COTONOU, (Xinhua) -- The establishment of an African free trade zone to increase the volume of trade on the continent will consequently increase Sino-Africa trade relations, a Beninese economist Pascal Komlan said when he spoke to Xinhua over the weekend. “Even before the establishment of the continental free-trade zone, China had become Africa’s biggest trading partner for almost a decade. Now with the establishment of this platform, Sino-Africa relations will witness exponential growth,” he said, recalling that trade volumes between Africa and China had reached 200 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, against 10 billion dollars in 2000. “The free-trade zone is expected to be operational between now and 2017,” he noted. The economist noted that regional integration is the key to placing African states in the global economy. "The creation of this continental free-trade zone will be an opportunity for each African country to accelerate its economic transformation agenda. The vision of these countries is not to remain Least Developed Countries, but to build emerging economies," he said. However, he explained, the emergency of African economies will not be achieved without the support and expertise of China which views Africa as being key to its economic development strategy. “Our continent holds over a third of global mineral reserves. The proportion is higher than 70 percent when it comes to some minerals such as iron ore, manganese, platinum and bauxite,” he said, noting that “China equally needs some of these natural resources from Africa for its own economic growth.” He welcomed...

At the invitation of H.E Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Republic of Kenya, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. James Wani Igga, Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, attended the 8th Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit on 11th December 2014, in Nairobi, Kenya. In attendance were Hon. Mrs. Leontine Nzeyima, Minister for East African Affairs of the Republic of Burundi, Hon. Habtamu Baye Chekole, Special Envoy of the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Hon. Samuel Sita, Minister for East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Richard Sezibera, Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), and the Executive Secretary of the Northern Corridor Transit Transport Coordination Authority. The Heads of State noted with appreciation the progress registered and renewed their commitment to fast-tracking the implementation of the Infrastructure Projects for transforming the Northern Corridor. The Heads of State expressed their solidarity with H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta and the People of Kenya and condemned the heinous acts of brutality and terror committed by the Al Shabaab in Mandera. They further extended warm appreciation to the Government of Kenya for the excellent preparations for the Summit and congratulated the People of Kenya on the occasion of the 51st Independence Anniversary. The Heads of State noted the commencement of the use of the National IDs in Uganda and its use as a travel document within the region which will greatly ease the...

MOMBASA, Kenya - Uganda has maintained top spot as the biggest transit market of the cargo passing through Mombasa port in Kenya writes GEORGE OTIENO. This has been revealed by the Kenya Ports Authority management during the release of the port’s performance for the year 2013 and for the period covering January to October 2014. The report indicates that Uganda has continued to increase its usage in the facility whereby in the last ten months its handled cargo has grown by 9.1 percent registering 4.9 million tons up from 4.1 million tons in the year 2013. While delivering the report during a stakeholder’s dinner held at Severin Sea Lodge in Mombasa Kenya, the Kenya Ports Authority managing Director Gichiri Ndua also noted that the port had observed massive growth especially after construction and commissioning of birth number 19. “I am also glad to report that transshipment has also recorded a robust performance by posting 492,000 tons of cargo in the first ten months of 2014 against 130,000 tons recorded in the corresponding period in 2013 reflecting an increase of 279.7 percent” said Ndua. In the report Sudan retained the second biggest transit position despite having dropped by two percent a matter which has been linked to the political instability, as Democratic Republic of Congo also maintained its third position despite declining by a whopping 21 percent. Other East African Community member countries which performed well in cargo transit from the port include Burundi which recorded modest growth of 13.6 percent...

Kenya has ceded ground to Ugandan sugar barons’ demands, allowing them to bring in the sweetener with the only requirement being application of import permits. The licence will be issued within a week of application. This follows strong lobbying by Ugandan sugar millers and exporters who enlisted the support of President Yoweri Museveni. “Some traders wanted to bring in sugar without permits but we will be meeting with them to explain,” interim director-general of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Authority Saulo Busolo said. Uganda produces about 465,000 tonnes of sugar against a consumption of 320,000 tonnes, leaving them with a surplus. Kenya has a cap on sugar imports at 300,000 tonnes to protect local millers from competition. The country produces about 600,000 tonnes a year. IN FAVOUR OF KENYA Ugandan sugar firms have been pushing Kenya to open up the market to help in balancing trade between the two countries, which is currently in favour of Kenya. “Sugar from other countries, which are not in the East African Community, enters Kenya with ease. The Uganda sugar industry would want to know why,” Uganda Sugar Manufacturers Association chairman Jim Kabeho had complained last month during a meeting. The dispute has been ongoing, with East African ministers’ meeting in July ordering that the standoff be resolved. The tussle goes back to August 2011 when Kenya allowed Uganda to import sugar through the Port of Mombasa duty-free for six months following a request to help the nation plug a deficit. The only condition was...

Very few tourists are applying for the single tourist visa and expatriates are now being used to market regional destinations. The visa allows multiple entries in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda for 90 days at Sh9,000 ($100). A holder can visit the three countries without added costs or associated bureaucracy. Tour firms recently proposed a review of the visa to allow 30 days of free movement for expatriates within the region, Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers chief executive Mike Macharia said. “We have realised that this segment has not been tapped into, so we are looking for ways to ensure that even as we lobby for use of national identity cards as travel documents, expatriates can be accorded similar privileges as regional citizens,” Mr Macharia said. NUMBER COULD GO UP He is also a member of the East Africa Tourism Platform and was speaking to the media in Nairobi on Wednesday. Since its launch on February 20, 2014, about 1,560 single tourist visas have been sold and as the chief executive officer of Kenya Tourism Federation Agatha Juma said, the number could go up by next year. Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda are the only countries out of five in the East African Community riding on the benefits brought about by the system. Recently, Tanzania indicated it would be joining the three. “The challenge, however, has been that there is lack of awareness among most tour companies within the East Africa region. This is also why very few are applying for...

VENTURES AFRICA – Following the lead of Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, and Kenya, the Government of Uganda has released updated figures that raised the country’s GDP by 13.1 percent from 63.9 billion shillings ($24.7 billion) to 68.4 billion shillings ($26.9 billion) for the fiscal year 2013/2014. The new figures, which came as a result of changes to the base year from 2002 to 2009/2010 will provide the basis for more accurate economic indicators that are crucial for evidence-based policy making and will reveal the contributions of more economic activities in the economy, especially those from the informal sector and non-profit institutions. The most significant implications stemming from this development, however, will be on the economic size of the East African Community (EAC) as Uganda is the third out of five member states to revise and rebase its GDP. In September, the rebasing of the Kenyan economy – the largest in Eastern Africa – resulted in a 25.3 percent increase of its GDP, and Tanzania has taken the first step in releasing a preliminary estimate of its rebased GDP for 2007 of 27.8 percent. When all this is considered together, the size of the East African market could be as much as 20 percent larger than previously thought. In line with this, the regional GDP of $110.3 billion for 2013 earlier cited by the EAC secretariat may be upgraded to $134.9 billion when the rebased figures for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are fully factored in. These new figures would definitely prove...

NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 10 – The uptake of the Single Tourist Visa in the East African Community (EAC) has had a slow growth since its inception on February 20, according to industry players. Kenya Tourism Federation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Agatha Juma says this is as a result of the insecurity in the country with tourists fearing to visit Kenya. Juma said the only 1,560 Single Tourism visa have been sold so far. She said most tour operators are unaware of the products to sell in other parts of the region apart from what is available in their own country. “Most operators in Kenya don’t know what they sell in Tanzania and Rwanda and vice- versa, this lack of awareness has made tour operators unable to sell the Single Tourism Visa,” she explained. She said the federation received a grant of Sh9 million from Trademark East Africa that seeks to create awareness on the regional Single Tourist Visa and the use of Identity Cards in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Juma said the initiative will focus on encouraging the players in the tourism sector like tour operators and travel agencies to take advantage of the two developments and help grow the region’s tourism sector. She urged the government to come up with boards in Tourism related parastatals that include Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) that will offer guidance of oversight especially in times of crisis. On his part, Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers CEO Mike Macharia revealed that the East...

UGANDA has maintained its position as the leading East African Community destination for transit cargo through the port of Mombasa. According to the Kenya Ports Authority , Uganda cargo handled at the port in the last ten months grew by 9.1 per cent registering 4.5 million tonnes up from 4.1 million tonnes in 2013. This comes as KPA recorded a 5.3 per cent growth on transit traffic between January and October this year, registering 5.9 million tonnes up from 5.6 million tonnes handled in 2013. Increased volumes in transit cargo have seen Uganda control about 74 per cent of market share, with motor vehicle units being among the top transit cargo. Other major imports by Uganda through Mombasa include containerised goods, clinker, steel products and machinery for oil business in western Uganda. In statistics released by the authority's managing director Gichiri Ndua on Friday, Rwanda also recorded an 11 per cent growth to realise 198,000 tonnes up from 178,000 tonnes handled over the same period last year. "Uganda our biggest transit market has continued to increase its usage of the port as we continue to improve efficiency at the port of Mombasa," said Ndua. Burindi recorded a modest growth of 13.6 per cent from 45,000 tonnes last year to 51,000 tonnes. Sudan remains the second largest transit market despite a two per cent drop cargo handled in what KPAattributed to political instability. Transit cargo to DRC declined by 21.7 per cent but remains third as a major transit market. Ndua...

The Corporate Council on Africa will serve as the officially launch the group’s new Power Africa/Trade Africa web portal to maneuver the complexities of doing business in sub-Saharan Africa during a Dec. 16 meeting of their Power Africa working group. That evening, the Council’s Annual Awards Dinner will also take place, recognizing four African business members for their efforts to promote U.S. private sector investment in Africa. The Corporate Council on Africa serves as the lead go between for the private sector and the U.S. government for Power Africa projects. “We’re also the point of contact on Trade Africa – and that is really just getting into gear, where Power Africa was launched over a year ago,” Mia Warner, Corporate Council on Africa’s Director of Energy and Power initiatives told AFKInsider. Trade Africa focuses on the East African Community (EAC) member states of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda and is designed “to increase internal and regional trade within Africa, and expand trade and economic ties between Africa, the United States, and other global markets,” according to the United States Agency for International Development. Among the goals is advancing the Commerce Department’s “Doing Business in Africa” campaign which encourages U.S. businesses “to take advantage of growing trade and investment opportunities and to promote trade missions, reverse trade missions, trade shows, and business-to-business matchmaking in key sectors.” The President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa was established by Executive Order Aug. 5 for a two-year period, but it was not...

WINDHOEK – Namibia, along with with 25 countries from the Common Markets of East and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), and Southern African Development Countries (SADC) , has been involved in trade negotiations for the past three years to establish a Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA). The Tripartite Free Trade Area once achieved will provide a market of 600 million people with a GDP of US$1 trillion, Maria Immanuel, Trade and Investment Policy Analyst at the Namibia Trade Forum (NTF) has disclosed. Immanuel explained that the objective is to establish a large single market with free movement of goods, services and business persons. This is expected to boost intra-regional trade by removing tariff barriers between these regional economic communities and harmonising customs procedures and trade facilitation measures. Immanuel said the current negotiations focus on market integration which will be carried out over two phases. The first phase was the one that had been ongoing for the past three years focusing on trade in goods. Phase two would focus on trade-related aspects such as trade in services, intellectual property rights, competition policy, trade promotion and competitiveness. Immanuel emphasised that the current negotiations in trade in goods were aimed at liberalising movement of goods. She noted that negotiating countries would exchange tariff concessions based on reciprocity. “The aim is to liberalise as many goods as possible, effective immediately once the agreement has been ratified. The liberalisation of tariffs between the three regional communities will allow countries to open up their...