Arusha — The 2nd EAC Conference on the Role of Women in Socio-Economic Development and in Business is set for 20th - 21st August, 2015 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The overall goal of the Conference is for women in business in the East African region to come together to network and explore the opportunities offered by the EAC Single Customs Territory and the Common Market as well as exchange ideas on ways and means of increasing affordable financing for women owned businesses. The two-day Conference which is being held under the theme Advancing and Expanding the Participation of Business Women in Intra-EAC Trade, targets about 350 women entrepreneurs and exhibitors from diverse sectors in the entire region. Participants at the conference will consist of Women Entrepreneurs/Exhibitors, East African Women in Business Platform and East African Business Council representatives, Civil Society Organizations, MPs from the East African Legislative Assembly, and representatives from line ministries in the Partner States. The main activities at the conference will include keynote speeches from inspiring business women within EAC, panel discussions, breakaway parallel workshops, exhibitions and networking opportunities. Among other outputs, the 2nd EAC Conference on the Role of Women in Socio-Economic Development and Women in Business is expected to identify sources of affordable financing for women in business and recommend a way forward, strengthen and expand the Network of the East African Women in Business Platform and draft a Conference Report with an Action Plan to implement existing EAC Policy...

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been challanged to step up their potentials and tap into the East African Community (EAC) where majority of products are imported from overseas. The East African Community market has an assured boasts of 159 million people and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over 100bn/-, Felix Mosha, former East African Business Council Chairman said over the weekend in Dar es Salaam. He was speaking during an award winning ceremony of the 2015/16 Top 100 mid-sized companies sponsored by Bank M Tanzania. The event saw Softnet Technologies Ltd announced victorious in this year’s statewide survey. According to Mosha, the country has small and medium industries but they mostly focus on the domestic market. “SMEs need to develop strategies on how to target where there is hot demand for the products,” he urged. Ketan Shah, KPMG Tanzania Partner announced this year’s top five companies as Softnet Technologies Ltd, Morogoro Plastics Ltd, Kays Logistics Ltd, Abacus Pharma Ltd and Techno Brain Tanzania Ltd. “The annual survey covers a broad range of factors including high level of growth in term of business turnover, profitability, operating costs, return on assets, creation of employment and compliance to business regulations including payment of government taxes." “These awards have created vast opportunities for the participants, and majority of the companies have gradually succeeded in growing their market share through public awareness of their products and services,” he concluded. Bank M, Deputy CEO Jacqueline Woiso expressed the Bank’s satisfaction in the partnership with...

Traders face anxiety ahead of Friday next week when an amnesty to clear overstayed cargo at the Mombasa port expires, leaving many facing higher cost of clearance and possible auction of goods. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) said a special waiver granted on warehouse rent on overstayed cargo at the gateway facility will lapse on August 28. “Importers are therefore advised to take advantage of the amnesty and clear their goods before the expiry date,” Julius Musyoki, KRA acting commissioner of customs and border control said in a notice. Authorities at the port in February waived storage charges accrued on all cargo discharged at the facility by November 30, 2014 provided that the cargo was cleared and removed within 60 days. The warehouse rent waiver was further extended by 60 days following a summit by regional Heads of State in Kampala on June 6. A 20-foot container attracts a storage fee of $25 (Sh2,525) a day and $40 (Sh4,040) for double the size, which the Kenya Ports Authority currently forgoes thanks to the waiver. The overdue cargo also attracts demurrage charges on containers used to store the merchandise. When the waiver lapses, owners of the overstayed cargo would have to meet the full charges and risk having the cargo auctioned should they fail to remove them from the port. According to customs regulations, goods have to be cleared within 21 days after which it starts to attract customs warehouse rent. The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) said that as at July...

Construction of northern corridor that has cost $440 million (Sh.44billion) will be completed in December giving a boost to trade between Kenya and landlocked countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. According to Kenya National Highways Authority the multi-billion World Bank funded roads improvement under the Northern Corridor Transport Improvement Project (NTCIP) is geared towards facilitating movements of goods and services in the region. The second component of the project is upgrade of airports and building capacity of Kenya Civil Aviation Authority which will take up $60million (Sh6billion) making the total project amount $500 million (Sh50 billion). EASE CONGESTION The Northern Corridor starts from the Port of Mombasa to Malaba border post, with Uganda and is expected to ease congestion of major roads along the corridor increasing efficiency of road transport facilitating trade and regional integration. “So far rehabilitation works of Maji ya Chumvi – Miritini road, Sultan Hamud – Machakos Turnoff, Lanet – Njoro, Njoro Turnoff – Timboroa, Mau Summit – Kericho, Kericho – Nyamasaria, Nyamasaria – Kisumu Airport including the Kisumu Bypass and the ongoing rehabilitation of Kisumu Airport – Kisian Road have been done,” said acting general manager incharge of special projects at Kenha, Mr David Muchilwa. Other facilities that have been improved are truck parking bay in Nyamasaria and Chepson. FEASIBILITY STUDIES Connecting feeder roads that include Kibwezi – Kitui – Mwingi – Maua - Isiolo road and Lakeside Tanzania – Narok road are also in line of construction with financing of consultancy services for the design...

NAIROBI, Aug 17 (BERNAMA-NNN-KBC) -- Tourism industry players from around the East Africa sub-region and key stakeholders in Kenya will converge in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa this week to explore ways of unlocking East Africa's tourism potential through the creation of a joint marketing platform. The East Africa Tourism Development Forum will be held under the auspices of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at the Sarova Whitesands resort from Thursday to Saturday. The forum, which will be chaired by the UNWTO Secretary General Dr. Taleb Rifai, will feature discussions concerning intra-Africa opportunities in tourism and the strengthening of regional co-operation. About 250 participants from 10 countries, including Cabinet Ministers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Seychelles, and the Secretary-General of the East African Community (EAC), are expected to attend the forum whose theme is "Connecting Opportunity". The forum will seek ways of enhancing the visibility of the East African market within a highly competitive global tourism environment. Kenya's Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for East Africa Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, Phyllis Kandie, said here over the weekend that the forum would provide a valuable opportunity to position the region as a single destination. "The idea is to showcase East Africa to a wider global audience. One of the key issues on the table is how to build the image of the region as a tourism destination," said Kandie. "This is one of a series of major events we hope to capitalise on to build the Kenyan tourism brand." The...

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - The Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) and the African Media Initiative (AMI) have agreed to work together to raise awareness on the maritime economy through media related activities. The agreement was made following a visit by PMAESA Secretary General Ms Nozipho Mdawe and Head of Communications Mr. George Sunguh to the AMI headquarters in Nairobi recently. The PMAESA delegation met the AMI management team including Eric Chinje Chief Executive Officer, Wagethi Mwangi, Senior Advicer and Meredith Beal Technology Advisor. The meeting discussed possible areas of synergy between the two organizations in raising the profile of the maritime economy and related activities on the continent. Knowledge of the sector remains extremely low in Africa and the dissemination of information on the maritime sector has been a challenge as few journalists understand the sector. AMI and PMAESA will work to bring together leaders in the media industry and the maritime sector in Africa to discuss how the media can best inform citizens on opportunities present in the maritime economy. The African maritime sector remains under reported despite its enormous potential for transforming the continent’s economy hence by creating better linkages between the media and maritime economy stakeholders, AMI and PMAESA hope to spur improvements in the governance of the sector and to encourage a harmonized vision for an African maritime economy through a sharing of knowledge. Speaking during the courtesy call, Chinje said the maritime sector has deep significance for African populations in...

East African economies are looking to benefit from increased trade with the rest of the world following the extension of the 146-year-old Suez Canal in Egypt. The regional bloc has been receiving growing volumes of cargo — from 3.28 million tonnes in 2004 to 4.36 million tonnes in 2014 —through the canal. Official data from the Suez Canal Authority shows that the highest volumes were in 2006 (5.12 million tonnes) and 2008 (5.91 million tonnes). This cargo originates from countries in Europe, the UK, America, through the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. The volume of cargo from the EAC to these countries through the canal however declined by 617 per cent from 14.83 million tonnes to 2.06 million tonnes in the same period. Products passing through the canal include petroleum and related products such as crude oil, gasoline, gas oil and diesel oil, fuel oils and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Other goods are cereals, fertiliser, fabricated metals, chemicals, coal and coke, foodstuffs, machinery and parts, ores and metals, oil seeds and vegetable oils. From January to June, the volume of cargo passing through the canal to East Africa increased 80 per cent to 458,000 tonnes from 254, 000 tonnes. On June 10, Cairo hosted 26 heads of state representing the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the EAC and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) at the official launch of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA). The TFTA is expected to increase trade in an...

Kenya is reviewing its law on importation of animal products to enable its traders to gain access to the Ugandan market. Uganda had rejected Kenyan beef and animal products because Kenya did not have restrictions on imports from countries once affected by Mad Cow Disease (BSE). A Bill to review the law is in the third reading stage in the Kenyan parliament. Whereas Ugandan law prohibit importation of beef and animal products from ex-Mad Cow countries, Kenyan laws only bar imports from Europe while the port of Mombasa receives imports from all over the world. “We expect that parliament will expedite the passing into law of the Bill for our traders to start entering the market soon,” said a Kenyan government official. Kenya exports beef mainly to the European Union. Other markets are Egypt, Malaysia, Qatar, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Mauritius. At the recent bilateral trade meeting in Kampala, Kenya said it had also stepped up the fight against livestock diseases with the creation of disease-free zones so as to meet the required sanitary standards in the Laikipia-Isiolo complex and at the Coast. It has borrowed the zoning concept from Botswana, one of Africa’s leading beef exporters. Uganda banned Kenyan beef in 1997, claiming it did not meet the required standards. Earlier attempts to resolve the issue through bilateral talks had failed. The EAC Secretariat had earlier indicated that the resolution of the dispute would require political goodwill owing to pressure...

Kenya and Uganda are betting on more oil discoveries in the region to increase earnings from a crude oil pipeline that will connect the oilfields in Uganda through northern Kenya to the international market. The pipeline is expected to connect to export markets via the proposed port at Lamu. Estimated to cost $4.7 billion, the pipeline will have an initial capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, earning the joint pipeline company about $1.66 billion a year. The two countries will share the money depending on the volume of cargo passing through each. The route the pipeline will follow has been contested by Uganda and oil companies, which preferred an option through Nairobi for fear of insecurity in northern Kenya. Northern Kenya is prone to cattle rustling. The Kenyan government favoured the consensus route for its potential to open up the underdeveloped Turkana region, where Tullow Oil has discovered vast quantities of oil and its linkage to the Lamu Port South Sudan Transport (Lapsset) Corridor, which will link up to Juba and Addis Ababa. Studies also favoured the northern route for two key reasons: The route through Nairobi would, at $5.4 billion, have been more expensive because of passing through hilly terrain that requires more pumping. By passing through densely populated areas it would have required more funding for compensation of displaced people and their investments. It would also have been slightly longer, by 44 kilometres. The northern route, which will pass through gentle terrain and involve less disruption of settlements...

Nairobi hotels are set to benefit from yet another major boost when an estimated 5,000 delegates congregate in the capital for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting. Kenya will host the 10th edition of WTO’s Ministerial conference in December, which comes just five months after US President Barack Obama’s July visit boost the hoteliers. The event, to be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, is expected to attract delegates from 100 countries. During the pre-event briefing session held in Geneva, Switzerland, the WTO member states were represented by over 300 delegates, many of who are expected to be in Nairobi. ‘We are certain that our joint efforts will translate to converting the delegates to tourists during the pre and post conference events,” said Kenya Tourism Board CEO Muriithi Ndegwa in a statement. Kenya won the bid to host this year’s edition after Turkey dropped out of the race. The ninth edition of the biennial event was held in Indonesia in 2013. Source: Business Daily