In Summary Uganda accounts for 83.2 per cent of transit cargo through the port of Mombasa. South Sudan takes up 9.9 per cent while DR Congo, Tanzania and Rwanda account for 7.2 per cent, 3.2 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively. The Ugandan government has started warming up to the Standard Gauge Railway following the exposure of how it works. On Saturday, the Kenya Railways MD Philip Mainga led a Ugandan Finance, Planning and Economic Development Parliamentary Committee on a fact-finding tour of the Naivasha Inland Container Depot. Minister of State General Duties, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Uganda, Henry Musasizi led the delegation. The nine-member and three support staff delegations started a seven-day fact-finding mission in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania before making their way to Mombasa Port and finally Naivasha Inland Container Terminal. The Chair of the Committee Keefa Kiwanuka and deputy chairperson Avur Jane Pacuto were present. At the Naivasha ICD, the delegation was keen to learn how goods were being moved seamlessly from SGR to MGR for onward transmission to Malaba then Uganda. “We decided to do a visit to Kenya particularly to appreciate how the movement of our goods along the Northern Corridor is. We did our visit in Mombasa at the Kenya Ports Authority and now we are here,” Musasizi said. Kenya and Uganda in May last year joined forces to rehabilitate the old meter-gauge railway as a means of enhancing the seamless movement of goods. The Kenyan government has since revamped...

As Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to operate joint ventures in the military and infrastructure, this year’s DRC-Uganda Business Forum is expected to find ways of how to deepen bilateral trade and partnerships between the two countries. The forum, which is organized and coordinated by the DRC-Uganda Business Association (DUBA), through Uganda’s embassy in Kinshasa and the DRC embassy in Kampala, will run for four days from March 22 to 25, 2022 in Kampala under the theme “Deepening Bilateral Trade, Partnerships, Knowledge Transfer for Mutual Peace and Prosperity.” In a press statement released by DUBA, the forum is going to be a high-level engagement, graced by both Uganda and the DRC ambassadors, ministers, as well as prominent public and private sector players and entities. DR Congo is an important business partner for Uganda. It is estimated that nearly all the gold that Uganda exports – which makes the mineral the country’s largest export earner for Uganda – is from the DR Congo. The presence of gold refineries such as that by African Gold Refinery in Entebbe, has boosted the export of gold by Uganda, and brought the country the much- needed foreign exchange reserves. “Uganda and the DRC enjoy fraternal and excellent bilateral relations which are evidenced by established cooperation frameworks including the Joint Permanent Commission, joint security operations and many other bilateral understandings which have enabled the two sisterly states to achieve common goals and objectives,” reads the statement. The forum seeks to enhance...

Opinion piece by Abebe Haile-Gabriel Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations March 8 is marked around the world as International Women’s Day. For many women in Africa, including those in the agriculture sector, it will be just another day where invisible barriers hold them back from their true potential. At the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, we believe that inclusivity and fairness are key to achieving sustainable development in agriculture, and that this objective cannot be obtained without accounting for the central role played by women in the sector, including in agriculture markets, trade and value-chain development. The African Continental Free Trade Area or AfCFTA is a major opportunity to boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and broaden economic inclusion. We must seize this opportunity for gender equality as well. The agricultural and agribusiness market in Africa is undergoing rapid expansion, with its value estimated to reach USD 1 trillion by 2030, according to the World Bank. This represents an immense potential for Africa to boost food and non-food trade within the continent and enhance food security and resilience for all. The AfCFTA has opened up immense new market and trading opportunities to capitalize on this potential. The agreement, signed by 54 African Union member states and covering a market of 1.2 billion consumers, establishes the largest free-trade area in the world since the creation of the World Trade Organization almost 30 years ago. The agreement creates a regional single market...

Summary Amani Abou-Zeid, the commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, has urged countries to embrace transnational projects to facilitate the movement of cargo, noting that no meaningful development can take place without significant investment in infrastructure. The African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga noted that while countries have increased budgetary allocations to infrastructure projects, funding from private and institutional investors was missing to bridge the continent’s infrastructure deficit. Lack of infrastructure is a bigger hurdle to trade within Africa than uncertain non-tariff barriers, eating up close to 40 percent of logistics expenses and affecting free movement of goods, officials have warned. Amani Abou-Zeid, the commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, has urged countries to embrace transnational projects to facilitate the movement of cargo, noting that no meaningful development can take place without significant investment in infrastructure. “We need to invest in infrastructure to boost our intra-trade on the continent. This can only be achieved by increasing budgetary allocation toward infrastructure projects,” said Ms Zeid in a speech during the official launch of the Programme For Infrastructure Development in Africa (Pida) Week in Nairobi, organised by the African Union Development Agency (Auda)-Nepad. The African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga noted that while countries have increased budgetary allocations to infrastructure projects, funding from private and institutional investors was missing to bridge the continent’s infrastructure deficit. Mr Odinga said Covid-19 had also negatively impacted cross-border trade as AU members...

The warning comes at a time when Rwanda has fully re-opened its land borders with Uganda. The Rwandan authorities partially reopened the border on January 31st, 2022 until last week when they announced a full reopening this week. Rwandan President Paul Kagame had closed the borders on February 27, 2019, accusing Uganda of hosting Rwandan dissidents, abducting Rwandan nationals, and locking them in non-designated areas. Rwanda then issued a travel advisory to its nationals against traveling to Uganda, saying their safety was not guaranteed. At the time, cases of smuggling goods especially food and jelly through porous borders increased. As a result, about five Ugandans were shot dead by Rwandan security operatives on accusations of smuggling. Speaking to Uganda Radio Network at Katuna border on Monday evening, Peter Gikwiyakare, Uganda Revenue Authority Customs Manager in charge of the south-western region said that however much border reopening brings many opportunities for cross border trade and household income improvement, traders must endeavor to comply with requirements set by the Rwandan government. Gikwiyakare advises that Ugandan traders should always liaise with Ugandan authorities to help them in complying by providing permits. He also says that traders should first conduct a study and regulatory terms and conditions about goods they have before crossing to sell. Victor Ninyikirizamukama, a resident of the Gicumbi district in Rwanda was found at the Ugandan border side of Katuna. He says that during the impasse period, some people would wake up at 5:00am and stealthily cross to Uganda through...

Summary Waiting times at the border stations are commonly used as an indicator of trade facilitation performance. All registered products require a local certificate of conformity to be permitted into the country. Kebs shall register products based on test reports from laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, product certification by the National Standards Body and/or under IECEE scheme. The import, export and transit of goods and the means of transporting them are subjected to national and international regulations. Compliance with these regulations is checked and enforced when the goods arrive in the country of transit or destination. In most countries, this is at the border crossings or stations close to the geographical boundary of the country. Unfortunately, traders, their representatives and drivers in most cases are forced to undertake multiple formalities at border crossings to release and clear the goods. At times this becomes a lengthy or speedy process depending on the organisation of the border crossings, the procedures in place and management of those formalities. As a result, delays have become common, with pictures of endless lines of waiting trucks depicting trade barriers, particularly in developing countries in Africa. Waiting times at the border stations are commonly used as an indicator of trade facilitation performance. However, the delays and incalculable timelines harm transit traffic and cross border trade. They cause unpredictable delivery times for traders and make it difficult for them to participate in a time-sensitive logistics chain of business with the producer and cargo owner. Uncertain timelines also increase...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional office for Eastern Africa and Agricycle Global Inc. agreed to work together in nurturing youth groups in Kenya, and refugees and host communities in Uganda in the development of fruit and vegetable value-chains. Areas of collaboration include capacity development for youth on fruit and vegetable value chain development; od safety standards and fruit and vegetable-related agribusiness; documentation of youth empowerment business models; transfer of knowledge and skills for adoption of technologies and equipment for fruit drying; and publishing of best practices. Through this agreement, targeted beneficiaries will improve their access to market, as well as technology, such as solar driers/ dehydrators, and gain capacity development trainings on quality control of their produce. These interventions will eventually help them to improve their incomes and livelihoods, contributing to decent rural (youth) employment and reduction of food waste and loss. Women and youth have been historically excluded/ discriminated against in the agricultural value-chain even though they have an important role to play in the agri-food systems Signing the agreement, David Phiri, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa and Representative to the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, noted that youth employment in the food and agriculture sector in the subregion was a key area of focus given that youth constituted a large segment of the population. “In order to address issues such as rural exodus, unemployment, and food and nutrition insecurity, it is critical to engage and invest in...

International trade, however, has a huge part to play in keeping the UK’s florists stocked with fresh cut flowers. The second top import market to the UK for flowers is Kenya, which supplies just over 8 percent of British-sold flowers, or 10,000 tons, worth not far off £67 million. Cut flowers account for 25% of all Kenyan imports to the UK. The Institute of Export & International Trade has been working with donor organization TradeMark Africa (TMA) to implement a ‘digital trade corridor’ between the UK and Kenya to help simplify trade between the two nations. The initiative, called the ‘UK-Kenya Trade Logistics Information Pipeline’ (TLIP), aims to eliminate documentation and introduce better visibility in the supply chains flowing between the UK and Kenya. This initiative builds upon on the Kenya-UK Economic Partnership Agreement, which was signed in December 2020. TLIP's system uses blockchain technology to link all those in a supply chain together, enabling faster logistics and easier trading. Marco Forgione, director general of the IOE&IT, said: “This Valentine’s Day when you were giving your loved one a beautiful bouquet of flowers, consider the journey they have taken to put that smile on their face. Around nine different organizations are involved with the transportation of flowers from Kenya before they enter your home and all of these actions in the supply chain require documentation to move the goods along on their journey. “The trade corridor we are creating will provide more transparency and enable all actors to view the...

THE government has challenged the private sector to produce high quality goods at low costs to compete in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market. Deputy Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade, Mr Exaud Kigahe made the remarks on Monday at the opening of a three-day workshop on a capacity building programme for the private sector in Dar es Salaam to grasp AfCFTA opportunities. “This market is likely to create trade competition, so I urge you to ensure that we continue to produce high quality products that will be able to enter other African countries and encourage market competition,” he said. The workshop was organised by TradeMark Africa. He said the government is committed to creating a friendly environment by ensuring the availability of reliable and affordable electricity which is fundamental in producing goods at low cost. He also said the government is in the process of conducting a comprehensive analysis of the AfCFTA agreement on the country’s economy and preparing the national AfCFTA charter. “Recognizing the importance of the AfCFTA agreement, the government has engaged various experts to obtain information and stakeholders views on the implementation of the agreement,” said Kigahe. He added, “The strategy will help us to organize ourselves as a country to ensure that we take full advantage of the AfCFTA agreement opportunities,” He said the AfCFTA market was an opportunity that could be used by Tanzanians to attract investors who would produce their products and sell them on the local market and the AfCFTA...

MBABANE - Secretary General of COMESA Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe is said to have signed the Protocol on Relations between the African Union (AU) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). Eswatini is among the 21 member States of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). According to a correspondence from COMESA, the Protocol is meant to consolidate relations with the continental mother body. Witnessed by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat and East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki, the signing ceremony took place on February 4 this year at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa. The Protocol aims to, among other things; formalise, consolidate and promote closer cooperation among the RECS and between them and the AU through coordination and harmonisation of their policies, measures, programmes and activities in all fields and sectors in line with the principle of subsidiarity and complementarity. Signed Other Regional Economic Communities that have already signed the Protocol include the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Community of Sahel-Saharian States (CENSAD) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This Protocol entered into force on November 10 last year after being signed by the Chairperson of the Commission and three Chief Executives of three Regional Economic Communities. Kapwepwe was in Ethiopia attending the 40th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. The Assembly of Heads of State and...