Why the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office must also focus on economic development
The launch of the new Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) last week provides an excellent opportunity to reset the UK’s economic engagement with low- and middle-income countries. As the new department takes shape, it is crucial to consider the stated benefits of bringing development and diplomacy together through this merger of the Department for International Development […]
UNOPS and Partners to help deliver EU’s €60 million COVID-19 response project in Africa’s IGAD region.
Six implementing partners will work together to support eight African nations mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. UNOPS has joined a team of implementing partners to help deliver the EU-IGAD COVID-19 Response, launched earlier this week (Monday 31 August 2020) in Ethiopia. The €60 million programme, financed by the EU, will help eight countries in eastern […]
The Update – August 2020 Issue
SAFE BORDERS = SAFE TRADE TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) is working closely with its partners to ensure that the impacts of COVID-19 on trade are minimised through implementation of its Safe Trade Emergency Facility (STEF) Programme. One of the key activities under the programme is distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to key trade conduits and […]
An Ally in the Day of Trouble – KEPSA’s support to state during Covid-19 Pandemic
If there is anything positive that could be said of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya, is that the country quickly learnt from other nations earlier devastated by the plague. Thus, Kenya speedily implemented containment measures among them shutting her airports and borders to keep the virus at bay. Still, local infections were reported and have […]
A Partner in Arms – TPSF Supports Govt. Efforts to Mitigate Impact of Covid-19
Tanzania has largely adopted a liberal stance to the fight against the novel virus (The country did not effect border closures and bans on large gatherings like most of her neighbours), there is little doubt that the pandemic has not spared its economy and trade. In the ensuing debate on how best to protect public […]
Collective trading transforms a widow’s fortune
Modesta Nekesa, 31, has been a farmer for most of her adult life. However, it was not until two years ago that she started making money from her land by cultivating and selling a crop that was unfamiliar in her community – chilli. Ms. Nekesa lives in Busia, a town on the Kenya-Uganda border where […]
Kirabira George: from reluctant farmer to maize standards champion
Before the Kagera War in 1979, Kirabira George Kamya, now 61, had qualified to be a primary school teacher in his village in South Eastern Uganda. His dream of becoming a headmaster at his childhood school was one of the casualties of the war. He worked as a teacher for two years before the ensuing […]
Made in Tanzania electronic certificates of origin a delight to Tanzania-based exporters
From commercial to regulatory formalities, export procedures are often burdensome and time consuming for the average businessperson. Small delays in the implementation of any of these or more procedures have the potential to bring serious negative impact on businesses. “Buyers’ minds are often directed at obtaining a quality service or product, and in a timely manner. They are […]
Mariam Babu – Reformed Smuggler Leading Women Cross-Border Traders on the Path to Self-Reliance
Mariam Babu, 43, a mother of five and grandmother to two who sells eggs in Kenya and salt in Uganda via the Busia border town, is not the image that springs to mind when you think of a smuggler. Yet when she recalls her time bringing in products from Kenya into Uganda through abandoned bush […]
New initiatives at KEBS reduce certification time, open doors for SMEs
Bureaucratic delays related to standards certification almost led Michael Kimeu* to give up on his ambitions to set up a bottled water business in early 2010’s. Kimeu set up a water distillation and bottling plant on the outskirts of Kajiado, a county to the south west of Kenya’s capital Nairobi. However, he knew that he […]