THE European Union (EU) trade relations with Tanzania remain strong despite UK exit, the EU Managing Director for Africa, Ambassador Koen Vervaeke said in Dar es Salaam yesterday. He said after the UK exit, the trade volume between Tanzania and EU will be affected to a certain extent, but then UK has to define its position vis a vis EU as part of the negotiations that will also affect its relations with other countries. Tanzania is a large recipient of EU aid, channelled through the European Development Fund (EDF) to among others, advocating pro-poor growth and improving economic governance and business climate. "EU is a traditional partner of Tanzania and has accompanied for decades and hope to continue building confident and strong relationship for a win-win situation," he said. He said some positive things are being witnessed in the country, particularly the fight against corruption, efforts to industrialise and lift masses from abject poverty. "EU is fully and strongly supporting the industrialisation drive that will impact on job creation and robust economic growth," he said. On Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), he said there is hope to conclude it soon, although Tanzania was still reflecting on it but EU is really convinced that the treaty is an opportunity for Africa and Tanzania to capitalise. On his part, the EU Head of Delegation to Tanzania and East Africa Community (EAC) Ambassador Roeland Van De Geer said there are healthy trade relations between Tanzania and the EU. He said the value of trade...

The East African Community (EAC) regional block said they have never reached a consensus on the issuance of the single tourist visa by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. “There has never been any agreement on the arrangement at the EAC level, as a matter of fact, the member states are still discussing the issue,” Acting Director for Trade and Investment in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Bernard Haule, said. Haule was responding to allegations by some media outlets and social networks, suggestions that Tanzania had snubbed the multi-entry visa for tourists outside the regional bloc. The official said the introduction of the arrangement for all EAC members states was still under discussion through sectoral meetings on tourism and wildlife, adding Tanzania was fully participating in the deliberations. A senior tourism development officer from Uganda, Anne Awori, was recently quoted at a forum in Kigali, Rwanda, complaining that some of the countries implementing the agreement were forcing tourists with the documents to pay extra upon entering their countries. “We have come across many cases of officials asking tourists who have obtained the single entry visa from Uganda to pay entry fees in Rwanda or Kenya,” said Awori, adding, “A recent case is when Rwanda charged a 13-year-old tourist an extra 60 US dollars despite having the regional visa from Uganda.” she said. However, Uganda had earlier blamed Kenya and Rwanda for breaching the visa agreement by issuing their own local visa to tourists instead of the single EAC...

East Africa ranks as one of the world's most economically dynamic regions and offers “enormous potential” for investment by US companies, the US Chamber of Commerce said in a report issued on Tuesday. Growth rates in some of the East African Community (EAC) member states now rivals those of a few of the Asian countries that Wall Street has touted as “new emerging economies,” the report observes. Kenya's per capita GDP has already climbed past that of Bangladesh and Pakistan, notes the 35-page study titled “Building the Future: A Look at the Economic Potential of East Africa.” Trade with and within East Africa will be greatly facilitated by large-scale infrastructure projects now underway, the US Chamber says. It cites, for example, the standard gauge railway linking most of the region's landlocked states with Mombasa, and the Bagamoyo Port project in Tanzania, which “stands to be East Africa's largest port when completed.” While US trade with the region doubled between 2010 and 2015, it remains “marginal,” the report says. It notes that China and the European Union (EU) have much more robust trading relationships with East Africa. “Kenya, the United States’ leading trading partner in the region, imported 14 times as many goods from China than it did from the United States in 2014,” the Chamber points out. Similarly, it adds, the EU imported three times as many goods from Kenya than did the US in 2014. And the report warns that the European Union will likely become even more competitive...

THE Director-General of Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), Mr Deusdedit Kakoko, was in Uganda late last week where he explained to potential customers of Tanzanian ports why they should be their preferred choice, particularly after implementation of major changes to boost capacity and efficiency. Last year, Tanzania kicked off a 593 million US dollarupgrade of Dar es Salaam Port involving financing by both bilateral and multilateral donors to increase capacity and efficiency that had been so low leading to underperformance which saw it losing key business to rivals. Alongside the expansion work, the TPA has made significant improvement in human resource capital, technology, facilities both in systems infrastructure and machinery and electronic cargo management systems. It has also improved security to the highest level by installing a state-of-the-art integrated security system (ISS), which includes fixing CCTV cameras at various points around the port. Gone are the days when ships were forced to wait to dock for many days. Docking days have been lowered to international standards and the port can now handle large vessels. Last month, the port handled MV Hammonia Grenada cargo ship, which is described as the longest vessel to dock at the port. It also handled MSC Martina, one of the largest container vessels of the Mediterranean Shipping Company, with an overall length of 244 metres and width of 32.2 metres and carrying capacity of 2,411 containers. The two docked without any problem and that reflected the ability of the port to handle large vessels. Dar es Salaam...

By Zephania Ubwani Nairobi — Aflatoxin, a poisonous and cancer-causing chemicals produced by certain molds which grow in grains, is a barrier to food exports from Africa and threat to human health, according to a senior East African Community (EAC) official. This is mainly due to stringent regulations on Aflatoxin regulation, which limits how much produce enters the global market. "The entire African continent is susceptible to Aflatoxin contamination and that its high incidence continues to pose threat to human and animal health", the EAC deputy secretary general in charge of Economic and Social Sectors, Ms Jesca Eriyo, said in a speech availed to The Citizen. She gave the warning in her keynote address to the Second Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (Paca) Platform meeting currently underway in Entebbe, Uganda. She quoted latest report by experts, who estimate that losses from Aflatoxin in Africa have escalated to the tune of $450 million each year due to stringent standards by the European Union (EU) alone. Ms Eriyo further warned that the poisonous chemical was one of the challenges that the African continent need to address in order to achieve global developmental aspirations such as the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063. The toxic material is regularly found in improperly stored staple commodities such as cassava, chili peppers, corn, cotton seed, millet, peanuts, rice, sorghum, sunflower seeds, tree nuts, wheat, and a variety of spices. Other development goals for the continent that may be affected by the the toxic material include Sustainable...

In the good old days East African tour operators could sit back and know that eager visitors will come to sample the region’s spectacular offerings both for scenic beauty and the singular experience of seeing animals in the wild. Like clockwork, the regional industry and especially in Kenya and Tanzania, could expect good revenues in the high season and pick up some business in the low seasons by virtue of arranging special packages. Indeed the word ‘safari’ took on international prominence, because of East African tourism. To a large extent, the likes of Ernest Hemingway and such classic movies as the ‘African Queen’ also helped matters along. Today, that complacency and sense of smugness is foolhardy. The world has changed during the past half century and not always for better. International tourism is now a cut-throat industry and if East Africa wants a play an active part, it has to work for it. Economists call travel a “superior good”, meaning that as people’s incomes grow, they spend a greater proportion of it on travel. The welcome mat is not enough anymore.  You have to go abroad and aggressively flap it about to gain attention. These days you almost literally have to drag the tourists to come and it is not cheap. A television 30-second spot on a leading European, American or Japanese broadcaster can cost a couple of million dollars.  That is why when  tourism agencies ask for marketing funds, governments should not raise up their hands in despair. The...

Dar es Salaam — The Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment Mr Charles Mwijage has warned some Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) workers who colluded with their counterparts at Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to pass over 100 containers through the Dar es Salaam port without inspection. Mr Mwijage who was inaugurating TBS' workers council at the weekend ordered the involved staff to come out and repent or hide and face serious punishment. "I have started compiling a list of workers who were involved in that illegal act and I urge these people to re-emerge and ask for forgiveness," he noted, adding that he will not spare anyone who will continue trying to conceal themselves. He also told TRA to stop clearing containers without inspection by the standard body which is required by law to make sure that all goods entering the country adhere to required set standards. Mr Mwijage wants those involved to voluntarily be open and divulge who they worked with, when and where the containers were directed. "I know that the management was not aware of this, but time has come to fight such malpractices," he said. According to the acting TBS director general Dr Egid Mubofu, the new workers council is comprised of 48 members with various disciplines and backgrounds. The council will stay for five years. Source: All Africa

Tanzania has pulled out of the East African Community (EAC) common visa, in a move described by analysts as a plan to protect itself from economic competition from the region’s other nations. The decision effectively locks out Tanzania from ‘coalition of the willing’, an initiative by the region’s nations of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda to promote tourism and enable their nationals to freely engage in business without restricted movement, Jamhuri News reported. The visa is valid for three months. It was set to woo tourists form across the globe into the three nations as it markets the region as a single tourism destination. Several foreign tour operators had in the past complained about the immigration hardships they faced at the respective border entry points into the nations. The pull-out by Tanzania will however not affect the remaining nations from signing a cooperation pact on tourism to enable tourists move between the three nations using a common visa that will be charged $100 (10,122), $5 than the before. Tanzania’s decision to pull out of the common visa comes three months after it pulled out of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EAP) with the European Union (EU). The trade pact is meant to help the EAC members to directly export products into the EU market. The Tanzanian government took the decision to protect its local industries. The confusion surrounding Britain’s withdrawal from the EU bloc also informed the decision,Daily Nation reported. Uganda followed Tanzania, a decision which stopped the signing of the trade...

By Sylivester Domasa The government will soon announce new speed limits on certain roads that could cover sections by up to 110 kilometres under a new classification system approved by the East African Community (EAC) to facilitate road traffic and promote intra-regional trade. The regional bloc has Okayed a maximum speed limit of 110km/h; up from 80kms-, Tanzania Road Safety Week Chairman Mr Henry Bantu told reporters in Dar es Salaam over the weekend. However, as the government contemplates the new rule, the transport safety and operations expert says the new changes will push the government to increase road reserves -- a key parameter in road safety. "The new changes means the road reserves will be increased to 25 metres from the current 20... this will give enough space for unexpected road crashes to hit pedestrians near the road," he noted. "It will not be possible that while Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan have approved 110km/h Tanzania maintains 80kmph. To easy trade flow the government will be forced to change the speed limits," he detailed. The 'Daily News' could not independently establish the roads that will accommodate new speed limits. However, it remained certain that all the highways connecting Dar es Salaam to upcountry regions and neighbouring countries will be affected. Efforts to get clarification from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the new development proved failure, but automobile industry watchdog agencies said there are more than reviewing the road reserve. Tanzania Child Rights Forum (TCRF) Legal Officer...

Ugandan government has reiterated its commitment to revive Lake Victoria water transport operations between Uganda and Tanzania in order to lower transportation costs between the two countries. Ugandan Minister of State for Transport Mr Aggrey Bagiire said this after meeting the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Director General, Deusdedit Kakoko when the later paid a courtesy call at his office. According to a statement from Tanzania Ports Authority, the Ugandan minister said they were committed to raise the volumes going through the lake to twenty percent in the next two years by improving ship operations, port and rail infrastructures at Port Bell and the new port of Bukasa which will be built in Kampala. "It is a directive from Uganda higher authorities that people and goods need to move quickly and cheaply in order to reduce the costs of doing business," he said adding that implementation of this directive has started by holding technical meetings between the two ministries of Uganda and Tanzania and the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (CCTTFA). The Minister called for activation of the rail route between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza. On his part, the TPA Director General said Dar es Salaam- Mwanza route has been revamped by increasing number of wagons and locomotives. He said the government of Tanzania has secured funds to construct a standard gauge rail system which is now on tender process. "Construction of the rail is expected to be completed in the next three years," he noted. He said, once...