NEW AFRICA BUSINESS NEWS (NABN) Accra, Ghana– The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East Africa Community (EAC), and Southern African Development Community (SADC) have developed a regional electronic Corridor Trip Monitoring System (CTMS) which will allow cross border road transport operators, drivers, regulators and law enforcement agencies to record and monitor driver wellness data such as COVID-19 test results has been approved by the Tripartite group. The CTMS will also enable operators to track the driver, crew and truck movements against preapproved route plans. The CTMS is supported by the current legal and regulatory framework existing both at regional and national level, which include inter-alia: REC Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, Corridor Agreements, Bilateral Road Transport Agreements as well as National COVID19 regulations being implemented by Tripartite Member/Partner States. The system will eventually be reinforced by the legal provisions in the Tripartite Multilateral Cross Border Road Transport Agreement adopted by the Tripartite Sectorial Ministerial Committee on Infrastructure held in Lusaka in October 2019. Director of Infrastructure at COMESA Secretariat Mr. Baptiste Mutabazi revealed in Lusaka that the CTMS will enable operator, vehicle and driver information to be readily available along regional transport corridors at the roadside and at border posts to all regulatory and law enforcement agencies. New Africa Business News Africa’s Fastest Growing Global Newspaper. Forward www.newafricabusinessnews.com He added that the CTMS is being developed and deployed in a phased manner and was first released in June this year. It will be piloted on a section of the Trans...

Africa loses an estimated $670 million in rejected exports annually due to contamination by aflatoxin. Contamination of the cereal products by the highly-poisonous chemical results in the exports failing to meet the required standards. By wreaking havoc in food stores, the highly poisonous also causes huge losses in trade revenues. This was revealed early this week during the signing of an agreement by two international organizations to fight aflatoxin in Eastern Africa. The pact by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Eastern African Grain Council (EAGC) will focus aims to contain aflatoxin contamination in the grains. “This will ensure the grains are safe for human and livestock consumption and meet export standards,” IITA said yesterday in a statement. Aflatoxin is a highly poisonous chemical produced by a naturally occurring fungus known as ‘Aspergillus flavus’ and has lately wreaked havoc on the food stores. The fungus is found in soils and attacks important crops such as maize and groundnuts while in the field and in storage when they are not dried and stored properly. Besides negative impact on export trade and food security, the chemical poses a serious health threat to both human beings and animals as a result of consuming contaminated foods. “An estimated $670m is lost in rejected export products from Africa is lost each year due to contamination by aflatoxin,” said the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA). The lobby is currently spearheading the fight against the fungus whose havoc has also adversely impacted...

According to the report from the survey among the top three challenges faced by African countries during the pandemic are reduced opportunities to meet new customers drop in demand for products and services, as well as lack of cash flow. African businesses are shifting towards new technologies in response to the ongoing pandemic, according to a new report published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The UNECA and the International Economics Consulting Ltd jointly published the report which is the second comprehensive survey on the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact across Africa, according to UNECA. The online survey was conducted from June 16 to July 20 to provide insights into the effects of the pandemic on economic activity for businesses across the region. The survey mainly identified challenges encountered by African businesses as well as their responses to mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic. According to the report from the survey among the top three challenges faced by African countries during the pandemic are reduced opportunities to meet new customers drop in demand for products and services, as well as lack of cash flow. “Companies have faced serious disruptions in both supply and market due to COVID-19, with unfair pricing seen as a major concern,” the report read, while feedback from companies about government assistance “is mixed with nearly two-thirds of the respondents indicating from moderate to no satisfaction,” it said. According to the report, “companies are currently working at about half their capacity” while...

A new information note published by the WTO Secretariat highlights how trade in goods and services has been affected by temporary border closures and travel restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes how the cross-border mobility of individuals plays an important role in both the cross-border provision and consumption of services and in manufacturing value chains. The paper notes that sweeping travel barriers introduced in the early stages of the pandemic have given way to more fine-tuned policies aimed at allowing through “essential” foreign workers, or creating quarantine-free “travel bubbles” among partners. Nevertheless, mobility barriers have had a particularly heavy impact on tourism and education services, as well as on trade in goods, due to their effect on transport services and on information and transaction costs. The paper notes that international cooperation has a potentially important role to play in minimizing the economic impact of mobility restrictions. For instance, exchanging information on lessons learnt about mobility restrictions and trade could help WTO members foster greater resilience in the face of future crises. Such an exercise could help with identifying options to implement travel measures that meet public health protection objectives while minimizing the negative effects on trade. Key points International trade and investment have always relied on the cross-border mobility of individuals. To contain the spread of COVID-19, many WTO members imposed temporary border closures and travel restrictions. The severe restrictions on cross-border movement are not motivated by trade considerations but by public health reasons. Nevertheless, they have had...

Kenya’s uneasy relationship with Tanzania seems not to go away while it is threatening to degenerate into a trade war, with Dar es Salaam banning three Nairobi airlines from its airspace this week. The new round of feud was apparently triggered by Kenya’s move to exclude Tanzanians from travellers exempted from mandatory Covid-19 quarantine protocol. Kenya’s action was motivated by the fact that Tanzania has been lax in the fight against Covid-19, and has not instituted restrictive measures to curb the spread of the disease. Kenya, therefore, considers the neighbouring country high-risk, deserving a place on its red list. Piqued by Kenya’s move, Tanzania retaliated by pulling the plug on the three airlines, raising the list of barred operators to four, including Kenya Airways. Bilateral ties between Kenya and Tanzania have been blowing hot and cold for decades now. Disputes seem to be always never far from the surface and only a slight spark is enough to ignite a diplomatic tiff such as the one playing out. Diplomatic rows are a usual occurrence among nations, and especially so among neighbouring countries, as differences will always emerge. However, when feuds become as frequent as is the case between Nairobi and Dar, it becomes a source of concern that demands a comprehensive solution. The simmering differences and political grandstanding between them have resulted in a cold war stance that has hurt ease of doing business within the East African Community (EAC). Such constant spats are inimical to EAC’s vision of a region...

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Kenya H.E. Simon Mordue is on a two-day visit of Mombasa. On Thursday 20th August, he handed over Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to Kenya Ports Authority to support its fight against COVID-19. The Ambassador was hosted by Mombasa Governor H.E Ali Hassan Joho, Permanent Secretary Ministry of East Africa Community (EAC) Kevit Desai, Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director Rashid Salim, and TMA Kenya Country Director, Ahmed Farah. Today’s PPE’s delivery will meet the needs of 2,730 Kenya Ports Authority staff, Port Police, Kenya Revenue Authority staff, Port health staff and sustain them for 60 days. The 2730 staff were prioritised as they are the first responders and most vulnerable dealing with port health, first aiders and handling of cargo as it arrives. The PPE’s include Reusable masks, Hand sanitisers, Hand washing points, Disinfectant spray, Infrared Thermometer, Reusable Safety Boots, Full protective PPE for front line health workers, N95 face masks and face shields, as agreed with KPA in consultation with KRA and port health and advice from medical agencies at regional and international levels. The European Union is the largest donor to Kenya’s component of TMA’s Safe Trade Emergency Facility (STEF) programme with a contribution of KES 600 million (EUR 5 million). Its under this programme that the PPE delivery has been made as part EU’s wider support for mitigation against the spread of COVID-19 and promotion of continuous safe trade in Kenya. The delivery to Port of Mombasa is critical as the port...

TANZANIA is on the right track in investment innovation and continuity as well as in increasing trade-- a key model to drive economic transformation for sustainable and inclusive prosperity. The country has surged forward with huge pace and resilience in the past five years under President John Magufuli ahead of other East African Community (EAC) partner states and some others in Africa. It was not distracted even by the emergence of the global Coronavirus pandemic. Under the stewardship of committed leaders, adhering to the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Election Manifesto for 2015 – 2020, the country has seen continued investment to increase the efficiency and productivity of the Dar es Salaam Port, Central Corridor and One Stop Border Posts (OSBP) and developing agriculture-related economic growth along the Dar es Salaam/SAGCOT corridor to Zambia. Continuity and Innovation under TradeMark Africa (TMA) has been cooperating with the government of Tanzania in the matter, focusing on inclusiveness by ensuring that women, the poor and small businesses are progressively involved in the local, regional and international trade. TMA says that its cross-border trade interventions focus on increasing access to information and simplifying trade information and procedures that enable small cross-border business to get started and developed accordingly. “The strategy provides guidance on the institutional and policy reforms necessary to execute the Vision 2025 and its implementation strategies (notably the Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP) 2016/17– 2020/2021,” TMA says in its statement. FYDP is for sequenced implementation of the Long-Term Perspective Plan 2011/12–2025/26. The...

ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNEAC) on Friday said that African women in business have a big role to play in a post-COVID-19 Africa. The statement was made by Mama Keita, Director of the UNECA in East Africa, during a regional virtual dialogue that aimed to address the economic and social challenges met by women and girls as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on economic empowerment of women, according to an ECA statement issued on Friday. The ECA director emphasized that "African business women could significantly reduce the continent's high dependence on imports of essential food, medical and pharmaceutical items." Keita, after presenting the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19, also underscored how reduced economic activities stemming from lockdown, curfew as well as disruption in international trade affected the region. She also appealed for innovative policies and initiatives that could make a difference for women. "As we are building back our economies after COVID-19 and are seeking to turn vulnerabilities into opportunities, let us recall that intra-Africa trade is still very low at less than 20 percent and that women entrepreneurs have a big role to play in boosting this," said Ms Keita. Xia Huang, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, also acknowledged the disproportionate and negative impact of the pandemic on women and girls, especially in the economic sphere, and stressed the need to place women at the center of all...

Amid trade tensions between the U.S., China and Europe, and the U.K.’s fraught departure from the European Union, African leaders are moving in the opposite direction to establish the world’s largest free-trade zone. Talks on driving forward the African Continental Free Trade Area that stalled with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic are being revived by the African Union, but there is some way to go. A fully implemented deal could cover a market of more than 1.2 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of $2.5 trillion. 1. Who’s in the free-trade agreement? Just about the entire African continent. Fifty-four of the 55 nations recognized by the African Union have signed on to the organization’s initiative to liberalize intra-African trade in goods and services. Eritrea, which has a largely closed economy, is the sole holdout. More than half of the signatories have ratified the deal. 2. What’s the aim? To lower or eliminate cross-border tariffs on 90% of goods, facilitate the movement of capital and people, promote investment and pave the way for a continent-wide customs union. It will also create a liberalized market for services. Once members work out how to treat matters such as cross-border payments, telecommunications, transport and professional services, some countries will have to amend their domestic regulations to comply. 3. Has trading under the agreement started? Not yet. The trade area entered into force in May 2019, four years after negotiations started, when the required minimum of 22 nations ratified it. The first...

THE government has insisted that it is committed to constructing a railway line stretch from Mpanda Town in Katavi Region to Karema Port in Lake Tanganyika. The railway line stretch from Mpanda Town to the strategic port of Karema is seen as an important step to improve rail transport as the project is expected to be finished next year. Speaking in Mpanda at the weekend, Tanzania Railways Cooperation (TRC) Director General Masanja Kadogosa said the government had set aside over 60bn/- for the construction of Karema Port and the railway line stretch to the major zonal terminal in Lake Tanganyika. Karema Port, whose construction will cost 47.92bn/-, is expected to be completed next year and will be the major zonal terminal to be reached by the railway line from Mpanda Town. Karema Port is a strategic terminal as it will serve parts of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and Burundi. Constructing the railway line stretch from Mpanda to Karema Port will enable goods destined for some parts of the Eastern DRC to be transported by rail from Dar es Salaam to Karema Port before proceeding to the largest Central Africa nation. According to Mr Kadogosa, part of over 6bn/- set aside for the project, will be spent on the construction of the railway line which will connect the terminal to Mpanda Town. The central railway line branches off in Kaliua District, Tabora, before continuing to Mpanda in Katavi Region. Mr Kadogosa, who also serves as Tanzania Ports...