The newly established Tanzania and Zambia One Stop Border Post (OSBP) which is to start operation on February 1 at the Tunduma-Nakonde border will ease and boost trade between the two countries, senior officials said Sunday. The two countries have already signed an agreement on how the OSBP will be operating. The decision to establish the OSBP came as part of implementing orders issued by the presidents of the two countries, John Magufuli and Edgar Lungu. The two leaders issued the order in Dar es Salaam when Zambian President Lungu visited the East African nation last month. The signing ceremony of the key document was held at Vwawa town few kilometers from the Tunduma-Nakonde border, whereby Tanzania was represented by Amina Khamis Shaaban, Finance and Planning Deputy Minister and Adolf Mkenda, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. Zambia was represented by Kayula Siame, the permanent secretary in the ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry. Tanzania’s Amina said that the Tunduma-Nakonde OSBP combines two stops for national border control processing into one and consolidates border control functions in a shared space for exiting one country and entering another. She explained that the post will be using simplified procedures and joint processing wherever appropriate. She further disclosed that the border facility is aimed at reducing transit costs incurred in cross-border movement by combining the activities of both country’s border organizations and agencies. According to the Tanzania’s deputy minister, the post will easy trade between the two nations, as goods will...

The AU should bolster the means and willpower of regions to use their militaries to enforce democracy. The decision by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deploy a military force into Gambia to force President Yahya Jammeh to step down, has been widely hailed by democrats. The West African community massed a five-nation army on Gambia’s border last Thursday, after Jammeh refused to transfer power to Adama Barrow who had beaten him in the 1 December presidential elections. With the ECOWAS army effectively holding a gun to his head, Jammeh was unable to resist the entreaties of Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinean President Alpha Condé to step down. So he flew off to a very comfortable exile in Equatorial Guinea, in a presidential jet allegedly stuffed with stolen loot, including millions of dollars in cash and a few Rolls Royces. African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma welcomed the ‘bloodless transition’ – the ‘first peaceful transfer of power in the Islamic Republic of The Gambia since the country’s independence in 1965’ – and praised the mediators. But of course it’s highly unlikely that Jammeh would have quit office without the threat of military force. And the intervention could have been quite bloody if Jammeh’s army chief had not wisely decided not to fight ECOWAS. It’s highly unlikely that Jammeh would have quit office without the threat of military force And so other observers and commentators have more pertinently praised ECOWAS – not so...

In Summary The European Investment Bank (EIB) has already received a request for funding from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), which is being processed as a loan, while a grant is also in the pipeline. Head of EU Delegation in Kenya says the EU is interested in supporting projects at the port to increase efficiency and facilitate trade. TradeMark Africa (TMA) country director Ahmed Farah said although a final decision had not been reached, there are high level negotiations going on and was optimistic the funding will come through. The European Union is considering investing at least $200 million (Sh20 billion) on Mombasa Port projects including modernisation of berths. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has already received a request for funding from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), which is being processed as a loan, while a grant is also in the pipeline. TradeMark Africa (TMA) country director Ahmed Farah said although a final decision had not been reached, there are high level negotiations going on and was optimistic the funding will come through. “At the moment what we could say is that a loan of $180 million (Sh18 billion) is being processed while a grant of $20 million (Sh2 billion) is being considered. "TMA is assisting with the processing procedures and we expect a decision will be made soon,” Mr Farah. He spoke during an interview with journalists on Wednesday at the Galaxy Restaurant, Mombasa, after he led a team of EU Delegation to Kenya on a tour of Mombasa...

In Summary Each of the soft-seat coaches can accommodate 72 passengers while the hard-seat ones have a capacity of 118 passengers. According a statement by Transport ministry, officials from the China Road and Bridge Corporation, Kenya Railways and the ministry will receive them. Two passenger locomotives, four freight locomotives and 31 passenger coaches are expected at the Mombasa Port on Saturday as the contractor races to beat the June deadline when the Standard Gauge Railway is expected to be commissioned. Each of the soft-seat coaches can accommodate 72 passengers while the hard-seat ones have a capacity of 118 passengers. According a statement by Transport ministry, officials from the China Road and Bridge Corporation, Kenya Railways and the ministry will receive them. Transport Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera said on Thursday that the government is committed to beating the deadline to complete the project. "The arrival of the trains signifies commitment by the Jubilee administration to make sure the SGR is completed in time,” he said. The arrival comes just two weeks after four locomotives and two Shatners (railway engines) arrived at the port. The Shatners are railway engines but do not pull wagons. They are used to test the efficiency and suitability of the railway line before the locomotives use them. The multi-billion SGR, one of the Jubilee administration's flag ship projects, is the major pro‎ject by the government in recent times. Source: Daily Nation

IN SUMMARY The European Investment Bank (EIB) has already received a request for funding from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), which is being processed as a loan, while a grant is also in the pipeline. Head of EU Delegation in Kenya says the EU is interested in supporting projects at the port to increase efficiency and facilitate trade. TradeMark Africa (TMA) country director Ahmed Farah said although a final decision had not been reached, there are high level negotiations going on and was optimistic the funding will come through. The European Union is considering investing at least $200 million (Sh20 billion) on Mombasa Port projects including modernisation of berths. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has already received a request for funding from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), which is being processed as a loan, while a grant is also in the pipeline. TradeMark Africa (TMA) country director Ahmed Farah said although a final decision had not been reached, there are high level negotiations going on and was optimistic the funding will come through. “At the moment what we could say is that a loan of $180 million (Sh18 billion) is being processed while a grant of $20 million (Sh2 billion) is being considered. "TMA is assisting with the processing procedures and we expect a decision will be made soon,” Mr Farah. He spoke during an interview with journalists on Wednesday at the Galaxy Restaurant, Mombasa, after he led a team of EU Delegation to Kenya on a tour of Mombasa...

A regional body has thrown its weight behind the candidature of Foreign Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed for the African Union (AU) Commission chairperson's post. The East African Business Council (EABC), the apex body of the private sector in the East African Community (EAC), has urged the region's heads of state to strongly back Amina's candidature. As the elections draw near, Kenya has been stepping up the campaign to have Amina elected. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) has also been lobbied to back Amina. The polls will be held this week during the 28th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which will run between January 22 and 31. The EABC has described the CS as an ideal candidate for the position. "We urge the EAC Heads of State Summit decision to nominate Ambassador Amina Mohamed, the current Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs in Kenya, who has shown capacity to steer the AUC to greater heights," said EABC Chairman Audace Ndayizeye. Mr Ndayizeye attributed the council's support to some of the achievements made by Amina through promotion of global trade that has increased anti-retroviral medication for Africans via the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement and negotiation of the elimination of export subsidies. Source: Standard Media

Tanzania has asked for a loan from state-owned Export Credit Bank of Turkey to help finance a stretch of a new railway it hopes will help it open up East Africa's hinterland and compete with Kenya as a trade hub. Tanzania wants to build a 2,561km standard gauge railway connecting its main port of Dar es Salaam to land-locked neighbours, including Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Rwanda and Uganda. President John Magufuli said he made the funding request to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during talks in Dar es Salaam at the end of his two-day state visit on Monday. Turkish firms are among those that have submitted bids for the standard gauge project. Magufuli said he sought financing for a more than 400km stretch of track. "I am confident that we will secure that loan," the Tanzanian leader told reporters after hosting talks with Erdogan. Turkey has deepened trade ties with Africa since Erdogan took power in 2002, seeking to bolster its strategic influence on a continent where China and more traditional donors like Britain, France and the European Union have a strong presence. Tanzania said in July it had secured a $7.6 billion (about Sh790.02 billion) loan from China's Export-Import Bank to build part of the new railway network. Magufuli and Erdogan also witnessed the signing of nine agreements covering defence, transport, industry and trade. Trade between Tanzania and Turkey almost trebled to $190 million (about Sh19.75 billion) last year from $66 million (Sh6.86 billion) five years...

Kampala — Cross-border trade in professional services generated a heated debate at the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) here on Monday with the MPs insisting there were still hurdles hindering its smooth implementation as required under the Common Market Protocol. While some regional legislators said not all professionals have been covered by the Protocol, others maintained that East African Community (EAC) partner states were yet to harmonise their laws in line with adoption of common approaches on the matter. "The schedules of the Common Market in their current format are also not open for all professionals but certain sectors," said Mr Abubakar Ogle from Kenya when the House discussed the draft of EAC Cross Border Trade in Professional Services Bill. introduced by Fred Mukassa Mbidde from Uganda last year. The lawmaker from Kenya underscored the need for the House to be duly informed on the professional services which have been accepted by all the partner states and those which are still under consideration. According to the mover of the bill, the proposed legislation intends to see to it that all professionals are allowed to crisscross the region as they render their services in line with the Common Market Protocol which came into force in July 2010. But Mr Ogle said in reality each of the five EAC member countries (South Sudan is yet to be fully integrated) had its regulatory framework governing its labour market as well as the professional standards it has set which is different from fellow countries...

2016 was “annus horribilis” for the East African Community (EAC) to borrow a Latin phrase made famous by Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and Great Britain. The highs of 2015 appear to be distant memories today; the easier movement of citizens using IDs, the single tourist visa, the single customs territory, and the common market protocol were all exciting milestones along the way. The momentum then was such that any obstacle was overcome with pragmatism. When then Tanzanian president JM Kikwete seemed flat footed, the three heads of state from Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda conjured up what the media later called the “Coalition of the Willing” in a bid to further expedite projects which they viewed as helpful to the EAC integration cause. As if by divine intervention, at the end of 2015 Tanzania got a new president in the name of JP Magufuli. Almost immediately he seemed to gel with the other EAC leaders. He made quick reforms at home and simultaneously reached out with open arms to neighbouring countries in an obvious effort to mend any broken fences. Then 2016 happened. First was the summit in March that rather than bring good news, saw a conflict riddled South Sudan approved as the sixth member of the EAC. The heads of state then went on to lament the financial burden of the EAC Secretariat. Particularly, President Magufuli vowed to clean it up by reviewing its expenditure. These same sentiments were echoed by President Kagame...

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni is pushing for enhanced intra-regional trade as the next growth area for the six States integrating their markets under the East African Community. Speaking last week when he opened the East African Legislative Assembly’s fourth meeting in Kampala, Mr Museveni said these governments must champion the ‘Make-EAC-Buy-EAC’ to boost employment and expand value addition opportunities. “We (EAC) cannot continue to be a market for imports and must come up with policy instruments to ensure local industrial production runs at full steam in order to protect jobs and stimulate investments,” he said. President Museveni said East Africa’s high population, now estimated at 150 million people, and well-developed infrastructure portend a good future for the region. Joint projects “If there is wealth it is this 162 million people that are a wealth creator since they produce raw materials, related services and eventually consume the same goods and services,” he said. Speaker of the Eala Daniel Kidega said the assembly had made progress in enacting Bills and adopting resolutions that enhance EAC’s vision of a cohesive political, social and economic bloc. Developments in Kenya including roads upgrade, the Sh327billion railway and as Mombasa Port’s berth expansion served to enhance efficiency while reducing transport costs, he said. This should egg on Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan to pursue joint projects. Governments should work on conservation strategies while strengthening irrigation, early warning systems, research, extension and training, he said. Source: Business Daily