PRESIDENT John Magufuli is today leading East African Community (EAC) Heads of State at an extraordinary meeting to be held at the State House in Dar es Salaam. The meeting will mainly concentrate on Tanzania’s reluctance in signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU). Tanzania has exclusively maintained that it will not append its signature on the agreement ‘’until the country’s demands that focus on the best interests of the people are met.’’ Addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Augustine Mahiga, said Tanzania would not sign the EPA agreement until crucial amendments are included in the agreement. Among other issues that are delaying the signing of the agreement, Dr Mahiga said Tanzania wants to ensure that the country is currently focusing on the industrial economy as well as sorting out the effects that the country faces after the exit of Britain from the EU. According to him, the EU was pushing for the EAC member states to sign that agreement that was drafted 14 years ago, whereas Kenya and Rwanda have already sealed their signatures on the Agreement. Uganda has expressed its intention to sign that agreement but it is waiting for today’s deliberations. The agreement was expected to be signed by EAC member states as a block in July, this year, but it was pushed until October 1, after requests from the member countries. However, Dr Mahiga said the signing of EPA...

Negatu speaks during the meeting in Kigali. (T. Kisambira) The number of people involved in informal trade is growing, but most in the region don’t have access to proper transport means. This is one of the challenges highlighted during the last day of The Global African Investment Summit that closed on Tuesday in Kigali. It was noted that only one in four households in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region has access to energy, and the majority of them live in rural areas. Experts said in order to overcome these challenges, the region should put in place creative financing mechanisms to boost infrastructure development. “We have had desire to increase the region’s power pool but the provision of power in COMESA, for instance, is very poor. Only one in four people in the region has access to energy and some of the countries tend to use sources like hydro-power, which makes it complicated especially when it comes to drought seasons. There is no unified grid access and many rural areas simply have no electricity at all,” said Edward George, head research at Ecobank. On the other hand, he said, “when you look at the existing corridors in the region, you can tell that they could unlock the potential in the near future.” “The long corridors like those running down the Nile valley along the East African coast, the Maputo development corridor, the proposed Khartoum-Morocco (corridor) across the Mediterranean sea, all could integrate the region,” he added....

Regional integration is still a highly discussed topic with the Brexit vote still fresh in minds across the globe. Of course, over two months on, conversations have moved beyond shock, joy and dismay. The focus is currently on the potential effects of the decision made by the British people. On surface, it may seem as though African nations will not be directly affected once the British Prime Minister triggers Article 50. While this article will not focus on the potential consequences, it is important to note that there will be both positive and negative aftereffects. There are analysts, economists and policymakers sharing their thoughts as to the impact on Africa as a region and specifically for individual countries. But what the Brexit vote should teach us is that no one can accurately make predictions about such issues. It is within this vein that the question of the East African Community (EAC) comes to the table. Should integration in this region still be a priority? Should the pace of the integration movement be hastened or slowed down? Signs coming out of Arusha suggest that integration for the region is still on course and why shouldn’t it be? The revived Community, which is a few years away from its twenty-first birthday, has moved somewhat slowly and that has worked well so far. There have been criticisms over the years that the process should move faster but to what avail? With a cumulative population of approximately 146 million it makes sense for there to...

Ngwenya addresses the summit yesterday. / Timothy Kisambira. The words ‘Tripartite Free Trade Area’ (TFTA) were among the most commonly used phrases at the Global African Investment Summit, which closed yesterday, at the Kigali Convention Centre. The tripartite region, launched last year in Egypt, aims at economically integrating Africa’s three major regional economic blocs – the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the East African Community (EAC). The three economic blocs would create the largest trading bloc in Africa, comprising 26 countries, with about 620 million consumers and a combined GDP of almost $1.2 trillion. So far, 17 countries have ratified membership to the region with the remaining nine expected to follow suit. Experts say that realisation of the free trade area hold great potential on Africa’s development as it will promote intra-Africa trade and develop the African market. The TFTA is expected to contribute to Africa’s development, experts citing the opportunity to open up a reliable market that spans across the continent to allow free movement of labour and services. Rather than rely on negotiations with the West, promoters of the free trade area say that countries will be able to reduce the cost of doing business among them. In an interview with The New Times at the sidelines of the summit, Sidiso Ngwenya, the secretary-general of COMESA, said the new bloc will have trade values worth more than $50 billion. This, he said, will be a welcome boost in...

A second hand ban for leather and apparel products in East Africa could come in place, according to The East African Community Secretariat. The East African Community Secretariat is planning to facilitate for the phasing-out of second-hand leather and apparels products, in line with a directive of the last EAC heads of state summit. The 17th Ordinary Summit of the EAC heads of state directed partner states to procure their textile and footwear requirements where quality and supply are competitively available. The view is to phase out importation of used textiles and footwear within three years. As the region seeks to promote industries in the textile and leather sector, it is important to gauge the preparation by the industry to fill the gap left by the ban. The industry may need support measures and incentives to expand investment in order to meet the sudden rise in demand for products. Governments in Africa may need to rethink and re-strategise on a more viable means of promoting the textile industry in the region even as it plans to phase out second-hand clothes. The ban will be unpopular with East Africans as many second hand clothes are costly and poorer quality, and inevitably, the poorest will suffer. The industry also employs thousands, directly and indirectly, so it could plunge many into poverty. Many factors have adversely affected the sector, including liberalisation of the economy in the 1990s. The influx of textiles into the region became a major problem, with the average capacity of utilisation...

Strife torn South Sudan has received membership in the East Africa Community. South Sudan became a new member with full and equal rights, obligations and privileges after depositing the instrument of ratification on the Accession to the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community. The ceremony took place on Monday at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. Secretary general Liberat Mfumukeko received the document that saw South Sudan join the regional block that consists of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. “I would, therefore, like to seize this opportunity to commend President Salva Kiir, the government and the entire people of the Republic of South Sudan for their tireless efforts and commitment that enabled them to achieve this important milestone," Mfumukeko said. He said the Secretariat will seek guidance from the Council of Ministers on the development of a detailed roadmap to integrate South Sudan into ongoing EAC projects and programmes. “We shall be informing the Leardership in Juba of every step we shall be taking in this regard,” he said. On his part, the Presidential Envoy of of South Sudan, Aggrey Sabuni said membership in EAC for South Sudan will change the nation. “The EAC integration process is important for South Sudan. Currently, the EAC is the most advanced regional bloc on the African Continent,” he said. He noted that South Sudan’s membership in the EAC is likely to provide concrete benefits to the country and the region as a whole. “Deep regional integration programmes that South...

KIGALI, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- African government and business leaders have called for increased private investments in Africa in order to boost economic growth on the continent. They made the call on Monday at the opening of Global African Investment Summit (TGIAS) in Rwanda's capital Kigali. Rwanda hosts the high-level investment forum from Sept. 5 to 6, aimed at delivering international trade and investment to Africa's most dynamic region. "Africa is ripe for investments in several sectors of the economy. There are lots of untapped business prospects for both local and foreign investors. Increased private investments will explore these investment opportunities and help accelerate growth," said Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. He added that Africa has realized the importance of private capital in expanding and growing the mining sector on the continent, given its mineral endowment. "Private investments bring the required capital and essential skills that sustain the growth of economic sectors. Without the mobilization of private capital specifically to fund the mining and infrastructure sectors on the continent, such economic development would not have been possible, at least at the rate at which it occurred," Museveni said. The summit organized by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the government of Rwanda has attracted about 1,000 delegates, including some African heads of state and government, ministers and private sector businesses leaders. The two-day meeting is held under the theme "Transforming African Economies for Global Competitiveness" and will cover sectors including infrastructure, power, agribusiness, fast-moving consumer goods...

Kenya is set to gazette seed harmonization regulations before the end of the year to allow and ensure smooth flow of seed from one country to another. Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Policy Research and Regulations Director, Ann Onyango, says the harmonization will allow farmers to access improved seed variety and increase food production and security Kenya is among the 19 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) member states with more than 80 registered seed companies producing more than 44,000 tones yearly and it was gazetted by COMESA in 2014. The Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) CEO, Argent Chuula, says harmonizing seed trade rules and regulations within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) regions will eliminates barriers to seed trade in the region. It is expected that if the COMESA member state agree to harmonize seed trade rules and regulations, it will result in removing trade barriers to free-flow of seed among member states. Over 500 million people living in COMESA member states depend on crops among them beans, maize, rice, groundnuts cotton, wheat, cassava, potatoes, sunflower, sorghum, soya beans and millet. Speaking during the opening of the second COM-SHIP Implementation Progress Review Meeting of COMESA Seed Harmonization Programme, Chuula said the objectives of the harmonization include streamlining the roles and responsibilities of national seed authorities and seed certification standards for field inspection and laboratory services. “We want to ensure free movement...

Uganda has reversed its decision to delay the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union. Trade minister Amelia Kyambadde said the government has since made up its mind and was ready to sign the deal irrespective of whether all the other regional countries are on board or not. On Thursday, Kenya and Rwanda Trade ministers signed the EPA pact in Brussels, Belgium, with the European Union, a deal the East African Community Council of Ministers had recommended earlier this year. Kenya was desperate to have the agreement signed to safeguard unlimited duty free access of its exports to Europe after Tanzania and Uganda said the deal initialled in October 2014 needed to be renegotiated following Britain’s exit from the bloc. Speaking at the sidelines of the 7th Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives sector review annual conference in Kampala on Tuesday, Ms Kyambadde said “The EU is our major trading bloc and we are going ahead to sign the EPAs.” READ: How Museveni put the brakes on EA trade deal with Europe Burundi has also shown strong desire to sign the agreement in its current form, leaving Tanzania in its effort to seek further reassurance regarding the matter. Tanzania’s refusal to sign the EPAs is due to fear of repercussions the deal would have on the growth of the emerging regional industries. Without guarantees against the side effects, Tanzania says it is not prepared to commit itself into economic enslavement. READ: Dar dodges EPA to protect...

By Ivan R. Mugisha The proposed Tripartite Free Trade Area between the East African Community, Comesa and Southern African Development Community could potentially eliminate intra-regional trade bottlenecks and boost exports among member states by at least 30 per cent. According to the EAC Secretariat, trade between the EAC and the Common Market for East and Central Africa in 2014 amounted to $2.7 billion while flows between the EAC and SADC stood at $3 billion. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca) projects that the gains could even be bigger if non-tariff barriers between the three sub-Saharan Africa blocs are eliminated when the tripartite arrangement comes into force. The Tripartite Free Trade Area was proposed in Kampala in October 2008, during a heads of state summit. The deal involves 26 countries with a total GDP of $1.2 trillion and a population of over 638 million people. "Our estimates suggest that the TFTA could increase intra-regional trade by as much as 30 per cent. The manufacturing sector will benefit most, giving the needed boost to industrialisation," said Andrew Mold, officer in charge of the sub-regional office for Eastern Africa at Uneca in Kigali. In two weeks, African heads of state and government are scheduled to arrive in Kigali for the Global African Investment Summit, where the progress of the TFTA will be discussed. The deal is expected to come into force after being ratified by at least two-thirds of the 26 member states. But last month, member states differed on the...