While Internet penetration in Africa is growing steadily, the gap between urban-connected people and the digitally disenfranchised rural population is a growing cause for concern. The issue dominated proceedings at the recent AfricaCom, the continent’s largest B2B high-tech expo, which was recently held in South Africa. Conference participants believed that mobile technology wasn’t necessarily the solution to the particular...
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Emerging as an area of opportunity for online retailing, Kenya has witnessed the rise of indigenous e-commerce platforms and the increasing footprints of international players, reflecting significant jump-start potential for businesses looking to tap into the country’s consumer market. We bring you an overview of the Kenyan consumer market in the context of online retailing as we look into examples of businesses which are successfully...
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Construction of the Port of Abidjan’s second container terminal, the Côte d’Ivoire Terminal (CIT), will boost the competitiveness of the Port of Abidjan by adding an additional annual capacity of 1.2 million TEU from its first phase of development. Located adjacent to the existing Abidjan Terminal, the new terminal With an area of 37.5 hectares, the CIT will also be able to offer greater capacity for handling goods at...
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Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta, opened the government’s Container Freight Station (CFS)-Kenya Railways Corporation Transit Shed near the Nairobi Central Station on 10 November 2020. The new freight transit shed, also known locally as the ‘Boma line’, eliminates the need for small importers to collect goods from the Inland Container Depot (ICDN) at Embakasi, about 13 kilometres away, which requires the use of expensive...
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The Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) has announced the launch of a new shipping lane connecting Saudi Arabia with East African countries, to be provided through French giant logistics company and shipping line, CMA CGM. The new ‘JEDDEX’ shipping service will provide a weekly direct service between Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Kenya, with four ships plying the route, each with 1,100 TEU nominal capacity. The new shipping lane will...
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The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has increased the tax on excisable goods in line with the average inflation rate, despite pleas from manufacturers and importers to leave rates unchanged. The KRA’s excise duty inflation adjustment has upped rates by 4.94%, in line with the official annual inflation rate for the 2019/2020 financial year to 30 June 2020. In its official release, the KRA confirmed that the new tariff amounts have taken...
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The Southern African Development Community (SADC) announced on 9 May 2020 that it will be introducing the use of an Electronic Certificate of Origin (eCoO) system within all 16 member nations. The move will streamline the clearing of goods and save time and money for exporters. The SADC includes nearly all African countries south of the equator, including the Republic of South Africa, one of continent’s largest economies. According to...
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The government of Ethiopia has announced a new three-pronged incentive package to assist investors operating in the country’s industrial parks, in order to ease the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the effort to ease the impact of COVID-19 on the investment sector, the Ethiopian government has made available these three major incentives for investors operating inside Industrial Parks. The package was...
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