Browsing: East African Community (EAC)

ECOWAS countries in West Africa have long reasoned that the issue of food security cannot be left to a single country to shoulder. Instead, the regional bloc embraced the fact it takes collective efforts to secure the food security of a single nation and in so doing protect the whole region.

In is address to member countries during the ongoing virtual meeting, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Sékou Sangaré said the regional goal of stockpiling some 40, 000 metric tonnes of food reserve is a visionary course that will protect each member state of the sub region.

The conference begun on April 28^th and will carry on through to May 10^th. The conference falls is part and parcel of the EU-funded Support Project to the West African Food Security Storage System.

The Food Security Storage System came into being back in 2015 and …

“The change of tone ushered in by President Samia Suluhu Hassan over the last month could indicate a welcome to a whole new economic direction in Tanzania’,” remarked Peter Leon, Partner and Africa Co-Chair, Herbert Smith Freehills

Investors have been wary of dipping their feet in Tanzania’s investment pool, more so investors in the extractive industries. In March 2017, a total ban on the export of unprocessed mineral concentrates and ores was instated.

Just four months later, in July 2017, after six days of deliberation, three new laws assented. The new laws gave significant power to the government, empowering it to control the extractives sector autonomously.

The three laws that were altered are:

• The Natural Wealth and Resources Contracts (Review and Renegotiation of Unconscionable Terms) Act, 2017 (Unconscionable Terms Act);
• The Natural Wealth and Resources (Permanent Sovereignty) Act, 2017 (Permanent Sovereignty Act); and
• The Written Laws(Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2017 which

East Africa Community (EAC) the Partner States are estimated to have lost international tourism receipts to the tune of  $ 4.8 Billion in the year 2020, following the Covid-19 pandemic.

This follows a study by the East African Business Council (EABC) with the support of the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: aimed at assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism and hospitality industry and policy options to protect sector players from COVID-19 disruptions and future pandemics.

Tourism is one of the largest foreign exchange earners and fastest-growing sectors in the East African Community (EAC). According to the EAC Secretariat, tourist arrivals in the EAC region increased from 3.5 million persons in 2006 to about 7 million in 2019. Tourism contributed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the EAC Partner States by an average of 9.5% in 2019. It contributed an average …

The trade war that has been witnessed between Kenya and Uganda is finally coming to an end following a pact that has been signed by the two countries.

Last month, Kenya set the stage for a war with its main trading partners in the East African Community (EAC) after it banned the importation of maize from Uganda and Tanzania.

The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) said that surveillance and tests they had done on maize from the two countries had shown that most of it was infected with aflatoxin.

East African Community (EAC) Director-General for Customs and Trade ‎Kenneth Bagamuhunda described Nairobi’s move as “unilateral.” He said that there are established procedures to ban trade of goods among partner states. EAC also includes Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

Also Read: The revival of East Africa’s energy arena

However, the recent activities by the EAC member states have proved that there …

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is set to redefine the Tanzania-Kenya relations.

Bilateral ties between Kenya and Tanzania have been blowing hot and cold for decades now, with the row playing out publicly during the era of the late President John Pombe Magufuli.

Disputes seem to be always never far from the surface and only a slight spark is enough to ignite a diplomatic tiff such as the one that was playing out during Magufuli’s era.

However, President Samia is seeking to bring a solution, and maintain a good relationship between the two neighbouring countries.

President Samia on Saturday, April 10, 2021, said that her administration is determined to solve some of the issues existing between Tanzania and Kenya.

The Tanzanian head of state said this in a statement to the media after meeting a special envoy from President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya. She said that she will pick from …

Contribution of game meat to total world meat production and consumption is apparently very small, according to reports the world Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In an article titled ‘The new international market for game meat’ FAO cites that records of game meat trade and consumption are even less documented in the international meat trade platforms. “Accurate statistical information is grossly lacking. In many countries even statistical data on conventional meats produced by agriculture leave much to be desired, so the situation can only be worse in the field of game meat,” reads the report in part.

With only developed countries like the United States and some countries in central and northern Europe being recognized for keeping track of game meat, Tanzania has taken an unprecedented step in legalizing the trade of game meat, and keeping of accurate data of the trade.

The development comes under President John Magufuli’s …

The East African Business Council (EABC) has called upon South Sudan to stop charging Visa entry fees on any East African Partner States and embrace the use of National Identity cards as a travelling document across the region.

“As it is now, South Sudan still charges visa fees to EAC citizens from EAC Partner States which do not have a bilateral agreement, with the country. We also urge South Sudan to join Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda to use National IDs as travel documents,” said EABC CEO, Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki.

This follows EABC’s visit at the Nimule – Elegu One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) yesterday. EABC in collaboration with the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and the South Sudan Chamber of Commerce held a meeting with the Joint Border Management Committee, deliberating on sustainable solutions on issues affecting the flow of goods and movement of persons at the border post.

Also

Ethiopia wants to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), the historically technocrat country now wants to open its doors and become a market economy.

This means privatizing its industries, a move that the country was previously reluctant to take. However, over the last eight years, Ethiopia has been making major economic reforms and the world has begun to notice.

Under the new liberalization policy, Ethiopia will now privatize some key sectors like its telecom industry and its national pride, the airlines led by Air Ethiopia as well as its banking and logistics sectors.

The world has taken notice and to urge and nudge the country on, the international community has allowed it to resume negotiations with the WTO.

A bid 8 yrs in making

Ethiopia started to make moves towards joining the WTO some 8 years ago when it first filed its application and a Working Party was formed in …

Since the Common Market Protocol was launched in 2010, trade between East African Community member states has increased by 60.75 per cent from $3.72 billion to $5.98 billion in 2018, the latest trade data show.

Despite non-tariff barriers (NTBs) continuously holding back the region’s potential, the Common Market Protocol has boosted trade in the region by easing the cross-border movement of goods and people.

The East Africa Community Trade and Investment Report shows that the value of intra-regional trade increased by 9.4 per cent to $5.98 billion in 2018 from $5.46 billion in 2017.

The growth was partly caused by EAC countries’ increased preference for trading with each other so as to counterbalance falling demand for the region’s products in European and US markets.

Also Read: Uganda, Rwanda record reduced trade flows

All EAC member states apart from Burundi recorded growth in trade with their regional counterparts, the report showed.…

Trouble laden Petra Diamond is planning to sale 75 per cent stake of its Tanzanian diamond business but the government of Tanzania says, no. Rightfully so, because as a stakeholder, the government had every right to be informed prior to any sell attempt and in this case, it was not.

The company currently owns the Williamson mine in partnership with the government of Tanzania and as a share holder, the government has said it was not consulted prior to the sale plans.

This government response comes just a fortnight after the UK based miner announced the decision to sell.

In its initial announcement, local media quoted the company’s Africa Corporate Communications Manager, Ms Cathy Malins admitting that the company was facing heavy losses and has no choice but to sale.

The Communications Manager attributed the losses to effects of Covid-19 saying there is a dire fall in the global market.…