The regional body is set to become the first Regional Economic Community (REC) in the world to introduce and distribute seed labels and certificates to improve access to quality seeds in the region. A senior Comesa representative, Mr Joseph Mpunga, revealed this during a regional meeting to discuss modalities of rolling out Comesa Seed Labels and Certificates in Lusaka last week. He said out of 80 million small-holder farmers in the Comesa region, only 20 percent have access to quality and improved seed. Once operational, Mr Mpunga said the Comesa regional seed certification will be issued by national seed authorities upon verification. He said a seed lot has to be registered on the Comesa variety catalogue and inspected to meet set field standards including laboratory analysis. “The potential total seed market in Comesa is at two million metric tonnes of quality and improved seed. However, the region is currently producing and accessing less than 520 000 metric tonnes of quality and improved seed. This has continued to impact negatively on the people,” said Comesa. “Although Comesa is home to some of the major seed producing countries in Africa such as Egypt, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda, the levels of supply remain stagnant with each country differing in the laws, procedures and systems applied to the seed value chain.” Comesa said the major challenge was due to fragmentation of regional seed markets into small national markets whereby each country operates its own seed policies and regulations different from other Comesa...

Arusha — Tanzania and Burundi have been directed to ratify the double taxation agreement of the East African Community (EAC) - and formally deposit the ratification instruments with the Community's headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, by July this year. The just-ended Heads of State Summit in Kampala, Uganda, noted that double taxation could be ruinous to regional trade and, as such, has to be avoided. In that regard - it was argued - a double taxation agreement would allow income generated in any of the six EAC member states of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan to be taxed only once. The lack of such an agreement so far has given legitimacy for national revenue bodies to maintain the status quo, namely: taxing the same income/goods in two or more different countries. The Kampala meeting also directed the EAC states to expedite establishment of the proposed Monetary Institute and allied institutions so as to lay the ground for the envisaged East African Monetary Union (Eamu). It further called for the streamlining of the East African Development Bank's activities into the main EAC structure after a thorough review of its charter. It was stressed that deliberate efforts must be made to promote the cotton, textile, apparel and leather industries "to make the region more competitive - and also create jobs." Priority should be given to the development of a competitive domestic textiles and leather sub-sectors that would provide affordable and quality products. The EAC Council of Ministers - which is...

East Africa is sure about the need for new infrastructure, less sure about how to pay for it. How did a man, wanted by the police in South Africa, managed to vist the South African consulate in Dubai last week and leave unscathed, twice? And what will Robert Mugabe have to say when he meets the man who replaced him, Zimbabwe's new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa? East African heads of state have recommitted to the construction of several hundred ambitious infrastructure projects intended to link the region and increase electricity generation capacity. To complete these projects the region will need at least 80 billion euros over a 10-year period. If the projects are implemented, east Africa will see a huge increase in electricity generation capacity, 7,600km of improved roads as well as 4,000km of standard gauge railway lines, 3,000km of oil pipelines and an oil refinery. However, at the weekend East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit in Kampala, attended by Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, John Magufuli of Tanzania, Salva Kiir of South Sudan and Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, it was clear that funding these projects would be an uphill task. With the exception of Kiir, who was preoccupied with rallying the EAC to support him against international arms embargoes and sanctions, and Burundi’s Vice-President Gaton Sindimwo, whose only contribution to the discourse was to say he backed the proposals, the summit dwelt largely on how the six countries would raise the billions needed to complete the infrastructure plan....

Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has encouraged Ugandans and Kenyans to create wealth and prosperity by utilizing the new Busia one-stop border post (OSBP) between the two countries. Kenyatta believes it is only through regional corporation by allowing free movement of goods and persons that the East African Community can compete with the likes of China and India. He said this at the weekend as he joined his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni to launch the $13m facility constructed by TradeMark Africa (TMA). “Why should someone from Uganda need a passport to be in Kenya and those who commit crimes in Kenya we should be able to track them to Kampala rather than stop at the borders of Kenya,” Kenyatta said. Under the new arrangement, government agencies of the two countries will operate under one building to hasten clearance of goods and people. For instance, revenue authorities and immigration officers from Kenya and Uganda will jointly clear imports and exports under one roof, instead of clearing in both immigration points in Kenya and Uganda. Frank Matsaert, the chief executive officer of TMA, said the facility was constructed with funds from United Kingdom and the Canadian government. TMA is a not-for-profit Aid for trade organization supported by seven foreign governments with the objective of growing the prosperity of East African trade. “The post has reduced transportation time and clearance by saving one third of the current time, about 90 per cent of the traders that previously used unofficial routes are now trading through...

In 1966, the famous giant ferry – MV Uhuru – first floated on the fresh waters of Lake Victoria shortly after it was delivered by Scottish company, Yarrow Shipbuilders. The arrival of the 1,000-tonne, 91-metre long cargo carrier – and its sister MV Umoja signalled an era of a business boom across the East African Community (EAC) as the two plied the Kisumu-Mwanza-Port Bell route in the world’s second-largest fresh water lake. These vessels, owned and operated by the now defunct East Africa Railways and Harbours Corporation (EARH), were the longest on any of the East African lakes and sailed around the lake where they were complemented by rail wagons in Kisumu, Mwanza, Musoma and Jinja. But a wave of nationalisation in Uganda by President Milton Obote and the eviction of Asian traders by a military junta led by Idi Amin saw business dwindle and the country’s economy collapsed. With the collapse of the EARH, the vessels were detained in Kenya. Forty years later, MV Uhuru lies at an under-equipped dry dock rusting away where time and corrosion is slowly gnawing the steel hulls. The wagon ferry too is slowly decaying – with its old grandeur fading away. MV Uhuru’s engine stopped roaring some 12 years ago due to technical hitches and the stoppage of rail transport to the lake in 2006. MV Umoja was bedevilled by accidents and neglect which was once aptly captured in Paul Theroux’s 2002 book Dark Star Safari when he wrote: “The cabin room was...

BUSIA, Kenya, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Quinto Okitwi has a strong attachment to his ancestral village in Western Kenyan county of Busia thanks to its tranquil weather and fertile soils that have shielded local communities from vagaries of hunger. The 56-year-old father of seven has been a farmer since the days of his youth and has no plans to abandon this vocation given that it has fed and educated his offspring without hassles. Okitwi's one-acre farm that is near Kenya-Uganda border is a case study in diversification thanks to encouragement from local agricultural extension officers and a private company that exports fresh produce to regional markets. Recently, Okitwi and hundreds of smallholder farmers in his locality have embarked on cultivation of chillies for export in a bid to broaden their revenue streams. "I planted chillies late last year after undergoing training on how to tend to this delicate crop. Toward the end of January, I managed to harvest 28 kilograms that fetched me 57 U.S. dollars," Okitwi told Xinhua in a recent interview at his farm. His ancestral village has not escaped the wrath of erratic weather patterns that have affected production of key staples like maize, sorghum, beans and millet. According to Okitwi, depressed rains coupled with voracious pests and diseases are to blame for food insecurity and poverty affecting the majority of smallholder farmers in the low lying plains of Busia County in western Kenya. "Farmers in this region have grappled with declining productivity linked to erratic weather...

The launch of the One-Stop Border Post on the Kenya-Uganda border is a step in the right direction. We urge the two East African Community member states to let the new post work by easing the movement of goods and people. The goals of the One Stop Border Stop will come to nought if we introduce new bureaucracy. Coming at a cost of Sh1.2 billion, the initiative shows that the two governments are keen on speeding up the flow of goods and people at the border crossing point. By combining the previous two stops into one, the two governments have shown their keenness in removing trade barriers and easing travel in the region. However, in order for the one border post to succeed there must be a massive culture change to discard old habits that have been slowing down service delivery. Both countries stand to gain a lot with faster clearance at the border crossing post. The benefits will gradually trickle down to the larger EAC bloc. Its success should also be a lesson for other member countries in helping achieve the EAC goal of regional integration. Source: Business Daily

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni are this Saturday expected to launch a revamped border crossing in Busia, signalling an era of faster movement of goods and services. The One-Stop-Border Post (OSBP) combines the traditional two stops for border processing into one, as well as consolidates other border control functions in shared spaces between the two countries for exit and entry points. Cross-border business advisory organisation Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) facilitated the funding for this project estimated at $12 million, with money coming from the UK Department of International Development (DFID) and the Global Affairs Canada. Officials say this type of border crossing was influenced by desire to improve revenue collection by speeding up clearance for goods and people wishing to travel to either side of the countries. Saving time The OSBP is expected to reduce transportation time by saving up to a third of the current time taken, a TMA assessment shows. The project began in 2011, after a TMA study showed Busia border crossing was one of the busiest in East Africa, at the time witnessing an average of 894 vehicles crossings per day. Back then, the time spent to cross the border “was variable taking between a few hours and up to five days,” TMA report said then. Delays caused sulky traders, which in turn discouraged export trade. The Ugandan side was completed in May 2016 while the Kenyan side was done in July 2017. Friday, travellers entering Kenya from Uganda are...

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni are this Saturday expected to officially launch a revamped border crossing in Busia, signalling an era of faster movement of goods and services. Officially known as the One-Stop-Border Post (OSBP), the border crossing in Busia combines the traditional two stops for border processing into one, as well as consolidates other border control functions in shared spaces between the two countries for exit and entry points. BORDER POST Cross-border business advisory organisation Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) facilitated the funding for this project estimated to have cost $12 million (Sh1.2 billion), with money coming from the UK Department of International Development (DFID) and the Global Affairs Canada. Officials say this type of border crossing was influenced by desire to improve revenues by speeding up clearance for goods and people wishing to travel to either side of the countries. OSBP is expected to reduce transportation time by saving up to a third of the current time taken, a TMA assessment shows. The project began in 2011, after a TMA study showed Busia border crossing was one of the busiest in East Africa, at the time witnessing an average of 894 vehicles crossings per day. The time to cross the border “was variable taking between a few hours and up to five days,” TMA report said then. The delay discouraged export trade. TIME The Ugandan side was completed in May 2016 while the Kenyan side was done in July 2017. Today, travellers entering Kenya...

Upon the full implementation of the prioritised projects, the region will have improved 7,600km of road surface, laid 4,000km of standard gauge railways, and increased the combined installed capacity of electrical power generation from 4245 MW to 6734 MW. EAC | INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT UGANDA - East African Community (EAC) partner states will maintain high budgetary allocations geared towards financing infrastructure development within their national borders. Works and transport minister, Monica Azuba Ntege, the chairperson of the EAC sectoral council of ministers for transport, communications and metereology, said the ongoing infrastructure development projects were meant to interlink the partner states and create a strong common market in the region with sights on the Tripartite Grand Free Trade Area. Ntege said the development of efficient, interlinked and modern infrastructure and energy systems will positively impact on trade, movement of persons, industrialisation, value chains, employment, investments that would prepare the regional economies for socio-economic take-off. She was speaking during the opening session of the Infrastructure roundtable on day one of the EAC Heads of State Joint Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development at the Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala, Uganda. Ntege disclosed that in their previous three retreats focusing on infrastructure development and financing the Heads of State had prioritised for implementation a total of 72 projects, split into 286 sub-projects over a 10-year period, ending in 2025. “The projects span roads, railways, maritime ports, inland waterways, electrical power generation and transmission, and oil and gas infrastructure,” she said. The minister...