Author: Caroline Muriuki

French business delegation of more than 25 companies will visit Uganda to explore business opportunities, invest in Uganda and create partnerships for trade.

According to a statement given by the French embassy in Uganda, the delegation will be in the country from 25th to 26th November 2019.

The business delegation is an initiative of MEDEF International – the French business confederation with 170,000 member companies and ten million employees.

The initiative is supported by the Ugandan embassy in Paris, the French embassy in Kampala and Ugandan authorities.

The business delegation will be led by Momar Nguer, Chairman of the Africa Committee of MEDEF International and President Marketing and Services and member of the Executive Committee of Total.

According to the statement from the embassy, the delegation will mainly discuss major opportunities and challenges affecting the country.

“The French companies are eager to develop their activities, partnerships, and investments in Uganda,” …

East Africa(EA) business community will address issues on harmonising airspace among others during the East African Business and Investment summit taking place in Arusha, Tanzania from 28 to 29 November.

Denis Karera, the Vice Chairman of the Council said that the summit seeks to address the most pressing issues challenging business in the region, especially cross border trade.

“Non-tariff barriers impede cross border trade. One of the key things we want to raise, again, is the domestication of airspace so that our airlines can move easily and quickly and tickets can become cheaper as well,” he said as he addressed the press.

He added that flight ticket prices are driven by none harmonized and heavy duties imposed on airlines landing at different African airports. He said that flight tickets are expensive because all the east African countries charge taxes among other handling services for every landing.

Also Read: EAC

A group of South African business people representing 35 companies is expected to travel to Mozambique in search of investment and trade opportunities, the trade and industry department said.

The group will be participating in an Outward Trade and Investment Mission to Pemba and Maputo organised by the trade and industry department from 24 – 29 November

The trip’s objective is to increase bilateral trade and investment between South Africa and Mozambique by exposing South African companies to available opportunities in Mozambique. Nomalungelo Gina Trade and Industry Deputy Minister will lead the mission.

According to the department, the specific focus of the mission will be on designated industrial and infrastructure projects as stated in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on economic cooperation between the two countries.

Keitumetse Moumakoe, the executive director of the Steel Tube Export Association of South Africa, said his main objective for travelling to Mozambique is to …

A Digital Manifesto, a 10-step guide for developing countries to get ahead in the digital age was launched by Pathways for Prosperity Commission on Technology and Inclusive Development.

The guide was launched in Nairobi last week by the Commission’s co-chairs Melinda Gates, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Strive Masiywa, founder of pan-African telecommunications, technology and renewable energy group, Econet.

“Today, huge gender gaps in digital access are the norm in developing countries. If we invest in closing those gaps, women and girls can start to meet their untapped potential, building economies that are not only more equal but also more dynamic and ultimately more prosperous,” said Ms Gates.

Mr Masiywa said that digital technologies offer powerful tools to help grow businesses and nations by helping entrepreneurs access to markets and giving governments’ innovative ways of delivering better services.

“However, without visionary policy planning and 21st-century skills training …

Strict regulations on the use of farm chemicals are locking out fresh produce exporters in East Africa from the European Union (EU) market.

The European Union (EU), which is the leading importer of horticulture produce mainly from Kenya, has amended its policy on the maximum residue levels (MRLs) by lowering permissible limits in food produce.

This comes after the EU put Kenya back on the blacklist of countries using high levels of pesticides.

Due to risk assessment, the European Union lowered the MRLs for several pesticides allowed to produce entering its market mostly ones used in citrus fruits and bananas.

New MRL limits have been set at 0.01 milligrammes per kilogramme (mg/kg) against the international standard that of 2.0 mg/kg MRL level.

Beans and peas new requirements are awaiting approval before coming into effect in January.

With the new MRL limits, exporters and their EU importing agencies must pay $1,212 …

MTN has begun the process of developing 5G technology as part of an evolution plan across its operations.

Speaking at a joint C-Band 5G trial launch at the AfricaCom meeting in South Africa, MTN Group chief technology officer, Mr Giovanni Chiarelli said the future (technology) had arrived as the world innovates amid a revolutionised ICT space.

During the C-Band 5G trial launch, MTN signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Huawei Technologies. The MoU will allow the two companies to research and innovate towards developing 5G technology.

“Three years ago, this was unheard of. There was no infrastructure to support 5G. However, with research, we have moved greatly. With this technology, you do not need fibre and more people will be keen to use 5G. The future is here,” Mr Chiarelli said.

The MTN and Huawei partnership will establish a Joint 5G Innovation Programme, which will assess and work …

Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) plan to jointly construct 1,200 kilometres of roads.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi signed the agreement at the first Joint Business Forum held at the Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala. The aim of the forum was to promote bilateral trade, investment and connectivity between the two countries.

The project is set to ease the movement of goods and people, bilateral trade and investment between the two countries.

The project includes 24 kilometres Bunagana-Goma road up to Rutshuru in DRC, a 180 kilometres road from Goli in northern Uganda to Beni and 977 kilometres road from Mpondwe border post in western Uganda to Beni in DRC.

Also Read: DRC tops informal trade scale with Rwanda

Official trade data cited by Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa during the forum launch showed that DR Congo is one of the key …

South African Airways (SAA) said it does not have the financial capacity to meet workers’ eight-percent salary increase demand.

The airline said it could only pay 5.9 percent from March 2020, assuming funds will available at that time.

The strike at the South African Airways is entering its sixth day, due to a dire financial situation. The airline had initially said the action cost $3.4 million a day, though that figure came down as some canceled flights resumed. The resumed flights were to Accra, Lagos, Lusaka, Maputo, Windhoek and Harare.

On domestic flights, the airline worked with Mango Airlines to accommodate as many customers traveling on domestic services and refunding passengers their flights or travel with other airlines. It promised to resume domestic flights, one between Cape Town and Johannesburg and another one between Johannesburg and Durban.

“We call on all our employees to return to work for the sake …

Etion limited aims to grow its client network and sell high-tech digital solutions during the Outward Trade and Investment Mission (OTIM) to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The department of Trade and Industry is organizing the OTIM mission whose aim is to profile and market South African expertise and capabilities to an important and strategic Francophone country such as Cote d’Ivoire so as to advance the levels of intra-Africa trade and investment.

Mr Teddy Daka, the Group Chief Executive Officer for Etion, says that the company seeks to identify potential partners that can represent them in the Western African market to achieve their ambitions of growing significantly beyond South African borders.

“As we have never been in Cote d’Ivoire before, this mission will also be a good opportunity to get a view of the economic landscape and to meet with different entities that may be interested in our products and …