African industry captains see a silver lining in the rocky exit of the United Kingdom from the EU (Brexit) at a time when a continental free trade area is about to come into force. A survey by Deloitte on how companies are prepared to exploit the broad market of $3 trillion and a population of more than 1.2 billion people found that three-quarters of executives polled were confident of benefiting from the African Continental Free Trade Area and that competition was the least of their worries. Instead they were anxious about how the business climate was cyclically affected by elections, small fragmented markets, inadequate financing, high cost of financial transactions and energy. While most have a strategic plan on integration, the survey found that it was focused on diversification, going Pan-African and proof of concept approach, where experiments are done in segments and countries before being scaled up across businesses and terrain. Interestingly, few were thinking of going global because of uncertainties surrounding world trade, with the UK about to exit the EU, and China, US and Europe always one drastic decision away from a trade war. The UK Trade Commissioner for Africa Emmah Wayde-Smith, however, told The EastAfrican they have, over the past two years worked to ensure continuity of trade with Africa, irrespective of what form Brexit takes. Prime Minister Theresa May had pledged to quit if her proposal is adopted. It had already failed twice among seven other options, creating more anxiety over Africa's access to the...

Stephen Karingi, ECA’s Director for Regional Integration and Trade spoke to The New Times’ James Karuhanga, shedding light on what is expected between now and the next African leaders’ summit in Niamey, Niger in July. The excerpts: March 21, 2019, marks the anniversary of the signing of the AfCFTA. Is there cause for celebration now? There is definitely good reason for celebration and, why do I say so? When we were in Kigali, one of the things we hoped and committed to as African people, through our leaders, was that within the shortest time possible the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement will come into force. Now, 21 countries have ratified the CFTA. When we left Kigali there were a number of things that were outstanding. Some countries had reservations on the agreement. Countries like Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Djibouti. As we go into the first year of the CFTA signing, those countries have not only signed but they have also ratified the agreement. Why have they done so? It is because they have actually been able to talk to their people, talked to their private sector, and considered everything contained in the agreement and seen that there are benefits for their people and economy. So, really, there is cause for celebration because the agreement is almost coming into force. And, secondly, countries that were not sure then [last year] whether they were ready to sign and ratify have actually already ratified. What do you say is holding others back from ratifying...

“I thank President Uhuru Kenyatta for inviting me on this visit. I must commend him for his Pan-African credentials and working tirelessly towards easing trade between Kenya and Uganda…The other sectors in Uganda that should benefit from these agreements are our diary producers who will have less paperwork to do in order to export to Kenya. Our tile makers also should look forward to accessing the Kenyan market. IN RETURN, Uganda will immediately lift the ban on beef imports from Kenya, since the mad cow disease that occasioned the ban is no more.” President Museveni is fond of exposing himself. Of late he has been doing a lot of it in seemingly unprovoked ways. One does not need to go far back for evidence of this. His recent letter to President Kagame has a lot of unprovoked revelations the kind of which I’m referring to. His speech in Kenya has similar revelations. Consider this statement, “our tile makers should also look forward to accessing the Kenyan market. In return, Uganda will immediately lift the ban on beef imports from Kenya.” Is it not obvious to everyone that the ban on beef imports from Kenya to Uganda was on pretext of the Mad Cow disease? If, in fact, Uganda’s ban on Kenyan beef was on the basis of the Mad Cow disease, then lifting that ban would be on the day that is scientifically determined rather than on President Museveni’s arbitrary determination to end it. This is why Museveni is lifting...

The House of People’s Representatives (HPR) approved at a plenary session Wednesday the draft organic law on Tunisia’s accession to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) with 138 votes for, 1 against and 1 abstention. Tunisia’s accession to this regional grouping is likely to help boost Tunisia’s exports to the African market. Tunisia’s exports to these markets do not surpass 2.5% of the overall exports, according to an explanatory document of the accession process. The COMESA is an international organization with a regional focus on East Africa, created in 1994 and aims to create a customs union between the 21 member countries. Based in Lusaka in Zambia, it currently brings together 20 African countries, including Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Source: African Manager

While citizens await the resolution of a diplomatic standoff between Uganda and Rwanda that has affected trade relations, president Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday secured bilateral deals with his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta. Museveni, who is on a two-day state visit in Uganda’s neighbour to the East, met politicians and traders in the coastal city of Mombasa. ‘‘President Uhuru Kenyatta and I led our different delegations into bilateral discussions where we covered a lot of ground, especially on matters trade and politics,’‘ Museveni tweeted after arriving in Mombasa. I must commend him for his Pan-African credentials and working tirelessly towards easing trade between Kenya and Uganda. Deals signed The two leaders announced several agreements that will benefit the business community and citizens in Uganda and Kenya, including; Uganda to increase its sugar exports to Kenya from 36,000 metric tonnes to 90,000 metric tonnes annually. Uganda to resume exporting poultry to Kenya. Uganda to lift ban on beef imports from Kenya. Kenya offers Uganda land to build a dry port in Naivasha. Uganda to utilise Kenya’s petroleum facility in Kisumu. Museveni also said Kenya agreed to open its market to Ugandan tile makers and also reduce ‘paperwork required of Ugandan exporters to export to Kenya’. ‘‘I must commend him for his Pan-African credentials and working tirelessly towards easing trade between Kenya and Uganda,’‘ Museveni said of his counterpart. President Kenyatta addressed the outstanding border dispute between the countries over the Lake Victoria island of Migingo, explaining that a formal border commission will...

Despite the ongoing dispute and border standoff between Uganda and Rwanda, President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday toured Mombasa port with his Kenyan counterpart as the two countries move to strengthen their bilateral ties. The move offers hope for cooperation in a region that has been traumatised by the border standoff between Rwanda. The standoff is a threat to trade and immigration between the two countries and the region at large. The standoff has been politicised as Rwanda accused Uganda of hosting rebels who are opposed to Kagame’s government. ‘‘President Uhuru Kenyatta and I led our different delegations into bilateral discussions where we covered a lot of ground, especially on matters trade and politics,’‘ Museveni tweeted after arriving in Mombasa. Furthermore, Museveni commended Kenyatta for his Pan-Africanism and commitment to strengthening trade ties between their two countries. Kenyatta also praised Museveni for his commitment to the joint infrastructure projects the two countries are working on together under the Northern Corridor Integration Projects framework. The two leaders signed a number of agreements that are aimed at easing trade between the two countries. This is at a time the continent is pushing towards greater trade relations within the continent through the Africa Free Trade Agreement which is in the process of being ratified. Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) commissioner for customs and border Control Kevin Safari and Julius Rubagumya, the Uganda Revenue Authority Manager in Kenya, spoke on the achievements in cargo transportation between the two countries since the implementation of the Single Customs...

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and visiting Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, had resolved to speed up regional and continental integration as part of efforts to boost trade. The two leaders on Wednesday evening in the coastal city of Mombasa agreed that continental and regional integration is the path to transforming African countries from being developing to developed economies. "I want to assure you that is a commitment that we share," Kenyatta said according to a statement issued on Thursday by his office after hosting visiting Ugandan leader at a state banquet. The Kenyan leader said that movement of cargo from the Port of Mombasa to Kampala, Uganda that previously took 21 days has drastically reduced to seven days since he took over as president thanks to standard gauge railway (SGR). He said the SGR which is being constructed by Chinese company will reach lakeside town of Naivasha by August, adding that his government will avail land in the town for Uganda to develop a dry port for its cargo. "I have confirmed to President Museveni that with that development in Naivasha and then moving the SGR to Malaba, goods will be able to move from Mombasa to Malaba in just two days," Kenyatta said. As the government implements the long-term plan to move all cargo from the road to the SGR, Kenyatta said, his administration is working on the complete elimination of barriers that slow down movement of cargo such as multiple roadblocks and unnecessary weigh bridges. "But more importantly, it...

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday said as part of his talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya has agreed to raise sugar imports from Uganda from 36,000 tonnes to 90,000 tonnes per year. President Museveni also disclosed that it has been agreed that Uganda resume exporting poultry to Kenya within a week. “I am glad that our counterparts have agreed to let Uganda increase its sugar exports to Kenya from 36,000 metric tonnes to 90,000 metric tonnes annually. Also, it is important that Uganda will resume exporting poultry to Kenya within a week from now,” tweeted Museveni. “In return, Uganda will immediately lift the ban on beef imports from Kenya, since the mad cow disease that occasioned this ban is no more. There are more areas of trade cooperation that we should look at and I ask our technocrats to explore these opportunities,” he said. According to Museveni, other sectors in Uganda that are set to benefit after his two-day State visit in Mombasa are  dairy producers and tile makers whom he said will have less paperwork to do in order to export to Kenya. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has arrived in Kenya for a two-day State visit in Mombasa. Museveni was received by President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa where State reception ceremonies were conducted. In a statement issued Monday evening, State House spokesperson Kanze Dena said the two leaders would proceed to State House Mombasa for bilateral talks with their respective delegations before conducting...

Ugandan and Kenyan traders will be the biggest beneficiaries after their two countries yesterday signed a raft of agreements meant to ease trade, cement political ties and improve their social/cultural connections. The colourful signing ceremony, conducted at the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa, was witnessed by President Yoweri Museveni and his host, Uhuru Kenyatta. President Museveni, who arrived in Mombasa today (Wednesday) morning straight from Johannesburg, South Africa where he had been attending the Saharawi Solidarity Summit, is in Kenya on a three-day state visit on the invitation of President Kenyatta. The agreements, clustered into three major categories; defence, trade and social affairs, focus on not only easing means of doing business between the two countries but also resolve some of the sticking issues that have hampered trade. For example, the pacts direct Kenya to consider increase of its sugar quota imported from Uganda to 90,000 metric tonnes from the current 36,000 tonnes. Uganda has been tasked to formally lodge a request to this effect that would create market for at least 54,000 metric tonnes of its surplus 90,000 metric tonnes it produces annually. On the other hand, beef exporters in Kenya can expect to tap into the Uganda market after the latter was directed to lift its ban on beef and beef products from Kenya with immediate effect. The poultry industry in Uganda will also have reason to smile after Kenya agreed to lift the ban on poultry products from Uganda within a week, dependent on Ugandan authorities furnishing then...

The company was represented at the Africa CEO Forum by its CEO of Africa Mr. Jerome Petit. Mr Petit told press that Bollore already has several partnership agreements with Chinese companies and intends to build even more relations. With more than 1,500 participants, this is the 7th Africa CEO Forum. It brought together to the East African nation international investors, sector experts, high-level policy makers and some of Africa’s top CEOs. The forum serves as a platform to deliberate investment topics and key challenges around Africa’s private sector led development. Bollere Transport & Logistics is a member of Bollore Group which deals in global supply chains and industrial projects among others. With its headquarters in Paris, France, the company operates across some 106 countries across the World with at least 46 of these based in African states. Since Bollore deals in logistics and related regulations all along global supply chains, it is only a strategic move to partner with China whose investment in African infrastructure grows every year. So far, Bollore has four partnership agreements with China’s Huawei, the shipping company COSCO, China’s Alibaba and the China Communications Construction Company. In fact, Bolloré Logistics was awarded by China’s Huawei two distinctive Awards, the Excellent Core Partner and the Best-Quality Logistics Service Award in 2017 at the Huawei Logistics Core Partner Convention in Shenzhen, China. Bolloré Logistics received the awards in recognition of its ‘excellence in managing Huawei’s international transportation and supply chain.’ Ancient Trade: China’s proposed Belt and Road Initiative...