今週の水曜日、10月22日にアフリカ14か国の首脳を含む26か国の代表が集まってアフリカ域内の調和ある貿易、インフラ開発を目指したサミットが開かれます。
域内経済協力である東アフリカ共同体（East African Community ：EAC), 東南部アフリカ共同市場（the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa：COMESA)、南部アフリカ開発共同体（the Southern African Development Community：SADC)の加盟国が集まる歴史的なサミットになります。
この会議を前に、欧州からビジネス関連の調査団が続々とウガンダ入りしているようです。
African leaders meet in Kampala for summit『The New Vision』19th October, 2008
FOURTEEN heads of state, including Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and the new South African president, Kgalema Motlanthe, have confirmed their attendance of the Tripartite Summit that opens in Kampala on Wednesday.
The summit will for the first time bring together the 26 countries of the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The leaders will discuss trade arrangements and infrastructural development aimed at harmonising commerce in the region and providing a panacea to the continent’s under-development.
Minister for East African affairs Eriya Kategaya told journalists at the Media Centre on Friday that the five leaders of the EAC had confirmed their presence. They are Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), Mwai Kibaki (Kenya) and Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi).
Other leaders expected are the heads of state of South Africa, Sudan, Malawi, Madagascar, Zambia, Botswana, Seychelles, Egypt, Mauritius and Lesotho.
By press time, Zimbabwe’s Mugabe had also notified that he was coming. Kategaya, who was flanked by foreign affairs minister Sam Kuteesa, said economic integration was needed because no African country can single-handedly prosper.
“If you don’t open up voluntarily and consciously, they will shut you up. Open up and emphasise your comparative advantage.”
Kategaya pointed out that African economies were small compared to the world powers. “These are pygmy economies. One pygmy is taller than the other by one inch and claims he isn’t a pygmy! These are economies that cannot supply basic needs of shoes, safe water, energy and food. We have areas which have never seen power since the world was created,” Kategaya said.
Kutesa defended the sh2.9b expenditure on the summit. “The multiplier effect after spending this money on conferences is huge. Since we held CHOGM, we have received 100,000 more tourists and $300m additional in investment,” he noted.
Speaking at the opening ceremony yesterday, the Assistant Secretary General of COMESA, Stephen Karangizi, said the three regional communities were building blocks to a single economic community for Africa. “As we are aware, poverty is pernicious and widespread in the continent, and the onus for its elimination rests on us.
The regional economic communities have a responsibility of spearheading continental integration and the elimination of poverty,” he told the gathering at Speke Resort Munyonyo. There was, therefore, need to harmonise policies, he stressed.
“History will judge us harshly if we continue to duplicate efforts and programmes, waste resources and opportunities and fail to make tangible progress in our quest to develop our countries and rid the continent of its not-so-honourable tag as the continent of the world’s poor.”
The chairperson of the EAC Coordination Committee, Charles Gasana, advocated for the region to rely more on trade than on aid.
“We have others to take advantage of our abundant resources in the name of trade, investment, aid and other catch-words,” Gasana said. “We should aim at enhancing trade between ourselves and the international community to improve our wealth, employment and our overall economic well-being.”
Karangizi outlined as key topics for discussion the facilitation of trade, rules of origin of products, customs valuation and documentation, customs laws and procedures, common tariffs, the elimination of non-tariff barriers, a common competition policy, safeguards and trade remedies, and services.
“The objective of the cooperation and harmonisation in the area of trade is to create a large free trade area, encompassing the members of the three regional economic communities,” he concluded.
BIRMINGHAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VISIT TO UGANDA: 22-24 SEPTEMBER 2008 (08/10/2008)
One of Britain’s leading business support organisations, the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), visited Uganda on a trade mission from 22 to 24 September 2008. The group included representatives from nine UK companies offering goods and services, ranging from IT and energy solutions to sustainable housing, which are tailored to Ugandan businesses and consumers. The following companies were represented in the trade mission:
- BIRMINGHAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, 75 Harborne Road BIRMINGHAM, B15 3DH,
Contact: Jonathan Webber, Market Visit Leader,
TEL: +44 121 607 1759,
FAX: +44 121 607 0130,
EMAIL: j.webber@birminghamchamber.org.uk,
WEB: www.birmingham-chamber.com
(Business support organisation)
2.BIWATER INTERNATIONAL LTD, Biwater House, Station Road Dorking, SURREY, RH4 1TZ
Contact: Andreas Koall, Project Finance Manager,
TEL: +44 (0) 1306 740740,
FAX: +44 (0) 1306 885233,
EMAIL: andreas.koall@biwater.com,
WEB: www.biwater.com
(Water and Environmental Engineering)
3.HESCO BASTION LTD, Unit B, Molasse House, Plantation Wharf, LONDON, SW11 3TN
Contact: Angelo De Iacovo, Project Manager,
TEL: +44 (0) 20 7350 5454,
FAX: +44 (0) 20 7350 5455,
EMAIL: angelo@hesco.com,
WEB: www.hesco.com (Law cost housing)
- MOUNT LABORATORIES UK LTD, 5 Angus Drive, Loughborough, Leicester,
United Kingdom LE11 4WH.
Contact: Nigel Mount,
Director, TEL: +44 1509 235279,
FAX: +44 1509 231279,
E-mail: mountn@dialstart.net,
WEB: www.mountlaboratories.com
(Laboratory equipment)
5.OCTAGON EUROPE LTD, 7 Castle Street, EDINBURGH, EH2 3AH
Contact: Ann Fazakerley, Commercial Director
TEL: +44 (0) 131 220 8732,
FAX: +44 (0) 131 226 6147,
EMAIL: annfazakerley@octagoneu.com
WEB: www.octagonEU.com
(Law cost housing)
6.PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION INTERNATIONAL LTD, 10 Bayley Street, LONDON, WC1B 3HB
Contact: Slava Gromlyuk, Business Development Manager,
TEL: +44 (0) 20 7580 3590,
FAX: +44 (0) 20 7580 4746,
EMAIL: slava.gromlyuk@public-admin.co.uk,
WEB: www.public-admin.co.uk
(Management Consultancy and Development Services)]
7.INDAMEX LIMITED, 25 Commerce Road Peterborough Business Park, Lynchwood, PETERBOROUGH, PE2 6LR
Contact: James Bird, Chairman
Tel: +44 173 230010
Fax: +44 1733 237039
Email: jasbirduk@yahoo.co.uk
Website: www.indamexgenerators.co.uk
The BCCI last visited Uganda four years ago. Jonathan Webber who has vast experience in international trade led this year’s trade mission to Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. The BCCI is the oldest Chamber of Commerce in the UK and representing the business interests of nearly 4,000 small to large companies in the Midlands region
The delegation met key business contacts as they looked to explore new opportunities in the Ugandan market and build on the strong commercial links between Uganda and the UK.
Their programme was arranged by the British High Commission’s UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) team, which helps UK companies succeed in the Ugandan market and assists Ugandan businesses explore export markets and learn from new technology and expertise in the UK.
According to the Uganda Investment Authority’s statistical abstract for 2nd quarter (Apr-Jun 2008) the UK is the number one foreign investor with planned investments valued at about £ 83.7 million (sterling). Uganda exports to the UK are worth in the region of £30 million (sterling) and UK exports to Uganda are valued at £66.1 million (sterling).
The Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), in conjunction with the Austrian Trade Commission for Southern Africa and Uganda Chamber of Commerce & Industry, is coordinating a 15-man Business Mission from Austria to Uganda from 19-22 October 2008. The purpose of the Business Mission is to secure increased business interface between Austria and Uganda as well as to expose Ugandan entrepreneurs to the business opportunities available in Austria (i.e. partnership possibilities, technology, know-how, representations for equipment distribution, fruits exports).
The main business areas/sectors of focus are:
-ICT Technologies in Agricultural Management
-Road Construction
-Building Materials Industry
-Public, Private and Industrial Waste Management and Energy Efficiency
-Dry fruits exportation
-Furniture and house building Industry
-Municipal, Industrial and aircraft rescue fire fighting vehicles
-Biofuels
-Agricultural tools (hand tools, agrochemicals, fertilizers, etc.)
-Photovoltaic/solar technologies
-Steel Panel Bridges & Modular Bridges
-Complete Welding Lines, Cold Rolling Lines
-Hydro Electric Power plants
Interested Ugandan entrepreneurs/companies ready to seize these unparalleled opportunities are invited to fill out a business dossier registration form available at the UIA Front Desk, Plot 22 Lumumba Avenue, Twed Plaza (soft copy of the form is also available on request or visit www.ugandainvest.com/admin/docs/AustrianBusinessMission.doc. The deadline for receiving back the filled registration forms is October 14th, 2008. Registered companies will thereafter be informed of other aspects of the Program for the business mission.
For further information regarding this mission, please contact Mr. Bradford Ochieng on tel. 0414-30100/0772-414391; email: ochiengb@ugandainvest.com or through Fax: 0414-342903.
