Following the opening of the Taveta/Holili one stop border post (OSBP) between Kenya and Tanzania earlier this month, clearance time has been reduced from an average of 33 hours to just nine hours, according to news reports citing project manager, Daniel Muturi. According to a recent statement from TradeMark Africa (TMA), the Taveta-Holili border post is one of more than 10 that are being built to facilitate trade and movement of people and goods. TMA chief executive, Frank Matsaert, said work on another major OSBP at Busia and Malaba on the Uganda/Kenya border was nearing completion. “We are already upgrading facilities on the Busia and Malaba border as well as working to improve the management of work processes, eventually easing transit times.” Source: FTWOnline

Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) has expressed its willingness to strengthen relations with stakeholders to ensure that port services improve to significantly contribute to government earnings. TPA’s Acting Director General, Awadh Massawe said it is now the time for creating a new orientation between his authority and its stakeholders from both public and private sectors. Massawe told stakeholders that the Tanzania Minister for Transport Samuel Sitta had directed the board to make sure that TPA-stakeholder relations improve and work together for the betterment of the authority and country at large. “Our port can function well if we will closely work with our stakeholders,” Massawe said. Massawe stressed that among other things, it is through best relations with stakeholders that Dar es Salaam port can compete with other regional ports in today’s competitive environment. It was agreed during the meeting that TPA will meet stakeholders on every last Thursday of the month to discuss and strategize on how to improve port services. “We are also going to form a committee that will be tasked to make a follow up and make sure that things are implemented on time,” the Ag DG explained. He pointed out some of the challenges need fast intervention as delay of cargo out of the port. TPA wants to expand regional market for the interest of the nation. “We have not done enough marketing outside the country, this is one of the priorities for now,” he noted. He said TPA aims to turn Dar es Salaam Port of...

The Intergovernmental Standing Committee on Shipping (ISCOS) has developed a mobile phone-based tool for monitoring, reporting and resolving Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs). These are experienced by users of ports and trade corridors in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. Director of trade facilitation and policy harmonisation at the ISCOS secretariat Alex Zulu told IHS Maritime: "The tool commonly known as m-Ship is expected to revolutionise the industry as real time-service users participate in decision making and policy formulation and improve the shipping and transport industry in East, Central and Southern Africa region." "The scope of the platform covers the ports of Dar Es Salaam and Mombasa through transit countries to the hinterland through the Central, Dar Es Salaam and Northern Corridors including roads, rail, pipeline and the inland water ways," he added. Zulu said: "The implementation of m-Ship platform has been endorsed by the ISCOS member states and is being introduced to long-distance truck drivers, clearing and forwarding companies and shippers through their associations and organisations." The platform reports on service providers including customs services, clearing and forwarding agents, shipping lines and shipping agents, container fright stations, port and railways police, inland container depots, weighbridges and ports. The importers, exporters and consumers of services from the region's ports will be able to use their mobile phones to provide oversight on the public and private sector services providers they deal with every day. Through m-Ship users of these services will be able to report delays, incidents of corruption and commend where services are...

Minister of Industry and Trade Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour has announced plans to launch a website serving the Egyptian businessmen who search for investment opportunities in Africa. Chairman of the ministry’s Commercial Service Ali El-Leithy said the website will contain data on African markets of interest to Egyptian businessmen. Outstanding companies, insurance opportunities, customs duties, shipping options and costs, and locations of Egyptian commercial representation offices will be available on the planned website, including tenders put up by African governments, according to Leithy. The website may also feature market studies about goods and trading sectors within each African country, as well as a given country’s most important exports and imports and its trade agreements with Egypt. It will also announce exhibitions hosted by African countries. It is worth mentioning that Egypt, in June, hosted the inking of a free trade agreement between Africa’s biggest economic blocs, the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC). Source: State information service

African Trade ministers Monday informally converged in Nairobi to prepare for the 10th World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference slated for December. Speaking at the meeting at a Nairobi hotel, Foreign affairs secretary Amina Mohamed said the informal meeting of African trade ministers is set to brainstorm on the issues on the table for the ministerial conference. Some of the issues on the table according to Ms Mohamed include agriculture, market access, industrial growth and public health among others. The (WTO) ministerial conference, is expected to bring together over 6000 participants to discuss issues of concern in Africa’s trade relations. “I believe you will all readily agree with me that our common objective is to turn the Nairobi Ministerial Conference into a forum for harvesting specific outcomes particularly with respect to the coming into force of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and an agreement on a balanced and ambitious Post-Bali Work Programme,” said Ms Mohamed. She said it is important that African countries practice value addition on their raw materials before export. ADD VALUE “We want to be able to add value on goods in our country so that we do not export jobs to other countries, we do not want to open up our markets so much and reduce chances of us industrializing,” Ms Mohammed said. Speaking at the same meeting the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary General, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi called on African governments to slow down on commodity exports. “Slowing down on commodity...

The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) signed between 26 African nations in 2015 is the most significant and historic trade deal signed on the continent in decades. The new and vast economic zone will link three trade blocs that would unite 57 percent of the continent’s population and allow free movement of goods and people with predictable positive effects on the African economy. The initial agreement, signed in Egypt’s Red Sea resort—Sharm El-Sheik—in last month, aims to combine the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the South African Development Community (SADC), and the East African Community (EAC) to one trade region. What member states agreed, in theory, requires practical implementation of the treaty as well as negotiations and ratifications by the respective national parliaments. At a recent AU heads of states summit African leaders decided the agreement to come into effect in 2017. With less than two years left, some African countries might struggle to meet the given deadline target. Given the current geo-political realities on the continent, it’s hard to see how such a short deadline could be met at the same time and by all member states. The difference in size, economic strength, bilateral relation, political situation and stage of development amongst member states might represent a challenge to the 2017 goal, some experts say. For instance, many African countries have poor relations between them and that says it all – without the prerequisite of serious diplomatic and political relations it could take considerable time for...

Cargo clearance at the Taveta/Holili border post has greatly improved trade between Kenya and Tanzania following the opening of a One-Stop Border Post. Project manager Daniel Muturi told reporters recently that before the opening, it took 33 hours to clear vehicles carrying cargo across the shared border. “It now takes only nine hours for documents to be processed,” he said. Under the project, financed by Japan through its international cooperation agency, Jica, cargo clearance, immigration, customs and other border transit procedures are done under one roof, unlike in the past when each country would do its part. Tanzania Revenue Authority supervisor at Holili Aden Mwakalobo said drivers and ordinary travellers are now relieved of the cumbersome custom and immigration procedures that used to take days. A Tanzanian immigration officer, Mr Edwin Mwasota, said it took only 10 minutes at most to process travel documents. Construction of the Holili-Taveta post, which aims to ease cross border trade in East Africa and transportation of people crossing the common border, is complete and is awaiting the official launch by leaders of the East African Community. “Construction at Holili-Taveta is complete, paving way for controls that will save time and money for traders ferrying goods to northern Tanzania,” said a recent statement from Trade Mark East Africa (TMA), a not for profit organisation that supports EAC integration. The Taveta-Holili border post is one more than 10 that are being built to facilitate trade and movement of people and goods. The concept was adopted by...

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) has expressed its willingness to strengthen relations with stakeholders to ensure that port services improve to significantly contribute to government earnings. TPA’s Acting Director General, Awadh Massawe said it is now the time for creating a new orientation between his authority and its stakeholders from both public and private sectors. Massawe told stakeholders that the Tanzania Minister for Transport Samuel Sitta had directed the board to make sure that TPA-stakeholder relations improve and work together for the betterment of the authority and country at large. “Our port can function well if we will closely work with our stakeholders,” Massawe said. Massawe stressed that among other things, it is through best relations with stakeholders that Dar es Salaam port can compete with other regional ports in today’s competitive environment. It was agreed during the meeting that TPA will meet stakeholders on every last Thursday of the month to discuss and strategize on how to improve port services. “We are also going to form a committee that will be tasked to make a follow up and make sure that things are implemented on time,” the Ag DG explained. He pointed out some of the challenges need fast intervention as delay of cargo out of the port. TPA wants to expand regional market for the interest of the nation. “We have not done enough marketing outside the country, this is one of the priorities for now,” he noted. He said TPA aims to turn...

AFTER an eight-year negotiation period, the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) was launched on June 10, bringing together 26 African states with the aim of stimulating intra-African trade by creating a common market. These countries make up three major regional communities — the Southern African Development Community, the East African Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. The free trade area is a long-term project with significant stumbling blocks, including ratification by all 26 participating countries and the implementation of the agreement without causing significant economic disruption for weaker economies. However, the principle of promoting intra-African trade is receiving a lot of attention, along with the development of infrastructure that enables such trade. It is 50 years after the end of European rule in most parts of Africa, and more than a third of Africa’s trade remains with western Europe — historical ties still have a large influence on these markets. This is not surprising given shared languages and cultural connections between many countries. Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Egypt, Lesotho, Botswana, SA, Namibia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Swaziland were all former British colonies and make up half of the countries in the TFTA, with most of the remainder having French, Portuguese or German languages and cultures in common. The continent’s largest economy, Nigeria, is not included in TFTA. Once the agreement is fully implemented, the way in which member states benefit will, in many ways, depend on their economic, political, trade and regulatory realities. It will also...

A fuss-free border can generate more revenues for governments and offer lower prices for consumers than one that is steeped in bureaucracy. It also encourages the movement of people which in turn inspires entrepenuership. The tourism industry can also gain through the concept of a seamless package tour. In the coming months, citizens of the East African Community (EAC) Partner States will see their presidents trooping to their borders to officially open new One Stop Border Posts (OSBP) facilities. In the dark days before economic integration became a clarion call for more regional prosperity, national borders were like fortresses. More so for business people and general traders intent on importing vital production inputs or exploiting new markets for their goods. The costs involved in both importing and exporting were high, because of the wasted time in duplication of effort. OSBPs will change all that, because persons, vehicles and goods make a single stop to exit one country and enter another. Implementation includes simplification of documents and procedures and greater use of ICT. Many online systems are already in place. For road transporters, instead of spending days at the borders, truckers will complete formalities in a single facility and leave in less than a day. Many of these documents will be received and reviewed electronically before the vehicle arrives. If all is in order and no inspection needed, the vehicle could complete formalities in a few hours and not several days as before. If inspection is needed, it will be done...