The Regional Integration and Trade Division at United Nations Economic Commission for Africa released a report entitled “Facilitating cross-border trade through a coordinated African response to COVID-19”. The report provides a critical assessment of existing border restrictions and regulations, with a view to providing guidance on how to strike an appropriate balance between curbing the long term spread of the virus and facilitating emergency and essential trade, according to United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Stephen Karingi, Director of Regional Integration and Trade Division, commenting on the report, noted that COVID-19 may become the new normal for some time, forcing African Governments to adapt and innovate in order to facilitate new safe ways of conducting cross-border trade. Maintaining trade flows as much as possible during the pandemic will be crucial in providing access to essential food and medical items and in limiting negative impacts on jobs and poverty. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, nearly all African countries have imposed various degrees of restrictions on cross-border movement of goods and people, including suspension of international flights, quarantine requirements for entrants, and closures of land and maritime borders. Under a set of strict regulations, these closures target reducing movement of people while allowing exemptions for the movement of emergency and essential freight supplies. Such regulations typically cover mandatory testing, sanitizing trucks, limiting the numbers of crew members, and designating transit resting areas. These restrictions and regulations have helped in the continent’s COVID-19 battle, but they have also had negative impacts on cross-border trade...

14 August 2020: The Tech for Growth programme, launched by the Department for International Trade this week, aims to build trading opportunities between the UK and emerging economies. The UK Department for International Trade (DIT)’s new Tech for Growth programme will build future trading opportunities between the UK and emerging economies through the use of technology to expand access to financial services, the government announced this week. The programme will initially be piloted across Africa for a year. Access to financial services remains low across the continent; aound 60% of adults in sub-Saharan African still do not have access to traditional means of financial services, including banking and insurance. Mobile phone use has risen to over 40%, and the DIT believes that technology can play an increasing role in expanding access to financial services and other sectors. In that first year, the programme aims to establish a UK-Africa ‘Tech for Growth’ community, providing more access to financial services in underserved regions. It will include events across the UK and Africa to promote partnerships between British and African technology and financial services companies. It also looks to establish UK-Africa FinTech trade by highlighting commercial opportunities and addressing any hurdles that are holding back growth in that area. The DIT wants to establish close, collaborative relationships with African governments and regulators to help stimulate the growth of the tech sector across the continent. “Diversifying and increasing trade and investment in sectors such as tech will be crucial for economic recovery from Coronavirus,...

The WTO Secretariat has published a new information note warning of possible increases to trade costs due to COVID-19 disruptions. The note examines the pandemic’s impact on key components of trade costs, particularly those relating to travel and transport, trade policy, uncertainty, and identifies areas where higher costs may persist even after the pandemic is contained. The note estimates that travel and transport costs account for as much as a third of trade costs depending on the sector. Pandemic-related travel restrictions are therefore likely to affect trade costs for as long as they remain in place. For example, global air cargo capacity shrank by 24.6 per cent in March 2020, as passenger flights account for around half of air cargo volumes. The resulting increase in air freight prices is likely to subside only with a rebound in passenger transport, according to the report. While sea and land transport have not faced comparable shocks, maritime transport has seen a decrease in numbers of sailings, while international land transport has been affected by border closures, sanitary measures and detours. Moreover, business travel, which is important for maintaining trading relationships and managing global value chains, in addition to being a significant economic activity in its own right, is being disrupted. The quality of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and digital preparedness will be important in determining how well economies can cope. Trade policy barriers and regulatory differences are estimated to account for at least 10 per cent of trade costs in all...

In Summary The two countries have recently had some misunderstanding over handling of the Covid-19 the pandemic. The residents said the duo should sort out their differences and strengthen economic and social ties. Communities living in Vanga, Lunga Lunga, Kwale want President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Tanzanian counterpart Pombe Magufuli to end the economic cold war. The two countries have recently had some misunderstanding over handling of the Covid-19 the pandemic. According to residents, the ongoing grudge between the two countries has negatively affected trade. Led by Feroz Mohammed, the residents said the duo should sort out their differences and strengthen economic and social ties. “We want them to end their fights. Before these coronavirus restrictions businesses were doing great unlike now,” he said. Tanzania and Kenya have for years depended on each other on trade as border residents will cross over for business. There are popular open-air markets called ‘chete’ whereby businesspeople from both sides trade at cheap prices. Mohammed said the stringent Covid-19 rules for foreigners at the border have paralysed businesses, raising the prices of commodities. Vanga is known for fishing and the biggest markets are in Tanzania. The residents said they were forced to travel to Mombasa to find a market for their products, which is expensive. “Vanga to Tanga is about 60km compared to going to Mombasa which is almost 150km. That's time-wasting and consumes a lot of money, " he said. Wholesaler Hamdu Hamadi said they used to get wheat flour, rice and maize among...

DP World this week announced the completion of a 400-meter expansion of the Berbera port in Somaliland. The Dubai Port Company that is contracted to expand the port said once operational, it will increase the terminal’s capacity by 500,000 TEUs per year and further strengthen Berbera as a major regional trade hub servicing the Horn of Africa. In a tweet, DP World stated: “We have just completed a 400m quay and a new extension at Berbera Port, Somaliland. Once operational, it will increase the terminal’s capacity by 500,000 TEUs per year and will further strengthen Berbera as a major regional trade hub servicing the Horn of Africa.” The news has elicited excitement within the Somaliland government with the vice president Abdirahman Abdilahi saying: “As Deputy President of Somaliland and on behalf of the people, words can’t express my great excitement about the nearing completion of the Berbera port expansion. my gratitude goes to the Sheikhs of the UAE and the DP World.” DP world, the Dubai based world’s largest port operator is the key player in the rebuilding of Berbera, they have invested $442 million for the expansion of the port and are also the economic free zone. It has projected to complete work by February next year. In 2017 when the original agreement was signed, the CEO of DP World Mr. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem drew a parallel between the growth of Dubai and the development path Somaliland is on and added “Our vision is to make Berbera a trading and transportation hub for the Horn of Africa.”...

Summary In 2019, transit cargo from Dar es Salaam to Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi was at 37 percent, up from 22 percent in 2018. On average it costs $1.80 per kilometre per container to transport goods from the port of Dar es Salaam to Bujumbura compared with $3.10 per kilometre per container from the port of Mombasa. The turnaround of the Central Corridor has been attributed to the revival of the Central line metre gauge railway. This may have prompted Kenya Railways — after two decades of neglect — to rehabilitate the old meter-gauge railway from Nakuru to Kisumu at a cost of Ksh3.8 billion ($35 million). The Dar es Salaam port could attract lucrative business away from the Mombasa as the Central Corridor proves to be cheaper compared with the Northern Corridor transport route. On average it costs $1.80 per kilometre per container to transport goods from the port of Dar es Salaam to Bujumbura compared with $3.10 per kilometre per container from the port of Mombasa. The recently released the Central Corridor Transport Observatory 2019 report, which measures the performance of the Central Corridor, also shows that the average costs per km per container from Dar es Salaam to Kigali is $1.90 compared with $2.10 from the port of Mombasa. Importers from Uganda, also pay less at $1.80 per km per container to transport goods from the port of Dar es Salaam compared with $1.90 per km per container charged from Mombasa, while those from Goma pay $2.60...

DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Friday inspected construction of the 300-km standard gauge railway (SGR) from the commercial capital Dar es Salaam to Morogoro, said a statement issued by his office. The statement said relevant officials told Majaliwa that construction of the 300-km SGR is 87 percent complete. "The government has embarked on the construction of the transportation infrastructure to enhance trade within and outside the country," said the statement, adding that improvement of the infrastructure was also aimed at giving Tanzanians more choices for the mode of transportation. In November 2019, Tanzanian President John Magufuli said the governments of Tanzania and Rwanda were in final stages of negotiations to construct an SGR from Isaka dry port in Tanzania to Rwanda. Magufuli said the SGR will also serve landlocked countries of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He said feasibility studies for the SGR linking Tanzania and Rwanda have already been undertaken, adding that the two countries are now looking for financiers of the project. Also in November 2019, the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), a trade and development financial institution in Africa, approved a loan of 1 billion U.S. dollars to Tanzania for infrastructure projects. A statement issued by the Directorate of Presidential Communications at Chamwino State House in Dodoma said the release of the loan was announced by TDB President and Chief Executive Officer Admassu Tadesse during talks with President Magufuli. Enditem Read the original article Disclaimer: The opinions expressed...

Port, railway and pipeline operations will now be managed by under a single entity in a move aimed at turning Kenya into a commercial regional logistics hub. The development was announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta in an Executive Order on Friday establishing the Kenya Transport and Logistics Network (KTLN) to oversee the flow of cargo from Mombasa port to the hinterlands and East Africa export markets. In effect, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) and Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) will now fall under the State-owned Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC), which will be headed by newly appointed John Ngumi for a three-year term that ends on May 2022. “Going forward, the State agencies have 30 days to enter into a joint operations agreement where each entity will re-organise their structures, resources, operations and services towards establishment of a seamless and coordinated national transport and logistics network,” said President Kenyatta. The agencies have also been transferred to the National Treasury, which is expected to provide personnel to boost oversight in investment portfolio management while ensuring each is professionally run thereby enabling them meet their individual targets. The setting up of KTLN comes amid rising concerns over conflicting directives that cause operational delays as agencies operate independently. This has seen importers, manufacturers, among other port users protest over numerous levies paid to the separate entities where delays in evacuation of cargo cost them a tidy sum due to storage and demurrage costs. President Kenyatta said the new structure creates...

ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Vera Songwe, on Thursday emphasized the need to boost intra-Africa trade in order to augment Africa's share in the global trading platform. The ECA chief made the urgent call during a virtual meeting on African perspectives on the World Trade Organization (WTO) and prospects for regional trade cooperation on Thursday, as she emphasized the need to strengthen trade among African countries. "Africa's trade in the global community was 2 percent two decades ago. We are still at 2 percent despite having joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) and having more countries that trade outside the continent more," Songwe told the virtual event. "Let's develop our productive capacity to transform our goods from raw commodities," the ECA Executive Secretary added. According to Songwe, when Africa trades with itself, it creates more value, and whenever it creates more value, it creates more wealth and reduces poverty. "The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement offers countries opportunities to develop regional value chains and increase competitiveness in the global markets," she said. Songwe also noted that African countries are "driving a solidified trade voice and a resoluteness to implement the AfCFTA." "This renewed and reinvigorated approach to trade is necessary for economic growth and job creation on the continent," she stressed. The AfCFTA offers a new hope and continental exhilaration in terms of boosting intra-African trade, facilitating Africa's development and industrialization. According to the ECA, once...

Poor infrastructure, logistical hurdles and high prices are some of the challenges that have affected Africa's food supply. With border closures and night curfews, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these problems. In the busy market of Baba Dogo — a town located northeast of Nairobi, Kenya — Irene Kwira sells clothing she imports from China, Uganda and Tanzania. Kwira's supply chain broke when the coronavirus pandemic hit the world and forced many manufacturing industries to shut down businesses and countries to close borders. Kenya took similar measures to limit the spread of the virus. "This meant that we could not get our goods easily because they could not reach us," Kwira told DW. "So the returns were low and we would buy goods at a higher price because the demand could not match the supply." Kenya closed its borders and allowed only essential goods to be imported and transported throughout the country. The government's decision on what counts as essential services also made Kwira's job of selling her stock exponentially harder. "It's difficult to send goods timely to my customers within the country due to the curfew," Kwira said. Cross border trade in East Africa hampered by the coronavirus Kwira is not the only merchant affected by the pandemic. Shoe seller Nico Manyasia has battled to stay afloat and keep clients happy. "Goods cannot reach the customers in good time," Manyasia said, adding that merchants must wait weeks to get their deliveries. Medical supplies affected in Ghana In Tamale, Ghana's northern region, the road leading to the Janjori...