to 2.5 percent. The six countries which are projected to go into recession in 2020 are Seychelles (-10.5), Sudan (-7.2), Burundi (-5.2), Somalia (-3.3), Comoros (-1.2) and South Sudan (-0.4). The other six countries will grow economically - but doing so at arelatively lower rate than Tanzania. The countries (with their growth rate percentages in brackets) are Rwanda (4.2), Ethiopia (3.1), Uganda (2.5), Kenya (1.4), Djibouti (1) and Eritrea (0.3). "Despite the projected slowdown, real GDP growth in Tanzania will benefit from increased prices of gold, a major national export," reads the report in part. Gold is Tanzania's leading foreign exchange earner after overtaking tourism this May, largely due to increased prices and production volumes. Gold reached above $1,800 an ounce Wednesday for the first time since 2011, with the precious metal benefitting from its 'safe haven' status as the coronavirus outbreak triggered global economy fears. Gold price was $1,257.35 in May 2019. The price surge partly...