Browsing: East African Community

• The East African economic growth is projected to recover this year despite COVID-19 setback thanks to sustained public spending on infrastructure and improved performance of the agricultural sector
• The bloc’s growth is likely to reach an average of 4.1 percent this year, up from 0.4 percent posted last year

The East African economic growth is projected to recover this year despite the COVID-19 setback thanks to sustained public spending on infrastructure and improved performance of the agricultural sector.

This is according to a new report by the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) which indicates that the bloc’s growth is likely to reach an average of 4.1 percent this year, up from 0.4 percent posted last year.

In its latest economic outlook report for the region, AfDB shows that next year average growth is projected to hit 4,9 percent.

Further, the report reveals that COVID-19 containment measures and global supply and demand …

The government of Tanzania has received 1.3tri/- as Covid-19 relief package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Now the government has announced plans to implement a score of projects that will be financed with this fund in a move it says, will help the private sector’s liquidity.

As part of its own fiscal policies to cushion the economy from the negative effects of the global pandemic, the government, through the Central Bank has also released another 1tri/- to commercial banks in a bid to increase their lending capacity.

With these funds, the Central Bank released funding and IMF funding that goes into implementing national projects, the private sector is empowered to borrow and win project tenders and as such increase money circulation in the economy.

The strategy is meant to back the economy which had slowed down due to reduced demand which in turn reduced produced production stagnating the whole …

Four critical universities best practices for fostering graduate employability are of interest: Industry partnerships, Aligning university education with a country’s development plans, Regular university curriculum reviews, and Strengthening quality assurance systems.

However, while Universities work to better prepare graduates for the workforce, it is imperative for the government and the private sector to step in and increase the employability of graduates who are already in the workforce.…

That year, in 2015, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania settled for a three-year plan to phase out the importation of used clothes, a major exporter been the United States. To realise the intended ban, taxes were increased on second-hand clothes were increased effectively deterring their importation. The plan was to completely ban the import of second-hand clothes as of 2019.

This ambitious vision was never realized as the Trump administration issued an ultimatum for EAC to rescind the ban on second-hand clothes by 23 February 2018 or, as the DW writer Isaac Mugabi puts it ‘face the consequences.’…

If death could be bribed, the rich men would never die, this old African saying has come to life as new light is shown on Ugandan doctors over charging Covid-19 patients for treatment. After all, once diagnosed, one is ready to pay any amount to rid themselves of the dreaded virus, so the doctors put two and two together and charge more.

Here is the shocking and even upsetting if not downright despicable testimonial of a patient who was been swindled after he was diagnosed positive of Covid-19. He speaks of what happens as he is admitted in to a private hospital in Uganda mid last month.

“After two days of admission, the hospital told me they needed me to advance some money, $750…I did not have it anyway…when discharging me, that’s when they gave me the full medical bill of $2,482.”

This is just one patient, but he represents …

The East African Community has tabled before the East African Legislative Assembly the budget estimates for the 2021/2022 Financial Year totaling US$91,784,296.

The Chairperson of the Council of Ministers and Kenya’s Minister for EAC, Adan Mohamed, in the Budget Speech read on his behalf by Chief Administrative Secretary, Ken Obura, said that the 2021/2022 budget was coming at a time the COVID-19 pandemic had ravaged economies through lockdowns and economic shutdowns that had affected economic performance in the entire region negatively.

The 2021/2022 Budget is themed Economic Recovery through Industrialization and Inclusive Growth.

On priorities for the 2021/2022 FY, Mohamed said that the EAC would focus on 10 priority areas.

These are private sector development, peace and security, health/covid-19 response and trade development.

Others are infrastructure development, EAC digitalization agenda, agriculture, nutrition, biodiversity, environment and circular economy AMONG OTHERS.

Here is how the monies were allocated for EAC Organs and …

Forbes recently. released a list of Africa’s top dollar musicians and here is the list in descending order.

1. Youssou N’Dour (Senegal) – Net worth $145

Youssou N’Dour, AKA Youssou Madjiguéne Ndour, is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and, wait for it, a politician too. Yes, Africa’s wealthiest musician is shooting for the executive office and is not the only one on the list with aspirations of becoming their country’s president.

Youssou owns the biggest media house in Senegal with radio and Tv stations. He also boasts vast investments in real estate.

1. Akon – net worth $80 million

World fames Akon is Africa’s second richest musician. Born Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, the US based star is also originally from Senegal. Akon who is also an actor and a businessman, has accumulated wealth from a diverse range of investments.

Akon writes songs and produces …

Tanzania set aside over 110 hectares for the construction of the Mtwara Free Port Zone over a decade ago (2009) but since then, only 10 hectares have been put to use. Now Tanzania’s parliament wants answers as to why the project is lagging behind.

Special Seats Member of Parliament (CCM) Anastasia Wambura raised the concern recently in the August House citing that the project was very promising yet little groundwork has actually been done.

Responding the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Hussein Bashe acknowledged the slow pace of investment in the Mtwara Free Port Zone but blamed it on the overall drop in global economies that have affected the oil (and gas) industry gravely.

However, as to the MP’s suggestion that the government reassign the remaining 100 hectares to some other economic activity, Minister Bashe who was addressing the House on behalf of the Minister of Industry and Trade, said the …

For the longest time, Africa has been regarded as a hub of extraction, with a history of colonialism that resulted in colonialists exporting raw materials and labor from the continent at little or no fee at all. However, Africa is rewriting the pages of history, and taking charge of its economic well-being. 

No longer are African leaders basing their economies solely on the extractive industries, they are spreading their wings to different sectors that will benefit the continent’s economic status. To date, Africa has been said to be the second-fastest-growing economic region after Asia, and forecasts predict the momentum to be maintained as the continent has many factors working in its favor.

Although the continent’s economic status is on the rise, the rate at which different countries on the continent are growing economically is not at par. One country that has seen remarkable growth and is implementing economic policies that …

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 …