Browsing: European Union

Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Ethiopia, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

These are the African countries set to be allowed to enter the EU territory as the borders reopen in July, according to a draft list of the countries obtained and reported by euronews.

As the European Union gets ready to reopen its borders, officials in Brussels are debating behind closed doors, the draft of two lists; one with those countries that will be accepted, and one for those which will not, as the territory struggle to meet their previously announced July 1st goal.

The euronews sources also reported that officials “could not reach an agreement”, that talks would continue and that the deadline to open the borders may very well be extended beyond July 1st, suggesting agreements will not be forthcoming in time.

Also read: Air passengers travel confidence key to salvaging African airlines

Notably, Brazil, Qatar, …

Early this year, the United Kingdom Government and the European Union helped Somalia in settling arrears with the African Development Bank which paved way for the lifting of a 30-year-old sanction imposed by the bank.

To mark the reunion, the Bank Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Khaled Sherif and Somali Finance Minister Abdirahman Beileh signed a $122.55 million grant.

With assistance from the Bank and other development partners, the shift to a new Somalia can speed its national development agenda of consolidating peace, fighting poverty and ensuring growth.

“We stuck with our reforms, we were persistent, and it has paid off,” Minister Beileh said.

IMF Staff Monitored Programs (SMPs) driven reforms restored the confidence of the bank and led the United Kingdom and the European Union to provide funding for clearing Somalia’s loan arrears to the Bank.

“I am absolutely delighted that the African Development Bank …

On March 13, 2020, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) warned that the covid-19 coronavirus crisis could seriously dent Africa’s already stagnant growth.

Oil-exporting nations could lose up to US$ 65 billion in revenues as crude oil prices continue to tumble. Having already strongly hit Africa’s major trading partner, China, covid-19 was inevitably impacting Africa’s trade.

ECA Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe, said: “Africa may lose half of its GDP with growth falling from 3.2 per cent to about 2 per cent due to a number of reasons which include the disruption of global supply chains.”

She added that the continent’s interconnectedness to affected economies of the European Union, China and the United States was causing ripple effects.

US$3-billion facility

Songwe said that Africa would need up to US$ 10.6 billion in unanticipated increases in health spending to curtail the virus from spreading, while on the other hand revenue losses could …

The UK left the European Union (EU) in January after a long and tedious process which saw Prime Minister Theresa May quit as the Conservative leader on June 7, 2019.

Following the divorce, the EU and the UK will determine their future trade relations during the transition period which goes on until the end of this year.

With this reorganisation, developing countries could see their exports to the UK increase. The EU could also offer a slightly bigger market for goods coming from these economies. However, this is dependent on whether the UK increases tariffs for third world countries.

Trading with Britain under preferential terms

With this, it is time for Africa as Brexit could create new opportunities for the continent which just became one the largest free trade area in the world with the AfCFTA which will be operational starting in June 2020.

The UNCTAD notes that a no-deal …

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) received €11 million contribution from the European Union as the UN agency steps up efforts to fight the desert locust outbreak.

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu received the contribution to help fight the locust upsurge which has now spread from East Africa to the Persian Gulf.

The European Commission announced that €10 million would come from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO). While another €1 million will come from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

“I want to thank the European Union for its generosity and support as the Desert Locust threatens to provoke a humanitarian crisis in East Africa,” Qu said.

Qu also added that the situation is extremely alarming in a region where 20 million people are already considered food insecure.

The locust outbreak is the worst in the last 25 years for Ethiopia and Somalia and …

The United Kingdom wants to enter into a trade pact with the East African Community member countries.

The United Kingdom which is into a one-year transition phase after it left the European Union, is keen on having long-term and sustainable trade ties with the EAC region.

During the one-year transition period set to end on December 31, the UK- EAC trade engagement will be under European Union protocol where most regional countries apply to Everything But Arms treaty.
UK High Commissioner to Rwanda, Jo Lomas, said that they are looking to negotiating a trade deal somewhat similar to EAC’s Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union.

“We are looking to have a trade deal with the EAC, along the lines of what was agreed upon by the EU. Ultimately, we would like to be negotiating something more ambitious but we are keen not to disrupt trade,” she said.

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The European Union (EU) is set to provide over $57 million as development aid to Tanzania, marking a return of EU in the Tanzanian development landscape after the partner’s relations were married two years ago over human rights and rule of law concerns.

According to The Citizen, the EU Head of Delegation to Tanzania Manfredo Fanti revealed the release of the funds yesterday at State House, in Dar es Salaam, during a meeting with the Tanzanian President John Magufuli.

It was the first major funding announcement by the EU bloc which in December 2018 withheld 96 million in annual financial support to Tanzania amid a diplomatic fallout.

The EU is Tanzania’s biggest development partner, receiving over $100 million every year.

Also, the EU Deputy Head of Delegation, Emilio Rossetti revealed to The Citizen that the planned disbursements were assessed and finally approved in December 2019 after technical discussions.

“The implementation …

The East African Community (EAC) has acquired an $11 million funding from European Union (EU) to combat insecurity within the regional and cross border spheres.

The funding came to light yesterday in Arusha-Tanzania, whereby it targets to fuel a 45-month programme on regional response to the growing security threats in the bloc with six nations—and with the fastest growing economies in the continent.

EAC secretary general Ambassador Liberat Mfumukeko launched the joint programme with the EU ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Manfredo Fanti. The Ambassador heralded the long-standing partnership between the EAC and EU in peace and security sector which is a key player to the integration process in East Africa.

The programme is rather vital to the bloc’s strategies to propel further their $193 billion combined Gross Domestic Products (GDP), which include importation and exportation of goods and services occurring via borders in the region.

According to The Citizen, the …

As part of the EU-UNCTAD joint Programme for Angola (Train for Trade II), and in support of Angola’s efforts to strengthen and diversify its economy towards more sustainable economic sectors, UNCTAD is organizing a training workshop for stakeholders from the coffee and tropical fruits value chains.

This will be the third training activity under UNCTAD’s National Green Export Review (NGER) process in Angola, and the second to be held outside the capital city.

The workshop is targeting government officials, producers, sector associations and academics from the northwestern provinces of Bengo, Cabinda, Kwanza-Norte, Malanje, Uíge and Zaire, which are among the country’s most favourable zones for coffee and tropical fruit production.

At the first NGER workshop in Angola, local stakeholders identified coffee and bananas among the green sectors with significant development potential. Moreover, Angola’s Programme to Support Production, Export Diversification and Import Substitution (PRODESI) included the coffee and banana value chains …

This year’s edition of the Erasmus+ study in Europe Fair, was hosted at the University of Nairobi, Great Court Square, serving as a great platform for students to learn of the opportunities available to them to study, work and live in a European country.

Erasmus+ is an EU flagship program that has been running for more than 30 years, helping students to enrich lives and open minds in education, training, and sports in Europe. The program encourages applications for scholarship and exchange program opportunities for undergraduate students wishing to pursue master’s degrees in member countries from the European Union.

This program speaks directly to Kenya’s National Education Sector Support Program and Vision 2030 – the development of a middle-income economy in which all citizens have enhanced entrepreneurship, innovation, and lifelong learning opportunities.

Additionally, it facilitates beneficial interactions between students willing to further their studies abroad within the 10 member states …