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tralac’s Daily News selection: 7 July 2015
The selection: Tuesday, 7 July
Featured tweets:
@Francismangeni: There are no similarities between the Greek crisis and regional integration in Africa now, but important lessons
@TomBowk: Mozambique lost 8000km of roads in this year's rainy season, according to the national roads administration
@pewglobal: BRICS views of US 2015, % favorable
Driving African economic integration: penetrating the political economy obstacles (Building Bridges)
The objective of the policymakers’ roundtable on African Economic Integration, which is part of GSDPP’s Building Bridges programme, was to identify some of the key obstacles to African Economic Integration, and strategies to address them. The roundtable brought together policymakers to identify and engage effectively with the levers of change using a political economy approach in order to move the integration agenda forward. It engaged with the following questions: [Download]
Steps to entrench gender in regional integration (COMESA)
COMESA has begun building the capacity of its staff and member States to mainstream gender in regional integration programmes. The first Training of Trainers workshop started Monday 6 June 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya and focused on four member States including Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritius and Swaziland and COMESA professional staff. Participants will be trained on how to identify gaps in gender equality through the use of sex-disaggregated data; analyzing the underlying causes; developing strategies to close those gaps; putting resources and expertise into implementing strategies for gender equality; monitoring implementation; and holding individuals and institutions accountable for results.
Nonetheless, we know that there are some significant activities that require our deliberate efforts. First among these is to ensure that the political harvest of the signing of the TFTA will now be translated into effective implementation. This will require, amongst others that we get the remaining Member States, some of whom are major players, to also sign the Tripartite Agreement. At the same time, we will need to ensure that ratification of the TFTA by the required majority of Member States is completed expeditiously so that the Agreement enters into force. It is clear that if these processes are overly delayed, this may have implications on the promise and potential of this grand project, not only for the Tripartite region but also for the Continental Free Trade Area. The second area follows directly from the above:
SADC: The AU's orphaned REC? (The Namibian)
Given these realities SACU could force a rethink at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with regards to the recognised RECs on the continent. With an effective strategy it could turn the political chess game in its favour and outwit SADC as the recognised REC for Southern Africa. Then it could negotiate the CFTA in its own right and not as “a sub-group within SADC”. [The author, Wallie Roux, is head of research and development at the Namibia Agricultural Union]
Kenyan manufacturers seek EAC import levy exemption (Daily Nation)
The Kenya Association of Manufacturers now wants an exemption on the 1 per cent levy on all imports into the EAC introduced by the chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers during the EAC 2015/16 budget speech. While appreciating the government for creating many incentives for the local manufacturers in the 2015/2016 budget, KAM Chief Executive Phyllis Wakiaga said challenges in the EAC market need to be addressed to spur further growth in the local manufacturing sector. “We are keen on making Kenya a manufacturing hub especially in light of the new Tripartite Free Trade Area . A lot of new steps have been made towards making our investment easier here but more still need to be done to ensure we produce more efficiently and remain competitive in this market,” Ms Wakiaga said.
SADC Parliamentary Forum: speech by Jacob Zuma (GCIS)
Engagement with the SADC Secretariat on policy harmonisation should remain a critical focus for the SADC Parliamentary Forum. South Africa appreciates the initiative taken by the SADC Secretariat and the SADC Parliamentary Forum to elevate this issue which will be discussed at the forthcoming SADC Ministers of Justice and Attorney’s-General Meeting in Harare.
SADC: Anti-Corruption Committee update
EAC: Emergency Summit statement on Burundi
Why did Sisi back out of African Union Summit? (ALMonitor)
Namibia: IMF staff completes 2015 Article IV Mission (IMF)
Namibia’s growth prospects are increasingly clouded with downside risks. The main near-term risk is associated with the highly volatile Southern African Customs Union revenues. In the coming years, the SACU revenues are expected to decline, reflecting the slowdown in the South African economy. Further increase in the current account deficits would continue to erode already low international reserves (currently at 9¼ percent of GDP or 1¾ months of imports) at end-April 2015.
Kenya: CBK chief faces first test as shilling hits 100 to dollar (Business Daily)
The shilling has plummeted to a three-and-a-half-year low against the US dollar, underlining the Herculean task before the newly appointed Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) governor Patrick Njoroge as he chairs his first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting Tuesday morning.
Global Entrepreneurship Summit: Kenya engages high gear (Daily Nation)
Does Uganda need to rethink the liberalisation policy? (Daily Monitor)
As more people continue to wonder whether full liberalisation can deliver Uganda to economic prosperity, they have been joined by critical voices such as President Museveni, who has recently shown frustration, especially in the banking sector, wondering why interest rates continue to be high amid competition. Mark Keith Muhumuza & Jonathan Adengo sounded out experts with a view of measuring whether full economic liberalisation is still relevant to Uganda.
TAZARA suspends operations in Zambia after workers stage strike (IPPMedia)
Conrad Simuchile, the company's head of public relations, said operations have been suspended on the Zambian side following a strike by workers which started on Monday this week, according to the state broadcaster -- Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation. The suspended operations involve both passenger and freight services from the Zambian town of Kapiri Mposhi to the border town of Nakonde, he added. The official however said operations will continue on the Tanzanian side of the railway line built in the 1970s with the assistance of the Chinese government.
Mchinji railway line soon to be joined to TAZARA - President Lungu (Lusaka Times)
Tanzania: Businesses say Chinese logistics centre won't benefit locals (IPPMedia)
A section of members of the business community in the country are up in arms over a major trading centre project planned for construction at Kurasini area in Dar es Salaam, saying the complex is not intended to benefit local traders. They have therefore urged the government to stop the construction of the project, claiming that it does not specifically focus on benefiting natives but Chinese traders. Billed to be the largest in East and Central Africa and to serve as a common entry point for China imports, the centre will be run under a public private partnership arrangement with the government of China represented by Yiwu Pan-Africa International Investment Corporation and that of Tanzania by the Export Processing Zone Authority.
Tanzania, Chinese, Zambian firms win deals in 11 projects in Blantyre (IPPMedia)
Tanzania: IMF Executive Board completes second PSI Review (IMF)
Angola: Visit by François Hollande results in orders for French companies (MacauHub)
The visit by the President of France, François Hollande, to Angola resulted in the signing of letters of intent to order hundreds of millions of euros of shipbuilding and infrastructure construction from French companies. These agreements were reached during the Angola/France business forum.
Assessment of economic benefits generated by the EU Trade Regimes towards developing countries
The study demonstrates that EU trade policy has had a positive impact in terms of policy coherence for development. Using advanced econometric techniques and large databases the study also leaves no doubt that trade preferences – such as the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) initiative – granted by the EU have significantly increased the exports and the economic diversification of developing countries and in particular of the Least Developed Countries. Another interesting result from the study is that the full impact of preferences on exports has arisen within two years after the preferences were granted. Finally, the study also indicates that in part these exports had a measurable positive effect on poverty reduction. [Download: Vol I, Vol II]
Underway at the WTO: European Union Trade Policy Review
India: Government looks to rework FTA strategy (Times of India)
The government is set to rework the way it does free trade agreements (FTAs), moving to a more liberal regime on routing of third-country goods, as it revives its push for bilateral deals to corner a greater share of the export market. But a revamped strategy is seen to be crucial as the government is ready for the next wave of trade agreements — from Australia to RCEP on the east, and the European Union and Peru on the West.
Policy coherence of the Sustainable Development Goals: a natural resource perspective (UNEP)
As the world prepares to adopt a new set of Sustainable Development Goals, UNEP's International Resource Panel cautions that unless prudent natural resources management becomes an integral part of policy packages, the SDGs will not fulfill their fundamental purpose - of ending extreme poverty by 2030 and addressing all aspects of sustainable development.
Lessons from Millennium Development Goals ‘springboard’ for future UN agenda – Ban (UN News Centre)
This is according to the final assessment of the MDGs, which range from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015. Data and analysis prove that even the poorest countries can make dramatic and unprecedented progress with targeted interventions, sound strategies, adequate resources and political will, says the report, which reflects the global and regional progress of the eight MDGs over the past 15 years that has been monitored and analyzed annually by data compiled by more than 28 UN and international agencies. [Download]
Wanted: Chief Executive Officer for the AFRICA50 Infrastructure Fund (AfDB)
Why developing countries need to toughen up on taxes (The Guardian)
Interview with Ben Kiregyera on the Data Revolution (Paris21)
BRICS could sign economic cooperation in 5 years – minister (RT)
South Africa: State, private sector can forge industrialists together (Business Day)
Zimbabwe considers bid for KP chair (The Herald)
South Africa-Benin: signing of MoU on transport matters and development of Glo-Djigbe (GCIS)
South Africa: Critics of travel laws are circling the truth (Business Day)
America just chose a talented, qualified diplomat to bring hope to war-torn Congo Basin (Huffington Post)
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This post has been sourced on behalf of tralac and disseminated to enhance trade policy knowledge and debate. It is distributed to over 300 recipients across Africa and internationally, serving in the AU, RECS, national government trade departments and research and development agencies. Your feedback is most welcome. Any suggestions that our recipients might have of items for inclusion are most welcome. Richard Humphries (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Twitter: @richardhumphri1)
