Kwame Nkrumah famously proclaimed on the night of Ghana’s independence that “Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa”.  Africa, a continent rich in natural resources, holding around 30% of the world’s mineral resources is at the same time home to 5 of the 10 poorest countries in the world. In a recent report, the World Bank projects that a staggering 90% of the world’s poor may reside in Africa by 2030. Barriers to free regional trade, political turmoil, inadequate infrastructure and weak financial institutions remain key hurdles to economic advancement. Despite how grey the narrative looks, Africa’s growth outlook remains buoyant and continues to attract high foreign direct investment. Nkrumah’s vision was to restore Africa’s identity, “We are going to see that we create our own African personality and identity. We again rededicate ourselves in the struggle to emancipate other countries in Africa”. His desire was to see a well-functioning continent capable of harnessing its rich resources to become a global economic powerhouse. Kwame Nkrumah saw the need for neighbourhood/regional political independence – for he knew Ghana cannot be the only free country in Sub-Saharan Africa. He accordingly spent a great deal of his time, Ghana’s time and resources supporting the political liberation of fellow African countries. The going together, working together approach that Kwame Nkrumah and our political forefathers adopted in the political sphere is needed in economic development. Though recognized, the focus and zeal with which it was deployed in...

Symposium on Inclusive Participation of Women in Trade, which took place in Nairobi in September, was co-organised by Professor Leïla Choukroune and attended by Nancy, who is a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Business and Law. Nancy says: ‘The Symposium dealt with the broader perspective of emerging global issues in trade and narrowed down to inclusivity of women in trade from a gender perspective. The event attracted high-level dignitaries including Kenya’s Minister for Trade, UNCTAD Secretary General, Ambassadors and CEOs from various organisations across the globe. Various presentations were made by specialists ranging from information technology, data analyses and legal perspectives. My paper was titled:’Legal Framework for Inclusion of Women in Trade: Case of the United Kingdom vis a vis Kenya.’ This was informed by the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at ending poverty, hunger and inequality, supporting action on climate change, improving access to health and education, and building strong institutions and partnerships. The inclusion of a standalone goal (Goal 5) on women’s equality, as well as the mainstreaming of gender and inclusion through the other 16 goals, is a key achievement for the international community. Gender inequality in most spheres of development remains a major barrier to human development. The presentation demystified the legal and institutional framework of the rights of women in trade, reasons for the shift from exclusion and marginalisation of women for many decades and an increase in inclusion by creation of relevant legislation...

Kasese, Uganda –Cargo trucks waiting to clear customs snake their way towards an iron gate guarded by heavily armed security officers. Off to their flank, queues of travellers move through tarpaulin tents where government health workers screen them for theEbolavirus. This is the Mpondwe border crossing. Located about 424 kilometers (263 miles) west of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, it’s where Jennifer Kobusingye has plied her trade for over a decade – importing cosmetics from theDemocratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) to sell in Uganda.Like other small-scale traders, the grandmother of two takes out loans to purchase goods to resell at a slight markup – a business that normally earns her roughly $27 in profit each week.But these are not normal times. “Whenever a case of Ebola is registered, we don’t cross to Congo for a month or two,” Kobusingye told Al Jazeera. “And a month without work – or even two weeks – is a huge loss.”Though the border betweenUgandaand DRC has remained open, Kobusingye’s struggles demonstrate how the fear surrounding Ebola is negatively impacting some sectors of Uganda’s economy. Health workers dress up in protective gear at Bwera Hospital near Mpondwe, Uganda near the border with the DRC Open borders cannot stop fear.The DRC – Africa’s most populous country after Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt – is in the grips of the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, and the country’s worst ever. Since the current out break was first declared in August 2018, more than 3,000 infections have been confirmed, and more...

The EAC Regional Meeting on Trade Facilitation is the first meeting of the EAC Sub-Committee on Trade Facilitation under the UNCTAD Phase II project on Trade Facilitation, funded by TradeMark EA. The project is aimed at providing technical assistance to the EAC Secretariat and the EAC Partner States in trade facilitation reforms and simplification of trade procedures built upon the Trade Information Portals, all implemented by UNCTAD. The meeting will ensure a coordinated and harmonized implementation process of the trade facilitation policies in the EAC region. The EAC Regional Meeting will be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 22-25 October 2019 under the leadership of the EAC Secretariat with the participation of the Chairs of the NTFCs, Representatives of the Customs Authority and the East African Business Council. At the end of the EAC Regional Meeting, the EAC Secretariat will prepare recommendations to be presented and adopted by the EAC Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment in November 2019. Source: United Nations Trade and Development

Recently, there has been a widespread recognition towards agriculture as an engine of growth and poverty reduction in developing countries.  Yet the sector keeps under performing in many parts of our continent and other developing countries. Globally, women produce 50% of global food products and comprise, on average, 43% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries according to FAO statistics. In African countries, according to the UNDP, the economic and social discrimination against women actually costs Africa USD 105 billion a year or 6% of the continent’s annual Gross Domestic Product(GDP). In Tanzania, agriculture is a principal source of income and livelihood for about 65% of the population contributing an estimated 30%to the GDP. There is a greater participation of women than men in the sector split 81% and 73% respectively -the number increases to 98% for women in rural areas. Many of the world’s poorest countries rely on traditional agricultural crops for export however,it has been proven that participation in high-value export commodity chains such as horticulture and fisheries provides considerable opportunities for growth and poverty reduction. An analysis conducted by International Trade Center Non-Tariff Measures Surveys across 20 countries in 2015 revealed that when it comes to gender parity, far fewer women owned businesses are engaged in international trade than those owned by men. Diversification into high-value agricultural exports has been cited as a key means of linking the world’s rural poor to global markets. But how do we unlock this potential of agriculture for improved livelihoods...

Construction of a regional market, which according to Mr. Karim Karamagi, the chief executive officer at Rural United Business Association Network (RUSBA) Ltd, will be the “largest market in the East Africa”, is set to commence in December at Kyotera district in the central region of Uganda. The market, whose establishment is subsidized by South African based Degitech Energy Company Ltd at an undisclosed amount, will be erected on a 200 acres piece of land along the Kyotera- Mutukula Road. Features of the proposed facility Upon completion, the facility will have, but not limited to the following spaces: stores, wholesale shops, Restaurants, Cottage industries, Granaries, Fruit stalls/lockers, Open space for small retailers, Halls for seminars, Cold rooms, Exhibition grounds, Day Care Centre, Craft stalls/lockers, Shops, Information Centre, Butchery stalls, Animal market space, Furniture and timber, Agro Chemicals Garage, spare shops, Hotels, Halls for training and meetings, Recreational space, Forex Bureaus, Vehicle parking yard, Hardware shops, Health Units, Office space, Vet shops, Pharmacies, Car bonds, and  Playgrounds. Also Read: New Kasubi and Busega city markets in Kampala, Uganda, to open to traders soon Aim of the project Mr. Karamagi said that the market is aimed at bringing together manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers from all over the East African region, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Southern Sudan and Western Part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “The market will also create employment opportunities and encourage entrepreneurial growth in the republic of Uganda, and in so doing we will spur...

All is set for the construction of a regional market at Mutukula border post in Kyotera District. Mr Karim Karamagi, the chief executive officer at Rural United Business Association Network (RUSBA) Ltd, on Monday said construction of the regional market at Kasanvu Village on Kyotera- Mutukula Road will start in December. “Kyotera District local government leased to us 200 acres of land with the purpose of constructing a regional market and trust me, it will be the largest [market] in the East African region,” he said. Mr Karamagi revealed that the project will be funded by South African based Degitech Energy Company Ltd However, he declined to disclose the specific budget for the project, but it is reported that the facility is estimated to cost more than Shs1 trillion . “Apart from the technical work which needs expatriates, our local people will be the first to get employed,” he said. Mr Karamagi said the market will bring together manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers from all over the East African region. “Our target is to create employment and promote entrepreneurial growth in Uganda, in so doing we will spur value addition and also promote export of value added products to regional markets like [East African Community] EAC and Comesa [Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa],” he says Benefits The Kyotera District Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Fred Kalyesubula, said the market is among government initiatives to encourage the private sector to engage in gainful trade and investments. “We have embraced...

The African continent cannot continue to rely on foreign aid to finance its transformation, President Paul Kagame has said. Kagame was speaking in Abidjan at the 8th CGECI (Confédération Générale des Entreprises de Côte d'Ivoire) Academy, the largest annual gathering of Private Sector in the West African country. The summit brings together the private sector of the West African countries and covers topics such as avenues to grow competitiveness, relevance and growth among other topics. "We have to reach a point where our countries have the capacity to finance our own transformation. Development aid has been useful and it continues to be useful, especially when we work to get the most impact out of every cent that we receive. But the point has never been to remain dependent forever when we have always had the potential to be wealthy ourselves," Kagame said during the keynote address. Rather than continuously look to other countries for aid, Kagame said that there are more productive ways for Africa to partner with various countries and regions for mutual benefit. This year's conference is themed around creating a conducive business climate. To create a more conducive business climate, Kagame said deliberation among public and private sector from various countries are crucial to share connections and experiences. "One way to advance this cause, is through forums like this one. Coming together here, we make useful connections, share experiences, and learn from each other. The starting point is ensuring that relevant actors in both the public and...

Duplicate standards and regulations across different state agencies are stifling businesses and investments in the country, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has warned. The UN specialized agency that promotes industrial development yesterday called for harmonization of standards and regulations, both in the private sector and government, to ensure the cost of doing business remains low. According to UNIDO, the private sector has for long suffered from regulations and standards that are similar across the ’numerous’ state agencies, where costs such as licensing and inspection fees are payable. This has continued to ‘punish’ business and the private sector at large, the agency notes. “Government needs to have regulations and standards that address the real problem not just over regulating, it needs to address only the problem, we don’t want laws to become roadblocks we want laws that are facilitative,” said Andrew Edewa, UNIDO standards expert. He spoke during the World Standards Day(2019) celebrations in Nairobi, an event snubbed by the Industry, Trade and Cooperatives CS Peter Munya and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) managing director Bernard Njiraini. According to the UN, there are laws in the health department, trade, industry among other state organs that are duplicated, adding pressure to the private sector. These add to business to business standards which all put together, they are stifling businesses. “The government is speaking tough on their end , private sector has its own business to business standards, the marrying of these two seems to be a problem and it is affecting...

The value of Kenya’s exports to key East African Community’s markets hit a three-year high in first eight months of 2019, official data shows, partly helped by Nairobi’s efforts to ease trade tensions with Tanzania. Earnings from goods sold to Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda stood at Sh77.32 billion in the January-August period, fresh data from the Central Bank of Kenya indicates, a 5.98 percent growth over Sh72.99 billion in similar period in 2018. Kenyan factories have in recent years struggled to grow exports in regional markets largely due to tariff and non-tariff barriers fuelled by mistrust and unresolved trade disputes, particularly with Tanzania and, in some isolated cases, Uganda. Manufacturers have also blamed multiple fees and levies, relatively high power charges and inefficiencies at factories for piling up the cost of production, making locally-made goods expensive in regional markets. Ministries of Trade and EAC Affairs have been reaching out to their counterparts in Tanzania and Uganda with a view to finding a long-lasting solution to on-and-off disputes that usually hit Kenyan products such as confectionery and cement. “The Kenyan team has done a very commendable job in working with the EAC secretariat in bringing both tariff and non-tariff barriers down, and we are also seeing very concerted efforts also on the part of Tanzania to bring these barriers down,” said Sachen Gudka, the chairman of Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM). Source: Daily News