26 September 2016 Dubai, UAE: As part of its strategy to reach out to the promising markets of the world, especially the African markets and to promote Dubai and its business competitiveness, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has finalised preparations for its trade mission to Kenya and Ethiopia from October 3 to 7. The 15-member Dubai Chamber delegation, which includes a number of senior representatives of the private sector, will hold business meetings and roundtable discussions with the public and private sector focus groups and a Chamber to Chamber dialogue in the presence of leading business and government leaders from Kenya and Ethiopia as well as field visits in both the countries. The trade mission follows an earlier mid-year visit to South Africa and Mozambique where opportunities for joint cooperation were examined besides the opening of the Chamber's international office in Mozambique capital Maputo. Led by H.E. Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman, Dubai Chamber, the delegation includes H.E. Hamad Buamim, President and CEO, Dubai Chamber, Ali Al Fardan, Managing Director, Al Fardan Group of Companies, H.E. Kariuke Mugwe, Consul General, Consulate General of the Republic of Kenya, Adel Al Zarouni, Managing Director, Rivoli Group LLC, Eisa Bin Nasser Al Serkal, Chairman, Nasser Bin Abdullatif Alserkal Establishment, Mohammed        Saeed Al Raqbani, General Manager, Dubai Investments Industries, H.E. Yahya Bin Saeed Lootah, Vice-Chairman, SS Lootah Group, Lamin Sanneh, Head, Structured Finance, SS Lootah Group, and Mrs. Wifag Mabrouk, Deputy Manager, Lootah Technologies and General Trading. H.E. Hamad Buamim said that...

Chairman Erastus Mwongora flanked by KENHA officials addressing the media last Friday in Nairobi.Photo Julius Otieno Expansion of two key roads in Nairobi and Mombasa is expected to start in a month after the roads authority awarded contracts to two Chinese firms. China Railway 21st Bureau Group Co won the Sh5.3 billion tender to expand the 20km Athi River to Machakos turn off into a dual carriageway. M/S The Third Engineering Bureau of China City Construction Group Co Ltd will convert the 11.3km stretch from Mombasa to Kwa Jomvu on the 41.6 km Mombasa-Mariakani Road after winning the Sh6.1 billion tender. Work on the Athi River–Machakos Road will start in two weeks, to be completed in 18 months. The project will be funded by the government and World Bank. The Mombasa-Kwa Jomvu Road construction will start in a month and will be completed in 30 months. It will be funded by the African Development Bank and the government. Chairman Erastus Mwongora said the Athi River-Machakos Road will have three interchanges - at Athi River town, Daystar University and Road junction to Mua Hill. “There will be eight kilometres of service roads on either side of the main carriageway at Athi River,” he said. Two river bridges, six pedestrian crossings,drainage structures, road safety features and streetlights will be installed. Mwongora spoke during the signing of the contracts at Kenha offices in Nairobi on Friday. “This project is expected to facilitate smoother traffic flow in-bound from Machakos turnoff and out from Athi...

The Jubilee government is destroying Coast's economy, especially Mombasa's, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has said. He said the government does not market tourism at the Coast, yet it is the region's backbone. Khalwale warned the government against creating an employment crisis in Mombasa by setting up a dry port in Naivasha. He spoke in Mombasa on Saturday. During ODM's 10th anniversary celebrations on September 10, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho insinuated the same, saying the Jubilee government is out to "finish" the county. Joho said it does not make economic sense to create a dry port when there is an existing sea port in Mombasa. Khalwale said, “I therefore want to urge the government, especially in respect to Mombasa county, to address the two sectors of employment, namely tourism and the Kenya Ports Authority.” He was addressing university student leaders at Khamis High School. He said for every tourist who lands in Mombasa, there is a need for drivers, cooks, engineers and computer specialists, among others. “The reason for building the standard gauge railway was to increase jobs. That can only be the case if the railway line is going to run from Mombasa to Nairobi to Kampala to Kigali to Bujumbura and Juba,” Khalwale said. “The President must kneel before the Presidents of the other member states in the (East African) Community so the railway goes to those centres I mentioned.” He cited the TAZAM railway that was to run from Zambia to Tanzania, but which became a white elephant...

Tilapia fish harvested from Fish-cage farming method in Bondo, Siaya County on September 13,2015. PHOTO/MAURICE ALAL Kisumu county has a deficit of 4,000 tonnes of fish which can only be met by importing from neighbouring counties or other countries. A report on the Importation of Fish from China by the Assembly Fisheries Committee states that imported fish from China has helped bridge the supply gap. The committee chaired by Fanuel Aim found that fish from China has been entering the county since 2012 and has been imported through the Mombasa port by three companies – Alpha Foods, East Africa Sea Foods and Farmers Choice. After importation, the fish is widely sold in Mombasa, Nairobi and other urban areas. Aim said this is because the production of fish in Lake Victoria has been dwindling from the peak of 5,000 tonnes per annum in the year 2000 to current production of 2,600 tonnes per annum. He said during this period, the population of the county has led to increased demand for fish. The committee, however, noted that out of the 2,381 tonnes that have been imported from China so far, only about 100 tonnes have entered Kisumu county. “The county exports to China frozen Nile Perch fillets and fish maws every year of higher value than what it imports. Last year 100 tonnes worth Sh140 million were exported to China," Aim said. A few months ago, there was uproar from residents and leaders who called for the ban of fish from China....

L-R: Arena and Ward are opposed to the EPA trade deal, saying it favours European markets against EAC industrial development. / Nadege Imbabazi. In recent weeks, a common topic in discussion of East African Community’s future has been a trade deal between the bloc and the European Union. The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which has been under negotiation since 2007, seeks to create a deal giving EAC products a duty- and quota-free access to the EU market. However, there has been some hesitance among several East African countries, who fear that the trade deal could adversely affect the bloc’s goals of industrialisation. The New Times’ Collins Mwai caught up with two European Union Members of Parliament, Marie Arena and Julie Ward, who are opposed to the trade deal, saying, in its current form, it is not good for East African countries and their emerging industries. Excerpts;- East African Heads of States recently asked for an additional three months to consider the EU-EAC trade deal before agreeing on a unanimous decision on the way forward. What is your take on the Economic Partnership Agreement? We think this kind of agreement is unfair for the region. Europe has pushed a hard negotiation and Europe has taken Kenya as a leader as they are the only ones with key interests in the agreement. Kenya is not a least developed country to be able to access the European Market, which is not the case for Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi, who have access to the...

The Kenyan government said on Sunday that it plans to expand the Nairobi-Mombasa highway from the current single lane to six lane modern highway and bids are likely to be invited soon, an official said on Sunday. State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu told a news conference in Nairobi that already a US investor has expressed its interest in the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway which is expected to ease traffic jams in Nairobi. "I can confirm US investor interest in this Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway. Among the partners involved are Bechtel Corp., the United States' largest construction and civil engineering firm, which will be supported in this endeavor by the United States' Import-Export Bank and OPIC," he said. The US Export-Import Bank is simultaneously working with Bechtel to secure investment for the 485-kilometre expressway which is intended to speed up commerce and travel between Kenya's main port of Mombasa and cities throughout East Africa. OPIC's role in the emerging deal would be to insure Bechtel against breach of contract. "We are hopeful that these discussions will bear fruit, and that Kenya will soon enjoy the new infrastructure on the Nairobi-Mombasa route," Esipisu said. "More importantly, though, this is a show of continued massive international investor confidence in our economy and our country," he added. According to Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia the government plans to build the road through a Public Private Partnership. The 485km Mombasa-Nairobi highway is crucial for trade in the region since it connects the port to Nairobi and onward...

Motorists driving along the Mombasa/Mariakani road on August 10, 2015. The 11.3km section from Mombasa to Kwa Jomvu will also be converted into a dual carriageway with six lanes. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP  In Summary An eight-kilometre service road will also be constructed on either side of the main carriageway in Athi River, with two new river bridges across the Athi and Stony rivers. The undertaking, which forms the first phase of the 41.6km section of the northern corridor alignment, is expected to be completed in 30 months. The Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) has awarded contracts worth Sh11.4 billion to two Chinese companies for the construction of two major highways to ease traffic in Nairobi and Mombasa cities. In the first project, the authority announced on Friday that the 20km road between Athi River and the Machakos turn-off will be converted into a dual carriageway over the next one and half years. The major works on the Athi River-Machakos highway will be done by the China Railways 21 Bureau Group Co Ltd and will include the construction of an expressway with a pavement of seven meters. “There will also be three grade separated interchanges at Athi River town, Daystar University and Road Junction to Mua Hills,” Kenha Director-General Peter Mundinia said. An eight-kilometre service road will also be constructed on either side of the main carriageway in Athi River, with two new river bridges across the Athi and Stony rivers. Mr Mundinia says the project...

Deputy President William Ruto on Tuesday asked the US to stop issuing travel advisories against parts of Kenya and other East African countries. The DP said the travel advisories have hurt tourism yet terror attacks in Kenya are similar to those Europe and America have suffered. Ruto said strife in neighbouring countries should not give the US reason to give a blanket ban. However, there is no ban, only an advisory over parts of Lamu and areas bordering Somalia. The Deputy President spoke in New York during the East African Heads of State and CEOs roundtable. He urged the US to swiftly introduce direct flights to the region. “You have more legitimate reason to invest in East Africa. We have the requisite infrastructure. What we need are direct flights to make it easy for investors to get there,” Ruto said. The DP joined several East African leaders at the meeting, including Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn. The leaders asked American companies to invest in the region, saying East Africa has a comprehensive set of bankable infrastructure projects. “East Africa is the place to invest. It is the place to be. Security is good. But you should stop this travel advisory issues,” Museveni said.s Kagame said the region has plenty of areas for investment, some untapped, for the private sector. He said leaders have facilitate movement of people through a single-entry visa. Desalegn said the region is developing infrastructure that links the...

The East African Community wants to remove all non-tariff trade barriers in an effort to cut down on transportation time and reduce the cost of moving products and services between the six member countries — Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. Non-tariff barriers include road blocks along highways meant to check issues unrelated to paying taxes or custom duties. These include checking the weight of goods on trucks and trailers, identifying the type of goods being transported, and checking for identification of traders. They also include traffic police checking the condition of vehicles. On Jan. 14, 2016, the East African Community members agreed to refrain from introducing new non-tariff barriers, and also on start reducing existing road blocks and weighbridges, among others. All the countries have so far co-operated, but now they want all barriers removed. The 20 barriers between Mombasa and Kampala have been reduced to about nine. There are 14 barriers remaining between Mombasa and Kigali, Rwanda. From Dar-es-Salaam to Burundi there are more than 10 barriers. A process meant to eliminate all non-tariff barriers has kicked off with blessings from all member countries, said Silver Ojakol, Uganda’s Commissioner for External Trade, at a Sept. 2 press conference following the East Africa Business Council meeting in Kampala. A joint technical committee has been set up to help identify and eliminate non-tariff barriers. Ojakol did not provide a deadline. Removing non-tariff barriers is meant to reduce the time taken to transport goods from coastal ports to members states, according to trade ministry officials from the member countries. Apart from Kenya and Tanzania, the rest of the East...

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "African Infrastructure Tracker - Tanzania" report to their offering. Tanzania is one of the most rapidly growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, mainly driven by agriculture, banking, industry, construction, services, energy, mining, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sectors. It is an active member of the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Significant efforts are underway to upgrade and develop new infrastructure in Tanzania to enhance its trade activities and facilitate better access to high-quality living standards. The Government of Tanzania has introduced an enhanced private participation to facilitate rapid developments in the roads, rail, ports, airports, ICT, and social infrastructure of the country in the next 5 years. Source: Business Wire