A major trade deal signed in June 2015 is about to remake Africa. Dubbed the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), the 26-nation market created by this deal will liberalize intra-Africa trade, foster cross-border infrastructure investment, and stimulate industrial diversification. The TFTA seeks to merge three existing regional organizations: the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The result is a territory twice as big as the United States with a population of 632 million and a combined GDP of $1.3 trillion. African countries have traditionally been associated with the export of raw materials to industrialized countries. As a result, there is little free trade within Africa. But while many have long believed that intra-Africa trade is largely in unprocessed goods and raw materials, recent analysis has firmly established that more than half of intra-Africa trade is in intermediate and manufactured goods. Most of the imports, especially from developed countries and emerging powers, are in capital goods such as machinery for production. Despite the rise in regional trade, only about 12 percent of the continent’s commerce is internal, compared with 70 percent in Western Europe, 50 percent in Asia, 40 percent in North America, and 22 percent in South America. Because of the small size of domestic markets, there has previously been pressure to protect local industries from products imported from other African countries. This results in higher penalties for intra-African imports than for goods coming from outside...

The award makes TMA the second organisation in Africa, after the Africa Development Bank, to receive the certification, and the first in East Africa. “This award serves as further proof of TMA adhering to the highest international standards in procurement, maintaining the principles of probity, transparency, consistency and fairness as a benchmark of good management,” said Frank Matsaert TMA Chief Executive Officer. He added, “They were also able to offer evidence as strict adherence to their prevention of bribery and corruption policies as they continue to work hard to maintain these high standards. This was a strong submission and a credit to TMA. I hope they will progress from strength to strength,” A global professional body, The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) informed TMA of the certification this week. This comes after a detailed evaluation of the organisation’s procurement structures and practices. CIPS analysed TMA procurement processes according to 110 questions under the following headings; leadership & organisation, people, performance management, process and systems and strategy. The CIPS process, through the 110 questions, provided the greatest audit,internal/ external and constructive feedback received from internal and external stakeholders. After an evaluation period of eight months,TMA received the news of the certification on Monday making it the first East African company to have qualified for the award. The award of the certification places TMA among a very select group of companies globally. Currently, there are only 128 companies in the world that hold this certification. The accreditation is awarded to...

The 2015/2016 budget read recently by Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija, is once again another important policy document that will propel the EAC integration agenda to greater heights. In line with the agreed practice among the partner states, the finance ministers delivered their speeches concurrently as a one of the ways of harmonising economic and fiscal policies. This budget will in many ways address the challenges of the business community and the many people who are looking up to the East African Community for the opportunities the integration process has created. Although some of the pronouncements in Hon Kasaija’s budget were a continuation of the EAC agreed policy frameworks, there were nonetheless areas that came out prominently and are of immense interest to many of us involved in the EAC integration agenda. We are all aware of the importance the government has attached to the energy and infrastructure sectors in recent years. While this is already a vital strategic decision for Uganda, this policy will inevitably take the EAC integration to another level. This is aptly captured in the coming financial year’s budget: “Government’s continued focus on infrastructure investment will enhance regional integration, and develop Uganda’s oil sector. This will unlock private sector activity, stimulate growth and generate much needed tax revenues to finance other deserving needs.” All this is in consonance with Uganda’s heavy investment in trunk roads network, construction of the standard gauge railway and the invitation of the EAC Partner States to invest in the development of the...

Tanzania will lose its market in Rwanda and Uganda if small scale rice farmers will continue to export a mixture of Asian and Tanzanian rice. The warning was issued by Rwanda after learning that there are businessmen who are purchasing cheap rice from Asia countries and mixing it with small proportions of Tanzanian rice before exporting it to Rwanda. “Rwanda has warned Tanzanian businessmen that any businessman who exports rice that is mixed with other sample, will be required to pay 75 percent tariff,” said Ikunda Terry, Country Programme Manager of Eastern Africa Grain Council. He was speaking at a meeting on Tanzania’s Rice Industry that focused on the threats and challenges, which was held in Dare s Salaam at the start of the week. The meeting was organised According to him, Rwanda has said it would continue to charge 75 percent tariff on Tanzanian rice that will be found to be mixed with other rice from Asian countries. He said the rise in tariff would hurt Tanzania’s economy as it would discourage farmers to export their produce since they cannot afford to pay the price. Elaborating, he said Rwanda has decided to impose the 75 percent tariff on Tanzanian traders if they determine that the rice has been mixed. The aim is to protect their domestic market and rice producers in the East African regional market. The East Africa Community (EAC) currently considers rice a “sensitive product” and levies a 75 percent tariff because East African rice producers are...

TradeMark Africa (TMA), the region's trade development agency, has received the world's most prestigious corporate procurement certification. The award makes TMA the second organisation in Africa, after the Africa Development Bank,to receive the certification, and the first in East Africa. "This award serves as further proof of TMA adhering to the highest international standards in procurement, maintaining the principles of probity, transparency, consistency and fairness as a benchmark of good management," said Frank Matsaert TMA Chief Executive Officer. Source: Big News Network

TradeMark Africa (TMA), the region's leading trade development agency, has received the world's most prestigious corporate procurement certification. The award makes TMA the second organisation in Africa, after the Africa Development Bank, to receive the certification, and the first in East Africa. A global professional body, the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) informed TMA of the certification this week. This comes after a detailed evaluation of the organisation's procurement structures and practices. "This award serves as further proof of TMA adhering to the highest international standards in procurement, maintaining the principles of probity, transparency, consistency and fairness as a benchmark of good management," said TMA Chief Executive Officer Frank Matsaert. Source: Standard Digital

Over half of regional and international travellers passing through Kenya are unaware of the availability and process of using a Single Tourist Visa (STV) and National Identification for travel within Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda more than a year after the process was launched. This is according to a survey commissioned by Kenya Tourism Federation (Tourism private sector umbrella body) to investigate the level of awareness on the STV and use of ID for travel within the three states. The research commissioned in February 2015 established that up to 58.1 percent of travelers had neither used nor interacted with someone who had used STV, while 47 percent of travelers showed lack of familiarity on the existence of STV. While majority of Immigration officials interviewed for the survey, were aware of the existence of STV and the countries involved in the initiative, 67 percent were not familiar with the cost of STV with 25 percent showing lack of familiarity with regards to the application process. Speaking while presenting the report,Strathmore University Centre for Tourism and Hospitality – Research Consultant, Mr. David Chiawo noted that the Current STV processing procedure had been described as very poor by travellers and therefore the need for review and necessary improvement. ”The survey further revealed limited and poor information available on STV for travelers and immigration officials with responses ranging from very poor to average with only 25 percent of travelers and less than 15 percent of immigration officials rating the current information as good,” said Mr....

MOMBASA, KENYA: Over half of regional and international travelers passing through Kenya are unaware of the availability and process of using a Single Tourist Visa (STV) and National Identification for travel within Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda more than a year after the process was launched. This is according to a survey commissioned by Kenya Tourism Federation (Tourism private sector umbrella body) to investigate the level of awareness on the STV and use of ID for travel within the three states. The research commissioned in February 2015 established that up to 58.1 percent of travelers had neither used nor interacted with someone who had used STV, while 47 percent of travelers showed lack of familiarity on the existence of STV. While majority of Immigration officials interviewed for the survey, were aware of the existence of STV and the countries involved in the initiative, 67 percent were not familiar with the cost of STV with 25 percent showing lack of familiarity with regards to the application process. Speaking while presenting the report,Strathmore University Centre for Tourism and Hospitality – Research Consultant, Mr. David Chiawo noted that the Current STV processing procedure had been described as very poor by travelers and therefore the need for review and necessary improvement. ”The survey further revealed limited and poor information available on STV for travelers and immigration officials with responses ranging from very poor to average with only 25 percent of travelers and less than 15 percent of immigration officials rating the current information as good,”...

The single tourist visa launched by East African Community member states early last year remains largely unutilised due to lack of awareness. A report commissioned by the Kenya Tourism Federation shows that over half of regional and international travellers passing through Kenya are unaware of the availability and process of using a Single Tourist Visa (STV) and National Identification for travelling in the region. The report shows that up to 58.1 percent of travellers had neither used nor interacted with someone who had used STV, while 47 percent of travellers showed lack of familiarity on the existence of STV. Majority of immigration officials are also unaware of the existence of the STV. Speaking while presenting the report, Strathmore University Centre for Tourism and Hospitality – Research Consultant, Mr David Chiawo said that the current STV processing procedure had been described as very poor by travellers and therefore the need for review and necessary improvement. LIMITED INFORMATION ”The survey further revealed limited information available on STV for travellers and immigration officials with responses ranging from very poor to average with only 25 percent of travelers and less than 15 percent of immigration officials rating the current information as good,” said Mr Chiawo. The KTF Chairperson Ms Lucy Karume said she was encouraged to note that majority of travellers, immigration officials, travel and trade officials showed high expectations on STV, which was a good indication for the tourism sector to accelerate awareness for STV to meet these expectations. “It is noteworthy that...

Considerable attention has been paid to the recent signing of the Tripartite Free Trade Agreement (TFTA) which will bind three of Africa’s regional economic communities (RECs) together into one large free trade market of 26 countries, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the continent’s GDP. How significant the Agreement will prove to be lies in the (implementation) details. The parties to the Agreement chose a path toward integration that involves a gradual phased approach whereby each REC develops its own framework and blueprint. However, the three RECs — the East Africa Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA ) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC ) — are at very different levels of progress in this regard. Although the EAC was (re-)formed only in 2000, this community of five nations has accomplished far more than its REC peers. A few of the many accomplishments include the adoption of an external tariff, an expansion and improvement of the port infrastructure in Kenya and Tanzania, prioritization of regional transport systems, and the adoption of common sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Moreover, the EAC also has focused on important, but less flashy, process and systems improvements, such as harmonization of customs procedures, one-stop border crossings, and a system that allows sharing of customs clearance information. It is far from perfect, but the metrics show significant improvements, reducing the number of days of transit time from Mombasa to Kigali from twenty-one days to just six, for example. In contrast, neither...