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Burundi inaugurates Regional Command Operating Centre for monitoring transit goods

Saturday, 26 August 2023 08:42

The EAC has developed since 2018 a web-based Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) that is currently implemented along the Northern Corridor from the place of departure to destination within the territories of Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. The system, which is used also to monitor the movement of vehicles carrying goods in transit along some sections of the Central Corridor, is based on the use of GPS/GPRS and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology devices that allow customs administrations in the Region to track the movement of vehicles along road corridors moving from one point to the other, so to ensure the integrity of consignments. The RECTS is based on the use of electronic seals that must be affixed on trucks and that are provided by one of the companies licensed by the Revenue Authorities of EAC partner States. Once completed the trip, the device is returned to the company so that it can be transferred and re-used by other trucks.

Two African countries join the BRICS

Thursday, 24 August 2023 17:10

After three days of closed-door discussions between members, the President of South Africa, which is hosting the 2023 BRICS Forum, has confirmed today that six new countries have been admitted to join the BRICS bloc of developing nations starting from 1 January 2024. Two of them: Egypt and Ethiopia, are African. The other four countries that will access the bloc are Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Which potential for Africa to Capture Technology-Intensive Global Supply Chains?

Friday, 18 August 2023 10:56

The new report from UNCTAD ‘The Potential of Africa to Capture Technology-Intensive Global Supply Chains’, analyses the challenges to the economic growth of Africa and the sectors where the potential is higher. The cost of production is indicated as an important factor for the integration of Africa into supply chains, which affects investment decisions of firms to move entire production processes to the continent. The study notes that as the transportation costs are already high (due to the long distances that cargo must travel from the production sites to the consumption destinations), it is extremely important to compensate such challenge with low production costs.

The artificious use of import bans in Africa

Tuesday, 15 August 2023 17:27

Import bans are measures that are particularly trendy in Africa, as many governments use these kind of restrictions to protect their local productions from foreign competition. They have been often defined as a ‘poor substitute’ to the inability of African governments to create incentives that enable local producers to compete favorably with foreign competitors. But in the WTO context, import bans are regarded as non-tariff trade barriers and are therefore generally prohibited. So why African nations insist on introducing them?

Kenya and Ethiopia sign pact for railway development between Lamu Port and Addis Ababa

Tuesday, 15 August 2023 09:06

In 2012, Kenya and Ethiopia signed a bilateral agreement for the Development, Operation and Management of a Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) linking the port of Lamu in Kenya with Addis Ababa, passing through the city of Isiolo and the border town of Moyale, where a One Stop Border Post (OSBP) commenced operation in June 2021. The railway, whose construction works are set to begin in 2025, will also include a link from Isiolo to Nairobi that will intersect the Mombasa-Nairobi-Malaba SGR, and one to South Sudan via the border town of Nakodok, for a total lenght of about 3,000 Km. Recently, the two countries also agreed to establish a Bilateral Steering Committee to fast-track the development of the LAPSSET Corridor and its supporting infrastructure.

News

Burundi inaugurates Regional Command Operating Centre for monitoring transit goods

Two African countries join the BRICS

Which potential for Africa to Capture Technology-Intensive Global Supply Chains?

The artificious use of import bans in Africa

Kenya and Ethiopia sign pact for railway development between Lamu Port and Addis Ababa

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