Summary First, Africa expects its leaders to take urgent action to speed-up access to Covid-19 vaccines, while also ensuring that health remains a permanent priority after the pandemic. Recent outbreaks of new Covid-19 variants reinforce just how interconnected the world is and why it is crucial to ensure everybody is vaccinated: a fresh breakout anywhere is a threat everywhere and no-one is safe until everyone is safe. The second priority for the AU Summit is to chart a roadmap for a resilient economic recovery post-Covid-19. The IMF estimates that Africa needs additional financing of $285 billion through 2025 just to respond to the pandemic, and at least $500 billion to get back on track to pre-Covid-19 levels of economic performance. As the African Union marks its 20th anniversary this year, there are three priorities that must top the agenda of leaders meeting at the Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa in early February. First, Africa expects its leaders to take urgent action to speed-up access to Covid-19 vaccines, while also ensuring that health remains a permanent priority after the pandemic. The latest data shows that less than 11 percent of Africa’s 1.2 billion people have been fully vaccinated. In contrast, nearly 72 percent of high-income countries have been fully vaccinated and wealthier nations are now doling out booster shots and stockpiling vaccines for future use while Africa struggles to provide first and second doses to a fraction of the population. Recent outbreaks of new Covid-19 variants reinforce just how...

As Uganda prepares to fully take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA), the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has declared another 195 standards compulsory. The declaration was made by trade minister, Francis Mwebesa in accordance with the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) Act and the recommendation of the National Standards Council (NSC). “78 of these standards are in the Chemicals and Consumer products sector, 41 are in the engineering sector, 42 are in the Food and Agricultural Sector and 34 are in the Management and Services sector,” Mwebesa said while making the declaration over the weekend. He said among the new compulsory standards are the foam mattress standards, essential oils standards, Apiculture and Apiculture products standards, Mascara (cosmetics) standards, and requirements for transportation of dangerous products and many others. AfCFTA is part of the African Union Agenda 2063 flagship initiative established to create an integrated continental market for goods and services and to support the movement of capital and natural persons. Full implementation of the agreement is expected to reshape markets and economies across the region and boost output in the services, manufacturing and natural resources sectors. Mwebesa said 20 national standards covering the disposable sanitary towels standards, knitted Polyester fabrics have also been amended to meet the current trade demands. A standard is a document that contains rules, guidelines or characteristics of a given product. Standards are important because they guide the user on the required and appropriate designs of products, services and systems,...

Finland Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Pirkka Tapiola says his country is committed to doubling trade with Africa over the next decade. The ambassador spoke while touring the Port of Mombasa on Friday. The envoy commended the Government of Kenya and Development Partners for supporting Port Reforms and Modernisation Programme over the last decade that has dramatically improved evacuation of cargo at the facility. It for instance used to take 11 days to process imports through Mombasa in 2010, the time had fallen to only 5.5 days by 2017. The time to transport a container from Mombasa to Bujumbura also fell by 16.5% over the period. The Government of Finland, through TradeMark Africa has over the last decade invested more than US$13.1 million to support various projects in and around the Port of Mombasa. Finland also contributed US$445,000 to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) through the Safe Trade Emergency facility by TradeMark Africa, a project that sought to keep ports, borders, and critical supply chains in the region safe for trade at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ambassador was received by General Manager Human Resources and Administration Mr. Daniel Ogutu and TradeMark Africa Deputy CEO, Allen Asiimwe.  The KPA General Manager noted that the support provided at the outset of COVID-19 was critical in keeping the port running. He further noted that port output slowed down due to COVID-19-related interruptions, calling on all stakeholders to work together to address such challenges. TradeMark Africa Deputy CEO and Chief of Programmes...

As the world starts to recover from the effects of the pandemic and opening up borders and skies to global tourism, Uganda, has refreshed its tourism destination brand promise, with the unveiling of a new brand identity that promises both domestic, regional and global tourists, an adventure of a lifetime. The brand identity—Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa, was unveiled on Friday, 21st January 2022, by the country’s president, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city. The president was assisted by Col. Rtd Tom Butime, Hon Martin Bahinduka Mugarra and Ms. Doreen Katusiime, the Cabinet, State Minister and Permanent Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, respectively. The Brand was developed by Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Uganda’s tourism marketing and regulatory agency. The Uganda Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Lilly Ajarova and her Deputy, Mr. Bradford Ochieng; and the Board Chairman, Hon. Daudi Migereko together with board members, hosted the unveiling, held at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. Explaining the new brand promise, Ajarova, said that the new brand promise seeks to reemphasise Uganda’s rare and precious range of tourism attractions to the world, thereby earning destination Uganda competitive market share. “Uganda is no doubt beautiful. Beautiful beyond measure. Yes, everyone knew that Uganda is and has always been the Pearl of Africa, – but there was a lack of clarity and consistency on, if Uganda is the Pearl of Africa- what pearls does it have to offer for each of the various travel segments and preferences,” she said, adding:...

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has suspended the operations of the weighbridge at the Kenya Uganda Malaba border to help to reduce the pile-up of trucks at the border. The prime minister on Friday made an impromptu visit at the Malaba border on a fact-finding mission to establish why the fuel prices have remained high yet the country had okayed trucks to enter the country even with Kenyan tests results. The truck pile-up at the Uganda-Kenya border started three weeks ago following Uganda’s proposed review of the Regional Electronic Cargo and Drivers Tracking System (RECDTS), which allows COVID-19 testing after 14 days, to a shorter duration of seven days due to the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant. As part of the change in policy, truckers were supposed to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing which sparked a protest from drivers who parked their vehicles and blocked off the roads demanding that Uganda streamline its COVID-19 testing protocols in line with other EAC countries. Uganda charges 100,000 Shillings or 30 US Dollars for each test. The drivers rejected the charges, jeopardizing trade of all the states that rely on the Northern Corridor transit route for imports and exports. They demanded that Uganda eliminate the COVID-19 test charges or do away with the mandatory testing like the other EAC states. While the dispute raged, there was a spike in fuel prices with a litre of petrol going for as high as 10,000 Shillings in some places. The Ugandan government later abandoned the policy and...

Trade education is vital to further grow exports between the UK and Africa The Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) today announced a new investment in Africa with the opening of its first international office in Nairobi, Kenya. Building on the Kenya-UK Economic Partnership Agreement the IOE&IT is developing training, education and consultancy offerings for the entire African continent – unique and specific to Africa-world trade and intra-African trade. The opening of the office builds on a successful 2021 in Africa where the IOE&IT delivered qualifications in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria. The Institute has worked with the International Trade Centres, along with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority and Nigerian Export Promotion Council, as well as developing a Trade and Information Pipeline (TLIP) with TradeMark Africa. UK exports to Kenya in 2021 were worth £530 million and imports from Kenya totalled £579 million. The TLIP project aims to increase trade for both sides and will help create greater visibility within supply chains and simplify the facilitation of trade between the UK and Kenya. The overall aim of the TLIP initiative is to reduce logistical time constraints for businesses by around 40%, reduce the cost of compliance by 20% – potentially worth an initial saving of up to £36m to UK Exporters. Marco Forgione, director general of the Institute of Export & International Trade “We are delighted to be opening our first office outside the UK in Kenya. It is a sign of how important we believe our work in Africa...

The official start of free trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in January 2021 moved a major continental aspiration closer to reality. One year later, cross-border trade in goods and services may not exactly be in full swing as had been anticipated, but indications are that there is some progress—the cup is half-full, not half-empty. A major hurdle is ongoing negotiations on the remaining crucial elements of the trade pact, particularly rules of origin. However, in an interview with Africa Renewal last month, the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, sketched an optimistic vision of 2022. Factory workers producing garments for overseas clients, in Accra, Ghana. Credit: World Bank In sum, AfCFTA’s implementation will rev into higher gear, traders would be delighted, and the push toward accelerated industrialization of the continent should begin in earnest. Concluding negotiations on rules of origin, which is basically to determine the “nationalities” of thousands of products to prevent dumping, will be key to success. Already, negotiators have reached an impressive 87.8 percent agreement on rules of origin. That includes more than 80 percent of the about 8,000 products listed under the World Customs Organisation’s Harmonized System of rules of origin and tariffs. Such a high threshold of consensus guarantees that the vast majority of products can be traded. “What is outstanding are automobiles, textiles, clothing and sugar. These account for about 12-15 percent of what we call the tariff book. We want to conclude negotiations on these so that we can reach...

The United Kingdom (UK) at the weekend reaffirmed its commitments to channelling investments into Africa as Britain’s development finance in Africa exceeded target to hit £2.2 billion by 2021. At the second UK’s Africa Investment Conference (AIC) at the weekend, UK affirmed that Africa remains the focus for investment over the next five-year strategy period. The CDC Group, UK’s development finance institution, exceeded its 2020 commitment to invest £2 billion in Africa over the last two years with a closing mark of £2.2 billion by the end of 2021. The growth in Britain’s investments in African businesses came amidst the unprecedented upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC is owned by the UK Government and it is regarded as a champion of the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. All proceeds from investments are reinvested to improve the lives of millions of people in Asia and Africa. To enhance UK-Africa partnerships, UK at the second AIC launched a new ‘Growth Gateway’ – a digital tool to link African and British businesses to UK Government trade, finance and investment services and opportunities.  The service provides practical online support to businesses in Africa that want to export to and invest in the UK, and businesses in the UK that want to export to and invest in Africa, backed up by a team of trade and investment specialists. The second AIC highlighted Britain’s strategic plan to boost economic cooperation with African nations and enhance UK’s role as the continent’s investment partner of...

Summary In its latest market summary, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said demand for air freight has stayed above pre-crisis levels. IATA director general Willie Walsh, said data points that the cost-competitiveness of air cargo relative to that of container shipping has improved over recent months. Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines have already drawn up strategies to take advantage of their respective airports which are investing on cargo segments. The battle for the air freight market share among African airlines is intensifying, thanks to Covid-19 disruptions that have driven up ocean freight rates. Many airlines are now upgrading their fleets and expanding destinations as shortage of containers in the region continues to bite. In its latest market summary, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said demand for air freight has stayed above pre-crisis levels. “African airlines saw international cargo volumes increase by 26.7 percent end of last year, which is the largest increase of all regions. International capacity was 9.4 percent higher than pre-crisis levels, Africa is the only region in positive territory, albeit on small volumes,” read part of the IATA market summary. Cost-competitiveness Shippers Council of East Africa Chief Executive Gilbert Lagat said, apart from cost and efficiency, time to receive consignments has boosted the air freight business considering persistent road and ocean delays. “Importers consider time, cost and efficiency. If the consignment reaches on time at a moderate cost, importers will consider and with the increasing trade barriers at the borders, air freight is the best...

Uganda and Tanzania have resumed talks aimed at eliminating trade barriers, a major hindrance to the smooth flow of trade between the two countries. During a Joint Permanent Committee meeting held in Kampala, officials from both countries also agreed to continue pursuing joint infrastructure projects. Uganda has over the years blamed Tanzania of instituting several non-tariff barriers that have thwarted seamless trade between the two countries. Uganda's trade volumes have been affected by the non-tariff barriers imposed by Tanzania. These include restrictions on exports such as sugar, milk and movement on Ugandan trucks. For example, Ugandan trucks entering Tanzania are charged road user fees of up to $500 from Mutukula border to Dar es Salaam, yet the country charges a flat rate of $152 for trucks from other countries. Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, who led the Tanzanian delegation, said the two countries were committed to working closely for the betterment of their people through trade and infrastructure development. “I am comfortable that our Governments are several miles ahead to kick-start the construction of the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP) and the operationalisation of the Murongo/Kikagati Hydro Power Project along Kagera River, just to mention a few,” she said. During the meeting, the countries agreed to appoint focal points for all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the two countries who will coordinate and follow up on issues to ensure quick and full implementation on what has been agreed. A joint...