Arusha — The training of Judicial Officers on Judicial Management of Commercial and Trade related Disputes in the EAC context organized by East African Judicial Education Committee (EAJEC) and the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with Rwanda National Judiciary and Trademark East Africa (TMA) concluded yesterday in Kigali, Rwanda. The 20 - 23 April 2015 training aimed at enhancing the knowledge of Judicial Officers on the Management of Commercial and Trade related Disputes in the EAC Context as well as enabling them to effectively perform their roles in the EAC integration matters. Addressing the Judicial Officers at the training during the official opening, Chief Justice of the Republic of Rwanda, Hon. Prof. Sam Rugege noted that given the increased pace of the EAC integration, disputes are bound to increase and as such there is need for Judicial Officers in the region to regularly enhance their knowledge on the EAC Trade Laws and the management of commercial and trade disputes. He reiterated the paramount importance of the Judiciaries in the integration process and noted that the training was offering an opportunity for the stakeholders to play an active role in the promotion of justice. "The Judiciaries are expected to play a vital role in the EAC integration and actively participate in the development of the East African Community jurisprudence" asserted Rwanda's Chief Justice. Hon. Chief Justice Sam Rugege emphasized that e-commerce was increasingly becoming important both at national, regional and global levels, with lots of advantages in commercial transactions such as mobile...

As a businessman who regularly uses Dar port, news that it is undergoing a major overhaul is welcome. Nothing pleases people like me as encountering efficiency without any hassles to speak of. It is always even better when there is very little filling out of forms and things like that. Transportation bottlenecks are what makes many of our goods expensive. Delays severely affect cash flow. That is why the Tanzania government and development partners must congratulated for this port project. I have also been closely following the work being done by TradeMark Africa (TMA). They too deserve a pat on their back for the way they are going about easing regional trade flow bottlenecks. I think when our logistics improves then the region can become more competitive, especially compared to the rest of Africa. However although corruption is in many cases reduced, it will not go away. This is something all governments must stay focused on and stamp out another factor that keeps the costs of doing business high. For many of us, the East African Community is the basis of a possible transformation into a modern industrial hub. Source: East African Business Week

DAR ES SALAAM port is poised to become one of the most modern and efficient by 2020 when World Bank Group and UK's Department for International Development funded project is completed. Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) acting Director General, Mr Awadh Masawe said in Dar es Salaam last week that the 596 million US dollars (over 1.1bn/-) which was kick-started last week by Permanent Secretary, Dr Shabaan Mwinjaka, will greatly improve infrastructure at the country's prime port. Mr Masawe said by 2020, the port's capacity will increase to over 22 million metric tons from the current 14 million tons per annum while ship's dwell time will be reduced to five days. "The project involves demolition of sheds to pave way for a container terminal, duo access roads to Gates 3, 5 and 8, dredging of the port's mouth," Masawe said. The TPA acting DG said the port which last year handled 14 million metric tons against a target of 13.5 million tons thanks to Big Results Now, will handle 18 million metric tons by 2017. World Bank Country Director for Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda, Philippe Dongier said development partners are committed to assisting government improve and modernise the port's infrastructure because of its importance to the country and the region. "The East Africa region has one of the fastest growing economies in the world with most cargo going through Dar es Salaam port, there has been a 10 per cent annual increase in freight for the past five years," Mr Dongier...

JAKARTA - INSTANT noodle producer Indofood plans to build a factory in Morocco, its sixth in Africa, this year. It is one of a growing number of Asian companies investing in the continent of late. More natural resources from Africa, such as crude oil from Angola, are also flowing to Asia. But trade between both regions remains well below its potential, and business leaders on both sides today agreed to form an Asian-African Business Council (AABC) to step up links, share know-how and boost investments. Source: The Straits Times/Asia

As a way of further deepening the East African integration, Uganda is launching a National Policy to engage all segments of our population to ensure optimum benefi ts that continue to accrue from this process. The National Policy on East African Community Integration (NPEACI) was developed to respond to the need to have a detailed articulation of the country’s EAC integration policy in a single document, in which priorities, objectives, targets, policies and linkages with other growth and development targets are clearly laid out and linked. The development and launch of this policy is also borne out of the obvious fact that integration is too important to be left to a few sections of the population. Integration is a multifaceted process bringing together all of us in government and the non-state actors. Indeed, the framers of the Treaty establishing the EAC were mindful of this reality. That is why Article 7 provides that “the principles that shall govern the practical achievement of the objectives of the community shall include people-centred and market-driven co operation”. By launching this policy, therefore, we are, in a way, fulfi lling the requirements of this provision. The document with the vision, “A transformed Ugandan society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country fully integrated within the East African Community”, will be launched by the Rt Hon Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda. The ceremony will be attended by people in all walks of life from the public and private sector and the civil society....

While the last 15 years have seen relatively high levels of growth driven by a commodity super-cycle and strong internal demand from a growing middleclass, Africa is still dependent on commodities for most of its export earnings. There is now broad consensus that, without diversified economies, Africa will remain prone to exogenous shocks and trapped in the paradox of high growth rates, coexisting with high levels of unemployment and extreme poverty. It is for this reason that the last four issues of the Economic Report for Africa have investigated the fundamental policy questions and challenges facing the transformation process and endeavoured to shed light on, and bring coherence to, policy priorities at national, regional and continental levels. I continue to call for accelerated industrialization as key to the structural transformation of African economies. The deep focus on industrialization in Africademonstratesour commitment to ensure that policy research and statistics are strategically relevant to African governments’ priorities. The new industrial policies being developed by several member States and regional economic communities have greatly benefited from the research, statistics and debates generated by our focus on this critical subject. The key factors constraining trade and industrialization in Africa are related to Africa’s narrow production and export base, which is dominated by low-value products such as raw materials and primary commodities. This is compounded by very high trade costs, tariffs and non-tariff barriers to intra-African trade and Africa’s access to international markets. We have no alternative but to increase our share of global exports....

Even though agriculture remains the main economic activity in the East African Community (EAC) partner states, public spending on the sector remain very low as reflected in the 2014/2015 individual national budgets published by Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. This is despite the sector contributing about 30 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing about 80 percent of the total work force of these countries. The revelation is documented in a report deduced from the EAC partner states budgetary review for 2014/2015 fiscal year conducted recently by the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF). EAFF is an apex regional farmer organisation with member in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and South Sudan, representing more than 20 million smallholder farmers. The report recommends that there is an urgent need by the EAC partner states to review their budgetary allocations to the sector to ensure that the source of livelihood is safeguarded and improved. Governments of the EAC partner states should implement the 10 percent budget allocation for agriculture according to the Maputo Declaration. A detailed comparison of the agricultural sector allocation in the EAC following the Maputo Declaration in 2003 reveals that none of the EAC states has consistently met the 10 percent target pledged by the heads of States. The report highlights the major challenges faced by small scale farmers, how farmers can take advantage of the budget making process going forward, budgetary allocations to agriculture and recommendations. In this regard, the report analyses agriculture...

Dar es Salaam — Civil works have started on the $593 million upgrade of Dar es Salaam port involving financing by both bilateral and multilateral donors and overseen by TradeMark Africa, the non-profit consultancy. Philippe Dongier World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi said last week the event is happening at the right time when the World Bank together with the Tanzania government, the British Department of International Development (DfID) and Trademark East Africa is preparing a substantive program to increase the capacity and efficiency of the port. Last week saw the demolition of sheds two and three at the port and is part of the Dar es Salaam Maritime Gateway Project (DMGP). This is expected to improve the physical capacity of infrastructure and operational efficiency. The project directly supports Tanzania's Big Results Now (BRN) program, part of Tanzania Vision 2025. Through the Transport Laboratory, new improvements will help to unlock the potential of the Central Transport Corridor, namely from the Dar es Salaam Port to the western borders, through an integrated series of initiatives, and increase the capacity of Dar es Salaam. Dongier said it also underlines the importance of Dar es Salaam for the economy of both Tanzania and its landlocked neighbours. On completion port capacity will double to 28 million tonnes by 2020. Dongier said the total cost is envisaged to be $596 million, including an IBRD Enclave loan of up to $400 million, the first of its kind in the Africa region, a prospective...

Old timers and businessmen alike, who have been away from Tanga for the last three decades, will surely notice a big change in as far as activities with regard to cargo handling is taking place at Tanga Port. Fact is , the maritime facility , the second largest and oldest in the country, has somewhat lost its glory in terms of cargo handling – both exports and imports. Compared to the past – over a decade ago, when the port used to handle massive traffic – imports and exports from and to the Lake Zone and Northern Zone, only a fraction passes through the port. Port authorities say most traffic is ferried by road in small quantities. Apparently, the main culprit is closure of the Tanga line railway – a facility which used to haul hundreds of tones - both general merchandise and containerised traffic. The traffic used to be ferried from Lake Zone – Mwanza and Kemondo Bay in Bukoba through the Central Corridor – clearing sensitive traffic such as copper concentrates from Shinyanga. Along the Tanga – Arusha stretch, trains ferried commodities such as sisal, coffee, tea and soya beans. Copper concentrates, particularly used to be loaded on containers and hauled in block form of 20 or so wagons down to the Tanga Port from Isaka. Presently, traffic from Northern Zone travels by road through the Tanzania – Kenya border at Holili – onwards to Mombasa Port. That means imports using the Kenyan facility uses the same mode...

AN ambitious project to modernise and expand Dar es Salaam Port to handle 22 million metric tons and reduce ship's dwell time from the current 9-10 days to five days by 2020 has finally started. The project, dubbed Dar es Salaam Maritime Gateway Modernization (DMGM) project, which is backed by World Bank and Department for International Development's 593 million US dollars (over 1.1bn/-) soft loan and grant, will see the country's prime port improve infrastructure and manpower. Transport Minister Samuel Sitta downplayed critics of the project who feared that its implementation will remain elusive saying by 2020; the port should be able to handle third generation cargo ships. "Some people had fears that the project will take many years to implement but here we are now," said Mr Sitta in a speech read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Transport, Dr Shaban Mwinjaka. He said the project which is part of Big Results Now initiative will include modernising and upgrading of Berth 1 to 7 while aged general cargo warehouses will be demolished to pave way for container handling equipment. "We have already signed memorandum of understanding with governments of Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo, which have pledged to use Dar es Salaam Port for their imports and exports," Dr Mwinjaka said before kick-starting the demolition exercise of aged warehouses. He urged the private sector to join forces in implementing the ambitious project which also involves modernisation of the central railway line and reduction of...