Vice President Hamid Ansari today termed business ties of India with Uganda "dynamic" and key to bilateral relations but said the trade between the countries is yet to reach its "true" potential. Ansari was speaking at a India-Uganda Business Forum where he met President Yoweri Museveni and Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi and held bilateral talks with them. "Our commercial and business ties with Uganda are dynamic and form a key pillar of our bilateral relations. It is a matter of satisfaction that India is one of the largest trade partners of Uganda but at USD 615 million, our bilateral trade is yet to reach its true potential," Ansari said. At the forum, Ssekandi pitched for greater investment from Indian companies in the resource-rich country, and termed his country as a "business destination for India". "I came away from that meeting with a reinforced confidence in the desire of the two governments to continue to engage with each other and a send a powerful message to the business community in both of our countries that here are the business opportunities which have to be availed of," he said. "The President was particularly emphatic in pointing out that the Indian manufacturers in a wide range of areas can benefit very considerably, and what the minister (of Trade and Industry, Uganda) said a few minutes back, my factoring in the thought that they are not looking at a modest market in Uganda only, but on a much wider market of the Eastern...

It is crystal clear that the relation of Ethiopia and Sudan is evolving to the level of mutual trust. Their cooperation in investment and diplomatic communication has continued growing. Ethiopia has been working with all nations close by to capitalize regional interrogations. It as well is striving to address infrastructural gaps on top a underpinning power as well as trade and human development endeavors. Ethiopia is showing unwavering commitment towards furthering relationship between the aforementioned nations. The country's clicking with Sudan could corroborate the case in point. For mutual benefits, Sudan the trustworthy nation in pursuing and willing to establishing proper relations with the Nile Basin countries. tBoth nations have demonstrated notable cooperation in the utilization of the Nile River in this system. Both Ethiopia and Sudan believe that Nile is surely a source of cooperation and mutual benefits among neighboring countries. The economic and security interdependence Ethiopia has developed with Sudan is considered to be a lasting investment for both. Its political leadership's commitment is attributable to the achieved important gains in economic integration. For instance, the volume of trade has been increasing significantly showing 27 percent annual growth since the Preferential Trade Agreement was signed between the two sides before ten years. Last week, the 18th session of the joint Ethio-Sudan border development conference had been held in the town of Mekele, northern Ethiopia. The conference's focus was among the initiatives by the two countries geared towards strengthening ties. The monumental ties of Sudan and Ethiopia could be...

When it comes to non-tariff barriers, each country in the East African Community has a story of its own: If not complaining about another member state, the said country is imposing its own, according to a report on the elimination of non-tariff barriers in the region. The report points fingers at Tanzania as the country with the highest number of NTBs in the region. For example, to register any product in Tanzania, one is required to pay $2,000 against other countries in the region charging $1,000. After registration, Tanzania demands the same price for renewal after every five years besides an annual retention fee of $300. According to the report, presented to the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment on February 2, the Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) registers injectables and other products per pack size and treats each pack as a product by itself. In other countries in the world including the other EAC states, manufacturer's register all products as one but highlight all the presentations on the same certificate. "Kenyan exports to Tanzania are subjected to verification three times -- at the manufacturers premises, and the trucks have to pass through ICD for full verification at the border. This consumes time and is costly for Kenyan exporters," said the report adding that Tanzania also has a pallet fumigation requirement for Kenyan wood pallets to enter into Tanzania. The 75 per cent rules of origin requirement for tobacco originating from Kenya to enter...

Clearing and forwarding practitioners want East Africa (EA) governments to pass laws regulating the industry to deter malpractices associated with handling import and export cargo. The Federation of East African Freight and Forwarders Associations(FEAFFA) this week said that introduction of a Single Customs Territory for the region had affected their operations as they were now required to understand how each country’s law are applied on matters import or export cargo. FEAFFAs executive director John Mathenge said there was also need to have a single regulatory authority for the East African Community (EAC) to help create a seamless arena for clearing agents and freight forwarders to operate in. “The Bill is an important step towards creation of a harmonised regime making it easy for our members to operate across borders while ending the raging confusion that makes it impossible to create rules and regulations for our industry,” he said. The meeting observed that Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda were yet to formulate a standard definition of tasks handled by FEAFFA members creating loopholes for graft to thrive at ports and border points. It noted that heightened activities at ports also saw many FEAFFA members engage in undercutting deals, adversely affecting operations and causing disagreements among members that have in the past raised integrity issues affecting even customs officials. Mr Mathenge said while the EAC had passed a law defining the role of FEAFFA members and customs agents, no country had domesticated the same denying them an opportunity to formulate professional standards...

The East African Community partner states have agreed to renew the war on water hyacinth. Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda also proposed that governments and other players develop pollution prevention and control master plans for all major sources of pollutants within the lake basin. These are some of the 23 recommendations made by scientists from the regional bloc that are expected to ensure sustainable development of the Lake Victoria Basin. The scientists, who presented a record 47 research papers, concluded that the campaign to save Lake Victoria needs firm political commitment and more resources. Last week, during the Lake Victoria Basin Environmental Research and Scientific Conference in Mwanza, Tanzania, permanent and principal secretaries from the five partner states signed the resolutions for the first time in the region’s history. Raymond Mngodo, the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project regional coordinator, read the recommendations on behalf of the delegates. CLIMATE SMART TECHNOLOGIES The proposals require the states to develop a shared basin-wide framework for water quality monitoring and research. The delegates also recommended cleaner production technologies among industries and municipalities as an industrialisation strategy for the basin. “The recommendations from this conference should be used to advance sustainable development agenda to the Lake Victoria Basin Commission’s strategic plan 2016-21,” Dr Mngondo said. Another issue that emerged was the need to profile, prioritise and promote climate smart technologies, adaptation and resilience strengthening measures. This includes promotion of alternative energy efficient technologies to reduce the effects of climate change. Partner states were also...

Three East African countries can now jointly market their tourism products on line with the launch of the first joint East African destination portal. Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) CEO Betty Radier joined other top tourism officials from Uganda and Rwanda in unveiling the platform at the Pearl of Africa Trade Expo held at the Serena Kampala in Uganda over the weekend. This is according to a KTB statement issued on Sunday. “The portal will be a shared platform for tourism trade operators to place their multi-country packages promoting Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda; and provide a new channel to reach regional and international audiences.” It would also allow access to tourism information on products, experiences, and destinations all on a single platform with the aim of enhancing availability of information in the region as well as accessibility to the tourism supply chain. “The launch of the portal comes in stride with East Africa striving to work together for the betterment of her people. If ever there was a better time for Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya to come together it is now. Our economies are growing stronger and travel has been made easier due to the great improvements in our infrastructure,” says Radier. “The fact that member countries can easily access each other’s countries by road, rail, or even short distance flights should encourage more inter-country visits. Why travel the world when one has not explored the amazing beauty that East Africa as a whole has to offer?” she asked. The KTB...

The recent big fight over seats in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has led to questions over what is at stake. Answers to the question are important, not least because, fierce competition for the seats rages in almost all EALA member states. Kenyan EALA MP, Abubakar Zein Abubakar, told The Independent that the race in Nairobi is likely to be hot. "Right now you have not heard anything because the Kenyan parliament has not yet advertised for people to apply but once they do, you will see all the movements," he said. In 2012, the EALA race in Kenya was characterised by fierce competition. Up to 119 candidates applied for the five seats of the main Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party. These were shredded down to 63 and presented to parliament on the day of voting. The ODM was the majority party led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The other parties were Party of National Unity (PNU), Kenya Africa National Union (KANU), National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) and Wiper and they all got one seat as ODM took up five seats. Abubakar, an ODM representative says it will be a different situation since the last elections, held in 2013 slightly changed the representation in the Kenyan parliament. He says this time, ODM will be entitled to five seats, The National Alliance (TNA) of Uhuru Kenyatta will have 3 seats, and United Republican Party (URP) of William Ruto will have 2 seats. The independents will not have a representative because...

Carmen Nibigira, the Coordinator at the East Africa Tourism Platform, has earlier today already been available for interaction to get her feedback to the EATP web portal launch of yesterday. The presentation was well received by the audience in the room and comments were exclusively positive, that another avenue to promoted ‘Destination East Africa‘ had been created and was now active and open for use. Said Carmen to this correspondent: ‘Let me start by registering my and our team’s sincere gratitude to regional governments and their respective tourism boards for the commitment to regional tourism development and marketing. This is the first time that Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda have committed and successfully executed joint promotional initiatives- Destination East Africa Portal joint Advertisement and Documentary. These promotional initiatives are timely, more so, given the prospects for tourism development in our region. They will enlighten our domestic and regional tourists on simplified travel procedures and help entice them to explore East Africa. It is our hope that they will cement our belief in regional tourism and help set the stage for further innovations in regional tourism marketing‘. She then continued to say that the East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP), as an organization was delighted to report that concerted efforts- as public and private stakeholders were fruitful. EATP steadfastly keeps working towards the creation of a single and competitive tourism destination. Key achievements have been made in the adoption of a Joint Tourism Marketing Committee with regional strategy, a single destination brand; that...

Kigali — Strained relations between Burundi and Rwanda continue to hurt some operations of the East African Community (EAC), including failure by officials of either side to attend a regional meeting on another state. Diplomatic sources say although the EAC Council of Ministers--the policy organ of the Community--intervened recently by directing that meetings continue to be held on rotational basis in different capitals as usual, the situation has not been back to normal. The EAC secretary general Liberat Mfumukeko acknowledged during his visit to the Rwanda capital early this week that when there are meetings of the Community in Kigali, delegates from Burundi do not attend and vice versa. The Community boss was quoted by the Rwanda media yesterday, saying that for the last one year the Council of Ministers has been trying to address the issue but without much success. It emerged, however, during talks between Ambassador Mfumukeko and the Rwanda minister responsible for EAC Affairs, Mr Francois Kanimba, that there had been some improvement over the relations between the two neighbouring states and that the opportunity should be used to fully normalise the relations. The minister said there was a time government officials in his country and Rwandans in general declined to travel to Burundi for security reasons and vice versa, though he has seen significant improvement in recent months. Relations between the two countries took a nose dive from the middle of 2015 at the height of violent protests in the Burundi capital over President Pierre Nkurunziza's...

Three East African countries can now jointly market their tourism products on line with the launch of the first joint East African destination portal. Kenya Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Betty Radier joined other top tourism officials from Uganda and Rwanda in the unveiling the platform at the Pearl of Africa Trade Expo held at the Serena Kampala in Uganda over the weekend. The portal will be a shared platform for tourism trade operator to place their multi-country-packages promoting Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda; and provide a new channel to reach regional and international audiences. It will also allow access to tourism information on products, experiences and destinations, all on a single platform with the aim of enhancing availability of information in the region, as well as accessibility to the tourism supply chain. “The launch of the portal comes in stride with the East Africa striving to work together for the betterment of her people. If ever there was a better time for Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya to come together, it is now. Our economies are growing stronger and travel has been made easier due to the great improvements in our infrastructure,” said Radier. She added:“The fact that members’ countries can easily access each other’s countries by road, rail or even short distance flights should encourage more inter-country visits. Why travel the world when one has not explored the amazing beauty that East Africa as a whole has to offer?” KTB attended the expo aiming to strengthen Kenya’s ties with Uganda...