This century is Africa’s to own, or to lose. Economic transformation is occurring across the continent, from Mauritius to Ethiopia and Ghana, across East Africa, and for some, like Rwanda, the changes are coming breathtakingly fast. New natural resources are being discovered. Investments in health and education have led to rising life expectancy, reductions in maternal and child mortality, and an increasingly educated young population. In regions such as East Africa, massive investments in infrastructure – energy, roads, rail and IT – are being made, driving growth and providing employment. Although the growth is still patchy, and there remain areas of political instability, insecurity and conflict, the continent has an agreed blueprint for dealing with her challenges and investing in her future – Agenda 2063. Africa’s problems have been studied and analysed over and over. Plans and blueprints exist, in ministries across the continent, and for all the Regional Economic Communities. East Africa has Vision 2050, aiming to turn the region into an upper middle-income bloc by 2050. The time for planning and analysis is over. Now is the time for execution. But to succeed, we need to move with dispatch, aware that we are in competition with the rest of the world, and that this competition will get tougher, not easier. One of the critical game changers for Africa is the 26-member Free Trade Area between Comesa, EAC and SADC. The agreement, first mooted in 2008 in Kampala, and signed in 2015 at Sharm al Sheikh in Egypt, covers...

A new trade facilitation tool was launched Tuesday in Kigali aimed at enhancing intra-Africa trade. The One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) Sourcebook is expected to help governments improve cross-border and intra-regional trade across Africa. The second edition of the sourcebook was supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), NEPAD, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The tool was launched at a regional workshop on the OSBP. The workshop runs up to March 16. Participants are exchanging views on further development of OSBPs in the continent. Participants were drawn from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Sudan. Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the NEPAD chief executive officer, said the trade facilitation tool seeks to promote a coordinated and integrated approach towards easing trade, movement of people, and consolidating security. He pointed out one-stop border posts are crucial in facilitating trade on the continent because clearance time reduces for both travellers and goods under one roof. Mayaki said: “It is envisaged that the OSBP project will help reduce the cost and time transporters take to ferry goods across borders.” Mayaki affirmed NEPAD’s commitment to support initiatives that promote trade on the continent. He also urged governments and key stakeholders to fully utilize the sourcebook to help them determine the best way to develop OSBPs in each region. Snowden Mmadi, an infrastructure expert at COMESA, said studies show that time wasted clearing at ports, borders, and...

Kenya and the European Union (EU) have exuded confidence that three East African countries yet to sign the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) will do so during the next month’s head of state and government summit, unlocking the current stalemate. Kenya hopes her neighbours Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi will sign the trade protocol so that the region can enjoy duty and quota free market with EU. “We have hopes that the rest of the EAC countries yet to sign so that we can move together as a bloc,” said Dr Chris Kiptoo principal secretary international trade on the phone. Negotiations on the 14-year-old trade deal were concluded in 2015. EAC and EU  agreed to append signatures as well as ratify the same through their legislative structures. Principal Secretary for East African Affairs, Betty Maina last week, during a public policy breakfast meeting on strategies to enhance Kenya’s competitiveness, said  that Kenya will continue accessing market under the EU Market Regulations of 2007 until otherwise. Move together Alessandro Tonoli, Trade advisor European Union Delegation to Kenya, in a statement, recently expressed optimism that all the five countries will sign the EPAs to avoid being locked out of the EU market. Tonoli said that EAC Heads of State last year expressed willingness to move together as a bloc to continue enjoying the duty and quota-free market under the EU’s everything but arms initiative. The Heads of state in the EAC region will have their next Ordinary Summit in Arusha on April, which will...

The East African Community recorded a 16.4 per cent rise in international arrivals between September last year and January this year, according to the latest figures by Forward Keys, which monitors future travel patterns by analysing 16 million flight reservation transactions each day. The top 10 origin countries all retained their places from earlier in the year, including other African markets, which also saw growth. Visitors to Kenya were up 6.4 per cent, while in Uganda they went up by 11.7 per cent. The report paints a rosy picture, with forward bookings from February to July running 16.5 per cent ahead of the equivalent period last year. ForwardKeys, however, says long-haul connectivity could be improved for all EAC key airports. Source: Standard Media

This Year’s International Women Day was a remarkable one for the East African Community women as the crucial Gender Bill that make provision for gender equality, equity, protection and development in the Community was passed. The bill, dabbed, ‘EAC Gender Equality, Equity and Development Bill 2016’, whose mover is Hon Nancy Abisai was passed by East African Community Legislators sitting in Kigali, Rwanda on International Women Day. It is commendable that the region has recognised the immense contribution women make towards social, economic and political development of the Community. The importance of gender equality in the success of various development programmes instituted across the region cannot be underestimated. The bill, which prohibits all forms of exploitation, cruel, inhuman or degrading practices is a welcome move that if enacted and enforced by all the partner states will see an end to rampant exploitation of women and disadvantaged groups across the region. Though different partner states have made strides in gender equality, some are still lagging behind in crucial aspects of the gender bill. Though we are not where we would want to be, the number of women in decision making positions has risen drastically over the past few years in all partner states. Rwanda remains a tool of bench marking, not only for the region but also for the rest of the world; more than 60 per cent of key positions are held by women. Rwanda was ranked position one in this year’s global parliamentary gender equality. Tanzania made history by...

It remains unclear whether the East African Community Polythene Materials Control Bill, 2016 will ever be concluded as debate on it was on Wednesday adjourned by the regional Assembly now sitting in Kigali. Following a motion moved by Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, Dr Susan Kolimba, under the House’s rules of procedure, a key report on the Bill presented by the committee on agriculture, tourism and natural resources could also not be adopted. Dr Kolimba’s motion for adjournment –which may be moved without notice – under rule 30 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly was partly down to the fact that business leaders have requested for further consultations, while the Tanzanian government is yet to submit its views on the Bill. But MP Valerie Nyirahabineza (Rwanda), chair of the committee on agriculture, tourism and natural resources, remains optimistic that after they include more views from stakeholders during the next sitting in Arusha, in May, the Bill will be passed “without doubt.” “This is a Bill everyone wants, including members of the business community who have insisted on having further consultations. In May, we shall make amendments but ultimately the Bill will pass,” Nyirahabineza told The New Times after the day’s session. Earlier, during the session, Nyirahabineza presented a report in support of the Bill and reminded the Assembly that EAC Partner States are signatories to various international agreements on environment. “It should be noted that Polythene materials like plastic bags are a menace to the environment and...

Members states of the East African Community under the Lake Victoria Basin Commission have held a joint regional policy steering meeting that looks at implementing programmes and projects aimed at improving the livelihoods of  people living in the Lake Victoria basin. Several programmes  are currently running under the Lake Victoria Basin Commission which include population, health and environment, Lake Victoria Environment Project and Lake Victoria Water Supply and Sanitation Programme. The Permanent Secretaries in the line ministries of water and environment from the East African Community states signed an assessment report of the progress that has been made in the last 6 month on the implementation of programmes aimed at improving the welfare, restoring life, the environment and livelihood of the people living in and around the Lake Victoria basin The Joint Steering Committee emphasized the need to continue to improve  current projects at hand to help mitigate the challenges faced by communities living in and around the Lake Victoria basin The national project coordinator revealed that  Uganda  has  made progress in  waste water treatment, solid waste management and alternative livelihoods for the people living around the Lake Victoria basin The Lake Victoria Basin Commission is expected to sit again after 6 months in another East African Community State where they will again review the progress of the Four programmes under way.   Source: NTV News

The East African Legislative Assembly sitting in Kigali for the fifth session of the Third Assembly from March 6-16, used the International Women’s Day marked on March 8, to pass a Bill that will among other things protect women and children against gender-based violence, force EAC partner states to provide free primary and secondary school education for all, and protect the rights of civilians during war. “There is a need to make primary and secondary education compulsory, accessible, all inclusive and available for free to all considering the pupil-teacher ratios,” said the chairperson of the committee on general purposes Dr Odette Nyiramilimo. The general purpose committee handled consultations on the Bill with the partner states. If the region’s presidents assent to it, their governments will be required to provide universal free primary and secondary education. Most EAC partner states are already implementing a form of free primary education. The law will also make EAC partner states more accountable for the deaths and plunder that governments through their armed forces mete out when there is internal conflict. Human rights abuses “In circumstances where conflicts have occurred, and in times of armed and other conflicts, partner states must take such steps as are necessary to prevent and eliminate incidents of human rights abuses,” reads the Bill. This Bill will affect countries where security forces have orders to shoot and kill civilians. Civil society organisations are excited that the region can now take to task South Sudan and Burundi, where recent conflicts have...

The President of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( UNCCI), Olive Kigongo has tipped Uganda’s business community about markets in Germany. Kigongo told Uganda’s business community to prepar quality products and services that they can present in trade fairs in Germany. She told the business community that they have to foot their bills to attend the fairs because they were going to look for business opportunity. She said in the fairs Ugandans can find business partners. "A bird that does not fly does not know there are better gardens where to pick seeds," Kigongo said. This was during a function held at the residence of the German ambassador in Kololo, Kampala. At the function, presentations were made to Uganda's business community on how and why they can participate in trade fairs in Germany. The German ambassador to Uganda, Dr Peter Blomeyer urged Uganda's community to participate in over 186 trade fairs that take place in Germany every year. Blomeyer explained that the trade fairs would be a gateway to the international market for Uganda's products and services. "We need to raise interest of German companies to come to Uganda and Uganda companies to go to Germany. This can be done through trade fairs. We have big trade fairs in agriculture, tourism, technology, in all sectors," Blomeyer said. The ambassador said German products are durable, last a long time; they cost some money but save one from cheap products that need frequent repairs and replacement. The function was...

Clash of minds was evident when a section of academics, economists and civil society members converged in Kampala to discuss the implications of free trade agreements on Industrialisation in Uganda and the entire East African Community (EAC) region as a whole. Special emphasis was on the EAC-European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), a deal which is reciprocal in nature. The EAC-EU EPA negotiations ended on October 16, 2014. Despite the 12 years of negotiations, the agreement is yet to be signed and ratified by all the five partner states. The EPA seeks to establish a reciprocal free trade area between the EU, which is a much more developed partner, and the EAC, a poor region. Civil society members argued that a trade agreement such as EPA has implications on the industrialisation of the country and the region, given its onerous provisions, among them; extensive liberalisation, contradictions in the liberalisation schedules and weak multilateral and bilateral safeguards. They also said such deals constrain the use of export taxes, triggers the rendezvous clause which brings in negotiations of new issues like investment, intellectual property, procurement, and competition, thereby constraining policy space that Least Developed Countries had fought hard to retain at world trade level. Politics involved Therefore, it is important to understand whether Free Trade Agreements such as EPA will promote industrialisation and its associated benefits in Uganda given the fact that the developed countries developed through use of protectionist tendencies in order to nurture their infant industries, and only opened...