Nairobi, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | The East African Community has stepped up efforts to ensure the region starts manufacturing its own COVID- 19 vaccines, jointly. This comes as individual countries are battling the pandemic largely separately, with each having their own approach to vaccines. The EAC Secretariat says that …
Read More »Investors urge East Africa to liberalize air transport services to boost trade
Liberalization of air services in the EAC region will increase traffic volumes, improve connectivity and lower air transport fares Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The East African Business Council (EABC), a regional trade lobby, on Wednesday urged the East African Community (EAC) partner states to liberalize the air transport services …
Read More »Tanzania onboard with EAC Information Portal
Arusha, Tanzania | THE INDEPENDENT | Four of the six East African Community (EAC) countries now have fully operational Trade Information Portals, TIPs, following the launch of another by Tanzania. Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda already have operational portals, while the Burundi TIP is still under development and is expected to …
Read More »Inside EAC’s US$91.7milion budget
The spending plan comes at a time the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged economies through lockdowns | THE INDEPENDENT | The East African Community has tabled before the East African Legislative Assembly a US$91.7milion proposed budget for the Financial Year 2021/22 compared with US$97.6 million in the Financial Year 2020/21, with a …
Read More »DR Congo joining the East African Community
Is Tshisekedi dangling an economic deal for non-economic reasons? Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Felix Tshisekedi has been busy on the regional integration front since he became president of the Democratic Republic of Congo two years ago. But he has particularly been busier this year. On June 25, President Tshisekedi …
Read More »Kadaga hailed for leading fight against bad western culture
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kamuli Woman MP Rebecca Kadaga was sworn in as an ex-officio member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in Arusha, Tanzania. Kadaga will sit in the East Africa Community (EAC) Council of Ministers, the central decision-making and governing organ of the EAC. In the …
Read More »Can EAC partner states have centralized tax system?
Kenya charges 16% VAT while the rest impose 18% on products produced within their countries | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s finance ministry and Uganda Revenue Authority executives have agreed that there is need to centralize collection of revenues within the East African Community. This, they say, will play an important …
Read More »EAC budget cut over Covid-19 effects
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The East African Community-EAC Council of Ministers has tabled the budget estimates for the 2021/2022 financial year totaling US$91,784,296. The budget theme: Economic Recovery through Industrialization and Inclusive Growth, aims to focus on the policymakers, implementers and legislators at a time the COVID-19 pandemic had …
Read More »Covid-19 lockdowns, differences in tax policies complicates trade in EAC bloc
Experts, government suggest ways to easing trade among partner states Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | There is a growing concern amongst the business community that the COVID-19 lockdown measures are a danger to business activities, and if not carefully eased, could make the situation worse going forward. This is …
Read More »Tanzania wants new EAC rules
Experts say regional body is ‘club of suspicious people’ Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania’s recent call for the evaluation of the East African Community legal instruments to reflect current times has elicited mixed reactions among regional analysts. When President Suluhu recently met top …
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