EAST African countries have been advised to harmonize grain standards at all border posts to improve on the quality of grains traded in the region. This follows increased interest in grain trade across the border in which farmers are likely to lose out simply because those trading their grains are not following the required standards in grain trade. The findings from a two year study indicate that there are only four officials at the three border points applying the EAC standards for maize and rice in their entirety. This means that the set standards are not being followed as a reference document when goods are being checked even though the officials are aware of the standards. This is according to a report on Farmers Integration into Regional Markets through Structured Trade projects that was implemented by the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF), supported by USAID. Stephen Muchiri, the Chief executive Director of EAFF blames this on the low numbers of staff, especially at Busia border post which has only one staff member handling the trade facilitation of all agriculture commodities. "This one staff is responsible for verifying import and export documents, sampling agricultural commodities, working with their counter parts on the Kenyan side in addition to conducting spot checks along the irregular informal trade routes," quotes the report. The findings are further backed by recent findings by the EAC standards committee that visited border areas in November last year, which noted that only 60% of EAC standards had been adopted...

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - The Federal Republic of Germany has given a grant of 70 million euro for development cooperation within the East African Community (EAC). This happened in Dar es Salaam last week. Some 30 million euro about. $33.4 million is committed specifically to the health sector. A joint statement between the Federal republic of Germany and the EAC of which East African Business Week has a copy shows that in total 30 million Euros approximately $ 33.4 (Tsh.68 billion) will be invested in vaccines and health supply chain management. The statement also indicates that earlier in 2015 Germany hosted the record replenishment of the Global Vaccination Alliance (GAVI) as a result an additional 300 million children will receive live-saving vaccines, including in the EAC. “German bilateral cooperation will now provide 20 million euro (Tsh.44 billion) for the procurement of vaccines against different diseases for children in the EAC region,” reads part of the statement. The programme will be implemented in collaboration with GAVI and this new commitment will bring Germany`s contribution to regional immunisations programmes with the EAC region to 60 million Euros (Tsh.132 billion) since 2012. Inappropriate cooling systems result in high volumes of vaccines being wasted before they reach the people that need them and this is why Germany will also support the establishment of the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Health Supply Chain Management in Kigali with 10 million Euros (Tsh.22 billion). The Centre will strengthen capacities and foster the dissemination of innovation...

Economists in the region are advocating for innovative thinking as a mechanism to jumpstart African integration, something that has been proving to be elusive for long. Speaking during the plenary session of the building bridges East Africa regional workshop on developing national business communities and regional integration organised by UONGOZI Institute in Dar es Salaam, a World Bank consultant, Mr John Kalisa said that currently the business community was facing many hurdles. "Increasingly due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates with the US Dollar, the East African business community is losing out a lot because of the exchange rates with doing business and only innovative ways are the answer," he said. Mr Kalisa cited that the cost of doing business in most regions of the continent are very high due to these exchange rates and therefore Rwanda and Kenya are in dialogue such that their business community can use their own currencies in the other country. He said as China continues to be an aggressive investor in the region, a number of countries in the EAC are laying out mechanisms such that they can directly exchange their currencies into the yuan instead of first changing into US dollar. "For regional integration on a continent as diverse as Africa, the way forward is to expand market size through market integration, collaborate in building productive and industrial capacity and develop affordable, effective infrastructure and services to lower the cost of doing business," he cited. A fellow of the London School of Economics...

The recent state visit by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta served to keep communication lines open between our two nations, which is critical for our mutual economic and development fortunes. While here, he discussed progress on key infrastructure projects such as the oil pipeline and the standard gauge railway that the two countries are committed to developing. The oil pipeline will help both countries evacuate our oil in coming years while the railway line will reduce transportation costs on the key route to the sea for the two countries. By accident of history, our two countries are bound together at the hip and despite past attempts to force a wedge between us, the mutual interests of our peoples mean we have always found a way to resolve our differences. Ever since the British got it in their heads that they needed to control the source of River Nile for strategic purposes, our two countries have become each other's largest trading partner. During the hard 1970s and 80s, many Ugandans sought refuge in our eastern neighbour and recently, after the post-election violence in 2007-08, some Kenyans fled here for safety. A few days ago, Kenyatta, in defending an initiative to import sugar from Uganda, reported that his country exports $700m worth of goods to Uganda while importing goods worth $150m from the same. He argued that he would rather import sugar from Uganda than from Brazil if we (Uganda) have the surplus to bridge their shortfall. At the Uganda National Chamber of...

Selfish interests and failure to adopt policies agreed upon by the east African Community member states are some of the road blocks to the economic empowerment of the region. It has emerged that though member states have good investment policies aimed at boosting their economies, such policies are yet to be adopted at the regional level. The East African Legislative Assembly wants a regional investment policy to allow the region push in the same direction on investment issues. Source: NTV UG

WOMEN entrepreneurs in the region will use the second East Africa Community Women in Business conference that opens today in Nairobi, to explore opportunities offered by the Single Customs Territory, the EAC secretariat has said According to the Arusha based office, the conference on the role of women in socio-economic development and business will also explore openings in the common market. The two-day conference themed "Advancing and expanding the participation of business women in intra-EAC trade", targets 350 women entrepreneurs and exhibitors from the region. “Among other outputs, the second EAC conference is expected to identify sources of affordable financing for women in business and recommend a way forward,” said EAC. It will also be used to strengthen and expand the network of women in business. Source: The Star

Kenya’s exports to Tanzania dropped by 30 per cent in the first half of the year. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that the country sold goods worth Sh12.2 billion to Tanzania in the six months to June, down from Sh17.7 billion in a similar period last year. The loss is partly linked to industrialisation in Tanzania and the Dar and Kampala currencies making worse losses against the dollar compared to the Kenya shilling. “Tanzania has been investing in industries and it was obvious that our goods would not be going there in perpetuity,” said Joseph Kosure, a consultant in the external trade section at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kenyan companies have also been setting up plants in the neighbouring nation thereby reducing the flow of goods across the border. Some of the companies which have set up shop in Tanzania include listed cement maker ARM. Data from the Export Promotion Council shows that the balance of trade between the two countries has been deteriorating due to an increase of Kenya’s imports from Tanzania. Last year Kenya imported goods worth Sh18.3 billion from Tanzania, an increase from the previous year’s Sh11.6 billion, thereby narrowing the positive balance of trade to Sh24.3 billion from Sh28.8 billion. Some of the goods that Kenya sells to Tanzania include medicines, soap, polish, sweets and snacks (sugar confectionery) and construction materials. Mr Kosure said that Nakumatt’s opening of operations in Tanzania could also have affected the volume of goods imported...

The new e-payment is part of a USD 10 million TPA’s project to install the Electronic Single Window System which is meant to integrate all the port activities and stakeholders in a single interface and improving the flow of information. With this new system which is now available by its own website, the TPA stopped using paper invoices since all of them are now available online. The TPA’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Acting Director, Mr. Kilian Chale, explained that the launch of the e-payment is the beginning of the TPA’s efforts on making the port’s activities more efficient. TPA is working in partnership with other providers as Selcom Wireless, which manages the largest independent point-of-sale (POS) in the country, to develop the e-payment and improve its services, he added. According to TPA’s Acting Communications Manager, Mrs. Janeth Ruzangi, the e-payment’s users will not only make their payments online, but also access to detailed invoice information using their Payment Reference Number (PRN) which can be requested from e-payment’s website. The system can be accessed from a computer, smartphone or POS, and does not charge any fees per transaction, she added. According to the last company’s financial release, TPA grew from 2011/2012 to 2013/2012 at a rate of 10.4% to reach an operating revenue of TZS 417,316 million with 13,713 million tons of handled total cargo traffic. According to Bloomberg, TPA is currently investing in upgrading projects to raise the port’s efficiency to expand the cargo volume in 80% over the...

Two recent bilateral trade deals, one unveiled early this week between Uganda and Kenya and the other, negotiated late last month between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been lauded by experts as a step in the right direction towards deepening intra-regional trade. Kenya will once again start accepting sugar exports from Uganda, a deal signed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, during the former’s three-day state visit to Kampala. Source: Eatradehub.org

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...