Page 40, THISDAY, Vol 15, No. 5554
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
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Uganda: ganda's private sector has welcomed the launching of the East African _ Community (EAC) Common Market saying that it wilJ increase the market access for the Ugandan manufacturers and producers. "11le Common Market ere: ales a s ingle market which is the most important gesture as it is an incentive to manufacturers . farolers and producers and we are proud that it is a process but not an end in itself," said the executive director of the Pri vate Sector Foundation (PSFU) Gideo n Uganda Badagawa. He represented the PSFU board chairm an Gerald
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B~siness
Sendaula last week at the launch of Ole EAC Common Market held in Kampala. according to an East African Business Week .report in Kampala. the capital . He however said that the integration process is still on paper byt it has not yet been introduced to the communities in the country. "The process is ~Iso riddles with slow pace of infrastructure development, high power tariffs. the fix ing of prices by the Kenyans on maize and the introduction of pres-shipment which is to increase the costs of doing business i n Uganda," he said. He said the private sector is
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Spurs COlnlnon Mkt
teaining up with other stakeholders to hold the trade facilitation ex po on the theme "How to effectively compete in Ole EAC Common Market" to be held on July 27-28 in Kampala. "It will be during this expo that we shall discuss the negati ve and positive implications on what we have launched , however we support the · Common Market because if it well harnessed it will lead to increased market access, creation of more jobs and most impol1ant it is an incenti ve for growth ," he explained. Uganda's M.i ni ster of East African Community Affa irs Eri ya Kategaya sa id that it is
time for businesses to identify how they can become more competitive and to make that a" reality. "BusineSses shou ld register with relevant authorities, reassess and improve intemal governance, refine customer 'caI)! and improve the quality of their products," he advised. "I encou rage yo u develop business plans for the next five years and research regional markets ·O,.t may be an opportunity (or you to sell your products". He said the ministry has developed an infonnation pack explaining the steps that business must take when trying to establish in another
EAC coumry. "I encourage you to use thi s as the starting place for your research ," he said. He however said th at the
respOns ibi li ty for implementation and reali sing the benefits of a successful commo n market is o n the shoulders of all EAC citi zens.
Turkish Finns May Export to Africa via Yemen
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emen offers a "commercia] gate" opportunity to the Turk.ish businessmen to reac h African markets. Yemen is located in southern part o f the Arabian Peninsula which is close to Africa, a new promisi ng market for Turkish businessmen. Sadik Yi ld iz . founder chaimlan of Turkish -Yemeni Bus iness Council , to ld A.A . correspondent last Mo nday that hi storica l ties between Turkey and Yemen we re strong and 300.000 people had been martyred there in the Onoman period , accordin g to a Turkis h Wee kl y report . Yi ldi z said Turkish private sector did not know much about Yemen. "TurkishYemeni Business Counc il was established. Four separate delegations fro m Yemen vis ited Turkey in June . Foreign Economic Relation s Board of Turkey w ill o rganise a tour of Yemen in July to seek business opportunities." "On ly nine Turkish cornpa-
nies are actually operating in Yemen . There is a very high cooperation and in vestment potential there . European and US companies are not eager to make investme nts there because of security reasons. However. Turkish compani es are welcomed there. We do not have any security problems." Yi ldi z sa id add ing that _ Turkey and Yemen cou Id cooperate in th ird cou ntri es. "Yemen is a neighbour of Africa. It has a port 10 miles to Djibouti . Turkish companies may export from Yemen to Africa and use Yemen as a base. Organised ind ustry zones were estab lis hed in Yemen . TIley expec i supPOl1 from the Turkish party to operate the industry zones." he said. Yild iz sa id foreign trade o f Turkey and Yem en was around 400 .million USD . indicating that Turkish exports was 380 mill ion USD, "we target to ach ieve 1 billion USD by the end of 20 12,' he sa id.
Zimbabwe: Fund to Promote Business Innovation
T eBayelsa Stale Governor, ChiefTimipre Sylt:a (left) with Group Managing Director, BGL limited, Albert Okumagba, during die stale's N50 billion bond issue, at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, ill lAgos, last week .
Tanzania: New Cassava Varieties Give Farmers New Hopes
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le cassava fanners in Eastern and Central Africa are in distress from viral cassava diseases sweeping across the region and ravaging the crop. lIieir Zanzibar cOunterparts are undergoing a quiet relief from four new varieties of diseaseresistant and high yielding cassava introduced three years ago. The four varieties , Kizimbani. Mahonda. Kama and .Machui, have revived and given the crop a new I~ of life. alter it was devastated by the two main cassava diseases; brown streak and mosaic. affiicting the region . according to a report in The Citizens Daily. Mr. Haji Saleh. head of the Zanzibar roots and tuber programme under the ministry of Agriculture. Livestock and Environment said cassava is a very important staple in the Island, where it comes in second after rice. However, he added . it is first in tenms' of acreage and production with over 90 per cent of fanmers growing the crop. ''The crop grows in most of the agro-ecological zones including in the dry parts of the island, where other crops do not perfonm well." he said adding that: "So when the diseases hit. there were very devastati ng effects to the Island's food secu-
lily." The cassava mosaic flfst appeared in Uganda in the mid1980s . and rapidly spread throughout cassava growing areas of Eastern and Central Africa. through sharing of infected planting materials anq by a vector. the white fly. However, efforts by scientists, governments, non-governmental organisations and farmers almost had the situation under control with a lot of awareness education to fanners on ways to curb the spread of the disease. and the development and deployment of disease resistant varieties. Then the cassava brown streak struck. From 2004. the disease which had been around for much longer. but confined to the coastal low altitude areas of Eastem Africa and around Lake Malawi. it started spreading rapidly to mid·a1titude areas. which were recovering from effects of the mosaic disease. Mr Haji said the first survey ·on the cassava brown streak disease was conducted in 1994. in which 20 per cent of the grown cassava shows the symptoms. "In a follow-up survey in 2002. the disease was found everywhere." he noted saying: "All the local varieties grown by the fanners were susceptib l~. The fanmer and authorities were erying out for help." _
he Africa Enterprise Olallenge Fund (AECF) is to provide funding of US$6 million to 10 busi· nesses in Zimbabwe in the first round of its project to promote business innovation in ·the cou ntty, according to a rerx>rt in 71le Standard. The AECF Zimbabwe Window (7:W) is a competition open only to for-profit companies. Its objectives are to stimu-
. panics' contributions to their own projects. The business ideas include agncultural inputs and output marketing. seed multiptication and distribution , a selection of smallholder out-grower schemes and a rural finance initiative - translating into four million rural people. assuming fi ve people per household - will benefit from these projects over the next four years.
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In coll aboration with the res[dent -of Kianga Village. The and find profitable ways of the quality of the. business International Institute of 59-year-old father of 10 particireaching the mral poor with plans received and the effort Tropical Agriculture (UTA). pated in the on-farm trials for their products and services. that all companies had put into the improved varieties. This is The AECF ZW provides O,eir business plans and presenZanzibar scientists started a financial support to the best tations." said an AECF breeding programme to develwhere 01e farmers help the op cassava varieties resistant to researchers to_ select Qot only _ business ideas in the fields of spokesman. the two diseases. Their efforts . t1Je.,-best perrcirming' ) aiieties. 'agri-busmess -and rurnl fman"The AECPs fund managers. KPMG Development paid off and in almost a record : .but a1SO. 01~. which also meei :. cial ServiceS. four-year research. four vari- .'· "! their preferenceS,' iJnd require.Funded by the Austratian Advisory Services. and their eties were released in 2007. ~~ :,~ ~ts f(ir 'i"'roious uses of the Agency ' for rntematlol)al local associates, Acumen According to the !ITA's cas' '." Crops. . , ..... ..... Development. the first rou'?d 9f Africa Consulting. would like sava breeder based in Dar es For Instance. Jor cooking the Zimbabwe Wmdow was to thank all those people and Salaam . Dr Edward Kanju .they . cassava. the farmers look for launched in December. after org"JIisations that took part in started with screening of 170 sweetness. how long it lakes to which 570 companies regisround one of AECF ZW. and cook. and the final texture. If it tered for tl,e competition by we congratulate the wi nners breeding tines -different types of cassava that have nol_ been is high yielding. but it lastes and close of entries on January 3 1. and encourage people who did officially released - which they feels like wood after cooking. Of these entries. 362 companot succeed to participate in narrqwed down to O,e 'released . then its acceIJlall!;e by the {'armnies actually submitted applicaround two , which will be tions. 232 of which we~.ful.ly ... laUnched later this year." four varieties. ers will be low: ' Mr Arne said be gave up on complete and etigible. "~:. ~:. l11~ AECF -is a $50 million The research tean1then s(art, The best 20 business-Jdeas to $100 milliqn fund spanning ed a rapid multiplication pro- ...• cassava. which was suffering gramme. working with lb!o; _"1. from 'Karisa ya Mihogo·. (Iiterwere selected and reqoilsieo t6 .. ,southem i eastem. western and farmers in order to spread li)e' . ' allymeaning'cancerOftlie cas-prepane and submit 6uslnesL .'".certain · Francbphone African new improved varieties in .1lie."c._ saV iQ,3;,dry rotfu.lhe roots that plans. Thereafter." tIi'" AECPs . cou.·n.lries:c,.k is a Special island and beyond. made' ifie- cropuseless. " 'The _ r. "We selected pilot areas in cassava looked good in the...- independelil .~.'. mV!i$-line nr",', ·Paitnersli.ijis Initi ative of the each district to help with the field. but when uprooted y<l\t .. , Committee.. m<;L.in';l;iarare iii ., ·(."'Alliance .. 'for a Green finds that the roots were rotten May to adJGdicate -the wlnn[;g " Revolution in Africa. created mUltiplication exercise," Mr and useless, A1I your laJxlUr and bids. All finalists were given with · fund ing from the Haji said noting: "We ~~ efforts are for nothing." he said. the opportunity to present their Consultative Group (0 Assist them on how to grow cassava to get good yields . maintaining He said he Was given 40 cutbusinesS plans in person to the the Poor. the UK's Department tings of the four new varieties Investment Committee. which for International Development. soil fertility and on business skills as well." for trials. "Attha! time. they did selected the 10 best business the [nternational Fund for "'They started with 50 farm· not have given names. only ideas for funding. . Agriculturnf Development and numbers. I was.amazed at their Together these 10 compathe Netherlands Ministry of ers in the pilot areas. but the number grew to 80 fanners. performance. The tubers were nies will receive Qver US$6m Foreign Affairs. growing and selling planting huge. and had no disease. [ from the AECF in the form of The AECPs Zimbabwe materials of.the improved vari·selected the two out of them. -- . grants and interest-free loans. Window is a multi-donor fund eties to tlleir neighbours. which [ tiked most. They were The AECF funds are expected estabtished with an initial conlater renamed Kizimbani and to leverage at least four times tribution from the Australian Among ll)e farmers is Mr Machui." be said. this amount from the 10 oort1Government. Ramadhani AbdalaI1 Arne. a