The Uganda Freight Forwarders Association (UFFA) and the Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum (UCMP), are jointly organizing the inaugural Regional Logistics EXPO 2017 and the 3rd Annual Oil & Gas Convention scheduled for April 25 to April 27, 2017 at Serena Hotel. The joint event will be held under two themes: “Transforming Uganda into a Regional Logistics Hub – What is your role?”  and “Oil & Gas Doors Open in Uganda”. Announcing the upcoming event on Monday, April 10, 2017, Dr Elly Karuhaga, the Chairman of the UCMP, noted that more than 800,000 tonnes of equipment is expected to be transported to the Albertine oil region as Uganda seeks to achieve First Oil by 2020. “After the launch of the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) for the crude export pipeline from Hoima to the Port of Tanga in Tanzania and the same for Nwoya and Buliisa exploration areas, the stage is now set for Uganda’s oil and gas industry to take off. This presents a huge opportunity for our freight and logistics counterparts,” said Karuhanga. “However, for this to be realized, the logistics industry has to attain very high capacity and become extremely efficient. Hence this upcoming forum intends to come up with solutions that will boost our logistics to meet the high demands of the oil sector,” he added. As such, Karuhanga noted, with over 1,000 delegates expected from across the world, the symposium will present an opportunity for joint-venture partnerships within the logistics industry, between local players...

Written by leading experts including the president of the East African Community Court of Justice (EACJ), national judges, academics and law practitioners; East African Community Law discusses the nature of EAC law, free movement and competition law as well as the reception of EAC law in partner states. Uniquely, the book also provides a systematic comparison with EU law and more widely, lessons learned from the EU experience. East African Community Law is published by Brill Nijhoff and co-edited by a team of EAC and EU experts, including Tom Ottervanger (Of Counsel at Allen & Overy, Professor of European Law at Leiden University, deputy-Justice at the Court of Appeal at the Hague and director of the Leiden Center for the Comparative Study of EAC law) as well as the president and founding registrar of the EACJ and Dr Cuyvers of Leiden University. The support of the European Union, Leiden University and Allen & Overy has made it possible to publish this book online so it is available free of charge for all those who are interested (Open Access). Allen & Overy’s Tom Ottervanger comments “The role of the law and lawyers is crucial to the process of integration, as effective integration requires some form of supranational legal system. Challenges that the EU has faced (and is still facing) such as safeguarding the quality of EU law, monitoring compliance and making EU law binding and enforceable – these are also challenges facing the EAC. We hope that this book will be...

The East African Community (EAC) is now one of the regions with world’s fastest growing population exacerbating problems of ill health, poverty, environmental degradation, unemployment and declining agricultural productivity. The latest United Nation’s World Population Prospects report — which has data covering up to 2015 — indicates that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are among the 33 countries whose population is projected to increase at least five-fold by 2100. The EAC has a population of about 150 million people with land area of 1.82 million square kilometres and a combined gross domestic product of Sh7.4 trillion ($74.5 billion). Africa’s population is currently estimated to be 1.4 billion while the world’s is at seven billion. In the region, about 60 per cent of pollution related deaths are due to contaminated water or poor hygiene, 40 per cent due to indoor air pollution and one per cent due to outdoor air pollution, according to another UN World Population Prospects Report released four years earlier. The bloc — comprising Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania — is endowed with many resources and income earners majorly from agriculture and livestock production, fisheries, mining, wildlife and tourism. Rapid population growth has strained the countries’ budgets and ability to cater for the basic human rights including nutrition, health services, clean water and environment. “Despite potentially grave consequences, demographic changes usually do not take centre stage in many macroeconomic policy discussions or debates,” states a 2014 World Bank report dubbed ‘Impact of Demographic Changes on Inflation and the...

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with regional trade facilitator TradeMark Africa (TMA) to improve cross border trade and enhance trade links between the country and East Africa Community (EAC) member states. The government of the Netherlands has committed $6.7 million to kick-start the projects. TMA will invest in projects involving already available resources such as water transport, simplifying trade processes through training and facilitating adoption of ICT around Eastern DRC. They will comprise dredging and rehabilitation of Kalundu Port on Lake Tanganyika; capacity building and implementation of Integrated Border Management Systems on the border crossings in Rusizi between Rwanda and Bukavu; rehalibitation of the Ports of Kasenyi on the DRC side and Ntoroko in Uganda; as well as infrastructure work at the border crossing at Goli, Uganda and Mahagi, DRC. “Trade is a way to reduce conflict and unemployment. The agreement will contribute to the training of cross border traders in trade issues, exporting and tapping into regional markets. This will especially benefit our youth,” Prof. Nehemie Wilondja, DRC Directuer du Cabinet noted. TMA Director General David Stanton said they are seeking to replicate the success of similar initiatives between EAC governments and businesses to drive down the costs of trade along the key transport corridors, which include the border with DRC, in the country. The institution has facilitated projects along the Northern Corridor from Mombasa Port, Kenya linking Uganda, Rwanda, DRC and South Sudan; and the Central Corridor connecting Dar es...

After a very successful first edition that exceeded all expectations, the official exhibition of Kenya’s National Construction Week is coming back at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi from 1-3 November 2017. The Big 5 Construct East Africa welcomed over 8,500 participants in 2016, hosting 188 companies from 21 countries, and 144 key buyers who directly influence the purchasing of products and services for projects valued above USD 50 million. The event, co-located with the National Construction Authority’s Annual Construction Research Conference, also offered 24 hours of networking and 17 certified workshops attended by almost 4,500 industry professionals. On its second edition, The Big 5 Construct East Africa 2017 is expected to grow even bigger, expanding across 5 exhibition halls and hosting over 200 local and international exhibitors. “With East Africa being the fastest growing region in the continent, the event is setting itself as the central meeting place for global manufacturers of construction products to network and do business,” Andy Pert, Exhibition Portfolio Director, said. “Demand of innovative solutions for the built environment in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia is booming. The Big 5 Construct East Africa is proud to connect local and international stakeholders in Nairobi supporting knowledge sharing as well as contributing to the long-term development goals of the Kenyan Government,” Mr Pert added. There are 43 mega projects currently going on in the region, with a total value of USD 27.4 billion. According to the latest 6W research commissioned by The Big 5...

The dry port is part of an undertaking which Head of State, Dr John Magufuli, made at a joint meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni during his two-day State Visit to Tanzania last February. Dr Magufuli and his Ugandan counterpart agreed to maximize business opportunities that would boost the economies of their two neighbouring countries. In 2016, business between Tanzania and Uganda stood at 178.19bn/-; it now stands at 193.59bn/-, according to Dr Magufuli. The two leaders also agreed to establish a dry port in Mwanza for Ugandan business people only, as well as repairing MV Umoja so that it can ferry goods from Mwanza to Uganda, in order to reduce the cost of transporting cargo. The move was welcomed by his Ugandan counterpart who said it was the second liberation offered by Tanzania to Uganda after the support it offered Uganda in liberating the country from the dictatorial leadership of Idd Amin Dada. “I salute the government of Tanzania for the envisaged construction of the Standard Gauge Railway and modernizing the Mwanza port as the services will now be cheaper, faster, more efficient and modern,’’ said Mr Museveni. At the weekend, the Mwanza Region Business Development Officer, Mr Yesaya Sikindene, said already the port experts and regional leaders including Mwanza Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr John Mongella had visited the site where the dry port will be constructed. However, he said that the cost of the construction was yet to be established, although he remains optimistic that everything was on...

The EAC six partner states, it was revealed at the just ended 35th EAC Council of Ministers’ meeting here, have been directed to start issuing the new East African machine readable Electronic- Passports by January 31, 2018 after preparedness of each partner state was considered. The council directives come on the backdrop of the 17th Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State that directed the partner states to issue the new EA e-Passport by January 1, 2017 and execute the phase out programme for the current machine readable East African and National Passports between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. According to the 35th EAC Council of Ministers’ official report, Burundi reported that through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, the country had completed the process of procuring the EA e-Passport booklets and was ready to issue the document by April 3, 2017. Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda reported to start issuing the New International EA e-passport not later than April 2017 while Tanzania will be ready to issue the East African e-Passport by January 1, 2018. The e-Passport is expected to boost free movement of people across the East African region and facilitate implementation of the Common Market protocol, which guarantees the right to move between countries in East Africa. The EAC e-Passport will have diplomatic, service and ordinary categories, different from the current machine readable passports issued by the partner states. It will be valid for up 10 years while the diplomatic passport and service passport will...

The Republic of Uganda has officially taken over from the United Republic of Tanzania as the new Chairperson of East African Community. The Republic of Rwanda became the new rapporteur during the 35th Meeting of EAC Council of Ministers which concluded yesterday at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The tenure of office of the Chairperson of the EAC is one year and it is held on rotational basis among the Partner States as per Article 12 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC. Speaking after taking over, the new Chairman of the EAC Council of Ministers, Hon. Dr Ali Kirunda Kivenjija, Uganda's Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Affairs, said that the Council of Ministers meeting came at a time when there was growing demand by the East African citizens to see, touch and feel the tangible benefits of the regional integration especially following the launch of the Customs Union in 2005, the Common Market in 2010, and the Monetary Union in 2013. "At this critical period, the Council’s contribution towards the regional integration process therefore cannot be overemphasized," Hon. Kivenjija. He urged EAC Partner States to enhance the visibility of the tangible benefits of the integration by implementing fully the Customs Union and Common Market protocols. Hon. Kivejinja said that since the operationalization of the Customs Union and Common Market protocols, Partner States have not fully allowed the citizens to enjoy the anticipated benefits. "Our people are still experiencing non-tariff barriers, harmonization of national laws to conform...

Arusha — Presidents of the six countries making up the East African Community who were to gather here for the 18th EAC Ordinary Heads of State Summit Meeting, have postponed their schedule. The Head of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs at East African Community Secretariat, Mr Richard Owora Othieno, said the EAC Heads of State Summit which was to be held in Arusha on the 6th of April, 2017 under the Chairmanship of President John Magufuli, will now be convened at a later date. "The 6th of April is a special day for Burundi and therefore the Chairman of the Heads of State Summit agreed to push forward the meeting to a later date," said Mr Othieno. Heads of State who were to meet in Arusha under the Summit Chair, John Magufuli, include President Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi) and for the first time, Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan which is the newest member State in the EAC fold. Source: All Africa

Ratification of a 2013 protocol meant to promote peace, security, stability and good inter-nation relations within the East African Community (EAC) should be taken as a matter of urgency, regional lawmakers have said. The EAC Peace and Security Protocol, ,signed by five partner states in February 2013  (before entry of South Sudan)  following more than four years of negotiations has only been ratified by Rwanda and Uganda. In separate interviews, last week, the lawmakers said it is incumbent upon the partner states that have not ratified to do so “as a matter of urgency.” “We need to have a legal framework and some peace and security architecture implemented in the region to be able to engage on matters of peace and security,” said MP Mike Sebalu (Uganda), a member of the Committee on Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). “The most difficult and most challenging aspect is negotiation. When you have negotiated and reached an agreement on how you want such instruments to be and provided a regulatory framework, the ratification is the timely end of the process. It should be the easiest thing to do because the details are considered at the stage of negotiation.” Sebalu said it “gives me a bit of trouble” to see that partner states negotiate instruments but develop jelly knees when it comes to ratifying them. “There has always been a constant recommendation imploring partner states to append their signatures and ratify. We have always been given assurances...