EAC secures unlimited access to Kenya-UK trade deal
Monday March 01 2021
UK High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott at a greenhouse at Ibis farm in Meru County on February 3, 2021. Kenya renegotiated and signed a new trade agreement with the UK by December 31, 2020. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NMG
Summary
East African Community Customs Union Protocol requires partner states to negotiate as a bloc.
Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda had demanded the extension of the negotiations period by one year so that they could sign the agreement as a bloc.
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East African Community (EAC) member states have secured an open-ended time frame to access the trade agreement signed between Kenya and the United Kingdom (UK) in a development that is likely to protect the fragile regional unity and preserve the spirit of regional integration.
On February 1, Vijay Dhayal, an Indian business consultant in Myanmar’s biggest city, Yangon, received a call at 6am (23:30 GMT) from a member of his team telling him that a coup was under way, plunging what had been a routine Monday morning into turmoil
The military had begun detaining civilian leaders, overthrowing Myanmar’s democratically elected government and turning the clock back to the period between 1962 – when Myanmar’s military first took control, 14 years after independence – and 2011, when it ushered in parliamentary elections and democratic reforms.
In addition to concerns about human rights and civil liberties, the coup has also raised flashing question marks for the foreign businesses who had, since 2011, seen Myanmar as a high-risk but potentially highly lucrative place to invest in, mainly as a base for manufacturing goods at low cost for export. It has also become an attractive market, as consumer demand for everything from soaps to smartphones and moto
East Africa: Business Community Wants EAC States to Seek Trade Deal With UK As One Bloc allafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from allafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The East African
Monday December 21 2020
The Hela Intimates EPZ Ltd factory in Athi River, Kenya. The EABC argues that it would be more beneficial if the region is marketed as a single investment destination. PHOTO | LUCY WANJIRU
Summary
The EABC said that while it supports Kenya’s decision, the region’s enjoinment to the deal would enable the bloc to export larger volumes of goods and enjoy economies of scale by marketing as one investment destination.
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The East Africa Business Council wants the region’s partner states to start negotiations with the United Kingdom, following the signing of the Brexit trade deal between Kenya and the UK.
Services for transgenders cause in Pakistan
National
December 11, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Germany and France have offered Franko-German prize for Human Rights and Rule of Law jointly to Ms. Nayyab Ali on Thursday for her contribution for the cause of transgenders in Pakistan.
It was part of the ‘Human Rights Day’ observation in the federal capital, where the ambassadors of both the countries were present and handed over the award to Ms. Nayyab. According to the statement to mark the ‘Human Rights Day,’ every year since 2016, Germany and France have been jointly presenting the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law to 15 human rights defenders, as a symbol of the common values carried by Germany and France and an illustration of their joint commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights.