The African Union (AU) is set to launch an electronic passport (e-passport) in the next two weeks in part of measures to boost movement of people across the continent. The e-passport, to be launched during the African Union's 27th Summit which kicks off in Rwanda from July 10, is part of efforts to boost intra-regional trade. The AU, however, says member countries will have to adopt and ratify necessary protocols and laws to prepare the way for use of the passport. Heads of state and government, ministers of foreign affairs and the permanent representatives of AU member states based at the headquarters in Addis Ababa will be the first group to get the e-passports during the summit. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), termed the move a "steady step toward the objective of creating a strong, prosperous and integrated Africa." The Rwanda summit will talk about Africa's integration and the introduction of a common passport. Countries like the Seychelles, Mauritius, Rwanda, and Ghana have taken the lead in ensuring easier intra-Africa travel by relaxing visa restrictions and in some cases lifting visa requirements altogether. The East Africa Community in March launched an the document. A phase out programme for the current East African and national passports will go on for two years staring January next year. Source: All Africa

Tanzania International Container Terminal (TICTS) envisages extending wings to neighbouring Rwanda, hardly a month after winning global respect as one of Africa's most improved ports. The US Journal of Commerce, which collects data on 140,000 port calls at 750 of the world's container terminals, has acknowledged TICTS as one of the most improved ports in Africa. "Everyone at the nation's largest port is delighted that our efforts have been appreciated by such an authoritative body," TICTS Chief Executive Officer Paul Wallace said in Dar es Salam over the weekend. "It is truly an industry achievement," Mr Wallace said of the recognition, adding: "This is just the start... the port is now poised for huge expansion over the coming few years." He however attributed the great achievement to the commitment of the company's valued employees and trust from TICTS parent company, Hutchison Port Holdings, which operate 48 ports in 25 countries. The company has over the past few years invested over 210bn/- to generate 1.35trn/- in the Tanzanian economy through wharfage, royalties and rent. According to Mr Wallace, the container handling firm is scheduled to open the Kigali office on July 1, 2016, to generate greater volumes through the port of Dar es Salaam. Already, the company has trained 16 young Tanzanian leaders who have just graduated in a year-long intensive management programme. Kazi Services' management experts Zuhura Muro and Petronella Mwasandube, with other formidable guest speakers, shared their wealth of experience in mentoring the young, gifted and potential future leaders of...

ARUSHA, Tanzania (Xinhua) -- The Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) is set to establish the East African maritime security coordination center in Mwanza city, which will guarantee safety for passengers, fishermen, and other maritime vessels in the Africa’s largest fresh-water lake. LVBC is a specialized institution of the East African Community (EAC) that is responsible for coordinating the sustainable development agenda of the Lake Victoria Basin. The regional security center will be fitted with sophisticated information and communication systems that will inform the three EAC’s member states if anything happens in the lake. Lake Victoria is shared by three EAC states namely Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda Maritime transport, safety and security officer, Eng. Gerson Fumbuka said the 25-million U.S. dollar project will make the lake free from disasters such as the MV Bukoba ship, which sank in 1996, killing 894 on board. He said that the center will also be equipped with rescuing boats in case of emergency and will also be fitted with communications tower that will help to direct ships and other marine vessels to navigation sites at Mwanza south port. Fumbuka said that the project would cost almost 25 million dollars that will be funded by the African Development Bank. The new center will be located at the marine services, Mwanza north port. He said that the center will specialize in searching and evacuating people, and it will make its communications through satellite and disseminate the information to the ports whereby within 15 minutes the emergency boat...

During the 2016 presidential primaries, while the United States media has been obsessed with who said what to Megyn Kelly, the world has looked on with amusement at Republican Party infighting. Those of us in Africa, however, have been wondering what the outcome of this election might mean for the continent. Will Trump put up trade barriers to shore up jobs at home? Will he reduce foreign aid? What about his approach to climate change? Will Clinton approach foreign affairs differently as president than she did as secretary of state? Trump has been quoted on record as saying, “It is necessary that we invest in our infrastructure, and stop sending foreign aid to countries that hate us.” This is perhaps good news for Africa, as these countries don’t have a reputation of hating America. Trump clearly has strong views on China and continues to flip-flop on policy issues such as sending aid to the Middle East. From an African perspective, this may be perhaps a case of “no news is good news,” as the region often stays below the political radar. U.S.-African relations are complex and mutually beneficial, a reality that has not gone unnoticed by the Republican Party. In February, President Obama signed the Electrify Africa Act of 2015, which establishes a comprehensive U.S. policy to improve access to affordable and reliable electricity in sub-Saharan Africa for at least 50 million people by 2020. Why is this important? Whoever enters the White House in 2017 will quickly come to...

A recent agribusiness conference in Nairobi highlighted the desire of United Arab Emirates officials to expand trade with African nations and how leaders from Dubai are looking closely at continuing to expand trade with East African nations, including Ethiopia. Dubai imports 85 percent of its food from beyond its borders, and much of that comes from Ethiopia, according to Informa Middle East. The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Ethiopian International Office-organized roundtable in June was attended by Abdul Razak Mohammed Hadi, UAE's ambassador to Kenya, and Omar Khan, director of International Offices at the Dubai Chamber. In an interview with the Gulf News Journal last week, Khan expounded on the prospects for trade between the UAE and East African nations. “Dubai Chamber considers Africa, particularly East Africa, to be an important trading partner.” Khan said. “Dubai’s 2015 non-oil revenue with the members of the East African community was almost $3.5 billion, a nearly 10 percent increase from 2014. We want to sustain and encourage this growth.” Khan said that with a rapidly growing population, the UAE stands to gain by enhancing trade partnerships with other nations. The UAE, he said, will need an increasing supply of fresh food, especially in the Dubai area. Khan cited forecasts expecting food sales to increase by nearly 30 percent by 2019, and the retail value of packaged food sales to rise from approximately $4.4 billion in 2015 to approximately $6.3 billion by 2019. “Dubai Chamber seeks to promote bilateral ties and work with...

DAR ES SALAAM Tanzania (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) and the National Railways Company of Democratic Republic of Congo (SNCC) have agreed to aggressively market their services to increase the volume of freight between the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and the DR Congo, a TAZARA senior official has said. A statement issued by TAZARA Head of Public Relations Conrad Simuchile in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam said both TAZARA and SNCC had posted substantive improvements in their performances. "Transit time between Lubumbashi in DR Congo and Dar es Salaam has been scaled down from over 40 days to less than 10 days in the recent past," said the statement. It added that TAZARA alone was moving cargo between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri-Mposhi in Zambia in five days on average. "With transit times reduced to such low levels, the incidences of theft of cargo have also been eliminated," said the statement. It said these improvements have come as a result of changes of leadership in both railways as well as measures taken by the shareholding governments to stabilize and boost railway operations by injecting funds and equipment. Both TAZARA and SNCC expressed regret that despite the abundant volumes of cargo being moved along the Dar es Salaam Transport Corridor covering DR Congo, Tanzania and Zambia, the railways’ share of less than 2 percent was unacceptably too low. The two railways pledged to pool their efforts together in allocating wagons and to address the...

On June 17, Germany and Poland celebrate the 25th anniversary of the German-Polish Treaty on Good Neighbourly and Friendly Relations. In the past, relations between the Polish and German nations were often difficult and marred by conflict. The worst episode started with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939, with loss of life and destruction that continued until 1945. The process of reconciliation between Germany and Poland began as early as 1965, with a letter of reconciliation by Polish Catholic bishops to their German counterparts. This was the beginning of a long process. Crucial for its success was Germany's willingness to acknowledge the crimes committed against the Polish people and the unequivocal acceptance of responsibility for the suffering caused during the Second World War. Today, Germany and Poland are friends and partners in the European Union. The example of German-Polish relations is relevant for the East African region because it demonstrates that enmity and rivalry can be overcome and replaced by a mutually beneficial relationship grounded in shared values, characterised by equality and respect for one another, and strengthened by economic cooperation and cultural exchange. There are three outstanding benefits that regional integration can bring about: First, it is an important building block in deterring violent conflicts between nations. There has not been a war between members of the European Union since it was created. Instead, the focus has been on creating a single market based on economic freedom and effective common political institutions to deal with issues...

uth Africa is “satisfied” that the recently signed Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union (EU) will lead to improved market access for some additional South African agricultural products, Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies said at the weekend, reporting that Cabinet had, therefore, “transmitted” the deal to Parliament for ratification. The EU remains South Africa's main trading partner with total trade of R536-billion in 2015. In addition, a significant portion of South Africa's R216-billion in exports to the bloc last year were value-added products. It is our preference that if you wish to share this article with others you should please use the following link: Speaking in Cape Town a week after six Southern African Development Community (SADC) members  – Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland – signed the so-called EU-SADC EPA trade deal in Botswana, Davies highlighted particular improvements in the areas of fisheries and agriculture. Under the current Trade Development and Cooperation Agreement, which came into force in 2000, South Africa receives preferential access to the 500-million consumer, 28-country EU on 65% of its agricultural products. Under the EPA, however, there would be increased access for South African seafood, wine, canned fruit, sugar and ethanol. The current yearly tariff-free quota of 50-million litres of South African wine would be increased to 110-million litres, while 150 000 t/y of South African sugar and 80 000 t/y of ethanol could also be exported to the EU tariff free. There had also been improvements in market access...

On June 17, Germany and Poland celebrate the 25th anniversary of the German-Polish Treaty on good neighbourly and friendly relations. The close partnership that characterises the relations between our countries is not self-evident. During more than 1,000 years of neighbourship, relations between Poland and Germany were often difficult and marred by conflict. The worst episode in the history of the two countries started with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939. This resulted in millions of people being killed, the destruction of Warsaw and other major cities. As a consequence, a dramatic shifting of borders occurred with more millions of people forced to emigrate and abandon their homelands. Despite the division of the European continent after 1945 and the Cold War, the process of reconciliation between Germany and Poland began as early as 1965 with a Letter of Reconciliation by Polish Catholic bishops to their German counterparts. Crucial for its success was the German willingness to acknowledge the crimes committed against the Polish people and the unequivocal acceptance of responsibility for the suffering caused during the Second World War. Today Germany and Poland are friends and partners in the European Union which Poland joined in 2004. Both countries benefit from the level of integration the European Union, of which both are members, has brought about. The example of German-Polish relations is relevant for the East African region because it demonstrates that enmity and rivalry can be overcome and replaced by a mutually beneficial relationship grounded in a set...

Head of Government Communication Unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, East African, Regional and International Co-operation Ms Mindi Kasiga told journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the move will ensure smooth businesses among traders of the partner states. “We call upon traders and citizens to communicate with my ministry in case they encounter any non tariff barrier in their businesses within the regional bloc”, Ms Kasiga said. She said traders can lodge their complaints related to NTBs through short text messages by sending the word ‘NTB’ to 15593 or through www.tradebarriers.org. Ms Kasiga further noted that for track drivers travelling within the regional bloc can communicate directly to the Police Force through mobile number 0713631780. She, however, reminded traders to observe the required procedures for cross border trade within the EAC market to avoid inconveniences such as loss of goods. “Tanzanian businessmen can conduct trade within the EAC bloc without paying customs duty if they have fulfilled all the requirements approved by the partner states,” she observed. Ms Kasiga further outlined steps to be observed by small scale traders while conducting business in EAC market among them securing Simplified Certificate of Origin (SCO) which is provided for free at the customs border offices. SCO allows customs officials in the destination country not to charge import duty on consignment with the value not exceeding USD 2000. “The simplified certificate of origin is meant for small-scale traders whose goods do not exceed 2,000 US Dollars and they are not required...