Automation of key trade processes, reduction of non-tariff barriers, improved standards testing and border infrastructure upgrades spur trade in Rwanda US $65 million invested in the six year programme that kicked off in 2010 Interventions have contributed to reducing the cost of transporting containers from Mombasa to Kigali from $6500 in 2011 to $4800 in 2016 saving the country approximately $7 million Interventions have had a net return of $100Million. Rwanda ranking in trading across borders improved 44 places (from 131 to 87) contributed mostly by investments made by TMA that have reduced time it takes to export and import and exit borders. Kigali, November 21, 2016: The cost and time of doing business in Rwanda has reduced significantly as a result of elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTB’s), automation of key trading processes, improvement in standards testing and capacity building to build export capability, says a TradeMark Africa (TMA) 2016 Independent Evaluation report. The report by consulting firm MarketShare says the organisation is on track to achieve its target of reducing by 15% the time it takes to transit a cargo container through East Africa’s main transport corridors. TMA made the announcement while launching the report in Kigali in the presence of Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Hon. Ambassador Claver Gatete. The interventions funded by TMA between 2010 and 2016 at a cost of $65 million and implemented in partnership with the Government of Rwanda (GOR) have contributed to a reduction in cost for transporting containers from Mombasa to...

GOULF COURSE HOTEL, 16th NOVEMBER 2016: Uganda could soon increase its offering in the tourism menu and increase its attractiveness to tourists if projects worth UGX 231 Million get funding and are implemented. Uganda Tourism Board and Uganda Tourism Association last week validated the five potential tourist attraction projects, which include the following: Namugongo Shrine son et lumiere; Uganda National Museum Indigenous dinner; Uganda Rwenzori Cultural Trail; and Interpretation Capacity Building for Birding. Over the last decade, Uganda Tourism industry has grown fivefold, emerging as a major source of economic growth, employment and revenue for the country. The sector’s total contribution to GDP in 2015 was 9.9% (UGX 6,395.4 billion)  compared to 7.9% (UGX 5,495.0 billion)  in 2013 and 8.8% in 2012 (UGX 4,993.6 billion). Receipts from tourism have also increased from USD 449 million in 2007 to about USD 1.048billion in 2014. Tourist arrivals have also significantly grown from 641,743 in 2007 to 1,266,040 in 2014. The Government of Uganda has in its Vision 2040 recognized tourism as the mainstay of the economy contributing highest in foreign exchange earnings (at least $12 billion annually), tax and non-tax revenue, employment and to GDP as a whole. It believes that tourism can contribute to the transformation of Uganda from a predominantly peasant and low-income society to a modern, prosperous and competitive upper middle-income country. Uganda has also received several accolades with the most recent one awarded by CNN, which touted it as one of the top 16 destinations to visit in...

The funding will enable the two institutions automate their internal business services as well as upgrade their infrastructure to  improve service delivery mechanisms to stakeholders in Kenya and increase efficiency in the administration of agricultural trade documents. Nairobi, Kenya, 10th November 2016: TradeMark Africa (TMA) has today formally signed an MOU worth US$ 1.3 million (approximately KShs. 130 million) with Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS) and Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) for automation support of their internal business processes.  The funding to KEPHIS is US$ 450,000 while the funding to AFA is US$ 850,000. The KEPHIS system will hasten the issuance of seed certificates to traders resulting in enhanced access to trade and market information, where information availability and traceability is expected to improve. The AFA system will centralise existing information, improve efficiency and service delivery as well as facilitate effective regulatory processes in the agricultural sector. The funding from TMA will allow the two institutions respond to challenges in production, value addition and streamlining of the agricultural supply chains to boost efficiency, transparency and predictability in the trading of agricultural produce and products.  Eliminating these challenges will contribute to reduced costs along the value chain to guarantee higher earnings to farmers, improve food security for the country. It will also enable agriculture surpluses or new value chains to target export markets. During the ceremony, KEPHIS MD Dr. Esther Kimani, AFA interim Director General, Alfred Busolo Tabu and TMA Senior Director Trade Environment, Richard Kamajugo signed on behalf of...

KIGALI - Rwanda - On Wednesday, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over to the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), high technology laboratory equipment that will facilitate testing for heavy metal traces. The equipment is the first of its kind in the East Africa region, positioning Rwanda as a regional hub for testing samples of food, cosmetics and wastewater. The testing of mercury and arsenic in water samples, which was taking approximately 60 days when sent abroad, will now be completed by RSB within seven days. The handover ceremony took place at the RSB office in Kicukiro. Since its creation in 2002, RSB has been providing key services to enhance the competitiveness of Rwandan products, fair trade and consumer protection, such as quality assurance through industry inspection and testing. Recognizing this, USAID, through TradeMark Africa (TMA), funded the acquisition of testing equipment that is used to assess the purity of Rwanda’s key export products. Speaking at the official handover ceremony, Mr. Raymond Murenzi, Acting Director General of RSB stated that “Exports are critical to reducing Rwanda’s trade deficit, yet until recently RSB had limited capacity to test products for micronutrients and heavy metal traces. Testing for heavy metal traces was taking approximately 60 days when sent abroad, causing significant delays in the supply chain, and increasing the costs of exports. Now, the testing will be completed by RSB within seven days.” For example, in June 2014, Rwanda was added to the list of countries allowed to export...

Kampala, Uganda, 8th November 2016: The Government of Uganda and the Government of South Sudan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for mutual collaboration and partnership in construction of a one stop border post (OSBP) in Elegu/Nimule towns on the Uganda/South Sudan border. The Uganda Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the South Sudan Ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation signed the agreement on 8th November 2016. The event was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offices, Kampala. Signing the MOU on behalf of South Sudan was Amb. Joseph Ayok Anei, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, while Ambassador James Mugume signed on behalf of Uganda Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The occasion was witnessed by the South Sudan delegation comprised of; Capt. David Martin Hassan, Under Secretary, Ministry of Transport; Hon.  Diu Dohl Gaduwong, Legal Advisor, Ministry of Transport; Eng. Lado Tongun Tombe, Director for Road Transport & Safety, Nosc Chairperson of Nimule/Alegu OSBP. Uganda delegation comprised of the Permanent Secretary from Ministry of Trade, the Permanent Secretary from Ministry of Works and Transport and a representative from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). Moses Sabiiti, Uganda Country Director TradeMark Africa (TMA), Michael Ojatum, Uganda OSBP Programme Manager TMA, Damali Ssali, Uganda Trade Environment Programme Manager TMA, and John Kalisa, South Sudan Country Director TMA were also present at the signing. The MOU establishes a firm relation between the Government of the Republic of Uganda and Government of South Sudan (GOSS) to...

Electronic Single Window Benefits: Traders to enjoy at least a 30% reduction in time taken to lodge import and export documentation by eliminating need for physical presence/appearance and duplicate processes in the various trade agencies; 30% reduction in transaction costs for the private sector including demurrage and administrative costs Ultimately, reduce cost of doing businesses in Uganda and improve operating environment; and Increase in Government revenue collection Kampala, Uganda, November 4, 2016: The Uganda ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC), in conjunction with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), has today launched the Uganda Electronic Single Window (UESW), a paperless system that will simplify submission and processing of trade information for export and imports. The system will contribute to the reduction in time taken to import to Uganda from Dar and Mombasa ports. Denmark funded the first phase of the UESW with a USD 5 million grant channelled through TradeMark Africa. The country taxman, Uganda Revenue Authority, will host the Uganda Electronic Single Window. Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Hon. Amelia Kyambadde and the Danish  Ambassador to Uganda  H.E Morgens Pedersen officiated over the event. The single window allows for electronic submission and processing of import, export and transit related trade documents thus enhancing clearance efficiency and reducing time taken to exit cargo. Given its benefits, the system provides the key to simplifying cross border trade through enhancing sharing and exchange of real time information between customs, other border agencies and private sector stakeholders. Commenting prior to the event...

Uganda recorded US$97M in new trade between 2014/2016, as a result of reduced trade costs contributed to by TMA supported interventions Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Customs modernization programme has contributed to the institutions increase in revenue collection by 48 per cent as of June 2015 with customs processing time reducing significantly by 30 per cent – from 120 hours to 84 hours. Average time to test products by Uganda National Bureau of Standards has reduced from 19 days to 8 days – a 58 % drop Cost of testing also recorded a 71 per cent drop from $350 - $100  Kampala, November 4th, 2016: Aid for Trade organisation, TradeMark Africa, programmes in Uganda have contributed to inducing additional trade of US$97 Million since 2014, with US$ 50Million achieved in 2015/2016.  The elimination of non-tariff barriers, upgrading of customs systems and custom reforms, improvement of testing by National Bureau of Standards have significantly reduced the cost and time of doing business in Uganda, a newly released TradeMark Africa (TMA) independent evaluation report shows. The report by consulting firm Market Share says the organisation is on track to achieving its target of reducing time it takes to transit a container through East Africas’ main transport corridors. TMA made the announcement during the launch of the Uganda Electronic Single Window in Kampala. TMA aims to reduce by 15%, the time it takes to export or import a container from Mombasa to Kigali.   According to the report, the evaluated TMA Uganda programmes have so...

East Africa’s leading trade agency, TradeMark Africa (TMA) and global transport and logistics company, Maersk Line Kenya, signed a partnership agreement that will pave way in design of programmes that are responsive to East Africa transport challenges. The partnership will enable the two organizations focus on demonstration of a shipping information pipeline for East Africa and support to the SME competitiveness programme. The signing ceremony took place in Nairobi with TMA’s CEO Frank Matsaert and Maersk Line Kenya MD, Steve Felder representing the two organizations. This is a renewal of TMA’s and Maersk commitment to enable trade by improving conditions for East African businesses to participate in regional global trade. Through this partnership, Maersk and TMA commit to a mutually beneficial relationship that will enable both parties identify and implement interventions that will result in removal of key transport and logistics barriers that hinder the growth in trade in East Africa. Since its inception, TMA has facilitated various initiatives in partnership with government and private sector, which have contributed to reduction of time cargo trucks take to transit from Mombasa port to Kampala, for example. The interventions include removal of 87 non-tariff barriers (NTB’s) out of 112 identified ones, port modernization programmes that are expected to increase efficiency at the ports, and construction and operationalization of One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs). The OSBP in Taveta/Holili has reduced time it takes to cross from Dar es Salaam to Bujumbura from 5 days to 4 days. Maersk line with the advantage of...

Kigali, 30th September 2016: Rwanda launched the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) in Kigali at the Grand Legacy Hotel, today. This is in line with the provisions of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Rwanda submitted a notification to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2015 outlining the provisions of the TFA they intend to implement once the agreement comes into force. The NTFC will oversee implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation and will advise and support government in undertaking interventions that enhance business competitiveness and ease of doing business in Rwanda. This will consequently reduce challenges faced by exporters and importers in the country. The committee will ensure that institutions and all stakeholders responsible for controls and procedures related to importation, exportation and transit of goods work together and coordinate trade related activities. It brings together the Private sector, civil society and Public sector representatives as well as trade related service suppliers to discuss issues of trade and trade related policies/measures and agree on better approaches to reform, improve and learn from experiences. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry will chair the committee and will be deputised by the Rwanda Revenue Authority as a key implementing agency. For effective coordination, the committee will have a secretariat to support the committee on daily basis. The NTFC will play a leading role in developing Rwanda’s road map for the implementation of the trade facilitation agenda along the provisions of Trade Facilitation Agreement and will be instrumental...

West African Trade and Customs officials from the ECOWAS Commission from Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo as well as staff from Trade, Customs and Infrastructure departments and the Borderless Alliance participated in a 5-day study tour in East Africa, from the 12th to 16th September, 2016. Organized by the Accelerating Trade in West Africa (ATWA) project in collaboration with the Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) and the support of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the aims of the tour were to showcase TMA supported East African initiatives in the field of Trade, Transport and Trade Facilitation that could inform a set of initial projects in the ECOWAS/UEMOA region that would be undertaken in partnership with regional commissions, national agencies, the private sector and civil society organisations. The visit was expected to showcase good practices in successful trade and transport facilitation initiatives in East Africa, which have reduced trade costs and barriers, and to discuss if and how these approaches could inform similar efforts in West Africa. The visit also sought to understand TMA’s model of collaboration with partners and stakeholders. On their expectations from the visit, West African officials highlighted their interest in understanding TMA’s model of collaboration with regional institutions since projects are implemented nationally, and aimed to see first-hand, interventions in the areas of facilitating border crossing movement(operation of the OSBP, automated customs clearance processes, electronic cargo tracking and monitoring and NTB monitoring and resolution platform. Expectations also...