News
tralac’s Daily News Selection
The selection: Monday, 12 September 2016
Today is UN Day for South-South Cooperation: Will the world’s largest single market transform Africa fortunes?
Opening today, in Beijing: the 39th ISO General Assembly
China has made remarkable progress in international standardization in recent years. China led in the formulation of 182 international standards between 2001 and 2015. The figure was 13 between 1947, when the ISO was founded, and 2000, Zhang Xiaogang, president of International Organization for Standardization said. Despite this progress, China still lags far behind developed countries in international standardization. Around 95% of international standards are made led by Western countries, he said. Only 0.7% of international standards were led by China, and these standards are mainly limited to industries in which China enjoys traditional advantages, such as fireworks, he said. [ISO Week www]
More harmony needed in ASEAN food standards (East Asia Forum)
The food sector has the potential to benefit greatly in the new ASEAN Economic Community. But because food products attract higher levels of regulation, which often varies between member countries, a significant number of non-tariff measures remain. Such regulatory heterogeneity creates challenges for increasing food trade, harmonising standards and ultimately creating an integrated ASEAN single market. For trade purposes, ASEAN members have begun to recognise the desirability of a common set of regional regulations for food companies to adhere to, instead of adjusting to a diverse array of national standards.
Opening today, in Washington: the Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series
The theme of this year’s Constituency for Africa series is: Setting the US–Africa Agenda for the Next Administration. For the first three days (12-14 Sept) we will convene roundtables on a range of critical issues that we expect to be part of the agenda of the next US administration. We will review the work of the Obama Administration, as well as challenges and opportunities going forward. On Thursday, CFA will convene a senior-level, bipartisan US-Africa Policy Forum to hear the outcome of the various roundtables, and to debate and agree on specific recommendations that CFA will make to the next US administration.
Today, in Stockholm: Migration within and from Africa seminar
More than 31 million Africans have moved to countries other than their birthplace. How can this migratory trend best be described and managed? This question is addressed in a study by Prof Aderanti Adepoju, one of Africa’s leading migration scholars, and Chief Executive of the Human Resources Development Centre in Lagos. The study will be discussed by a distinguished panel: the panel will address how the EU can assist African countries to find long-term solutions for cross-border mobility. For instance, how can the EU support regional migration governance structures in Africa? [The report is available for download] [Blog: EU should focus more on regional governance in Africa]
AU reforms ‘major tool for new funding model success’ (New Times)
The success of a new funding model for the African Union based on collecting taxes on imports and transferring the money to the body’s coffers will depend on whether the organisation will be reformed to bring about its ability to implement the decision, a prominent analyst on the AU affairs has said. In an exclusive interview with The New Times in Kigali last week, Dr Mehari Taddele Maru, assistant professor of Law and Governance at Addis Ababa University and member of the AU High Level Advisory Group, said reforms at the 50-year-old institution are closely tied to its success in collecting contributions from member states under the new funding model. [Ibrahim Mayaki: To fast track regional integration, let’s involve African Presidents!]
China’s BRICS trade pact idea finds no takers (The Hindu)
India and three others in the BRICS bloc - Brazil, Russia and South Africa - have cold-shouldered China’s attempt to bring to the negotiating table a proposal for a Free Trade Agreement between the five major emerging economies. While Beijing’s proposal for a ‘BRICS FTA’ is aimed at boosting trade ties in the grouping through binding commitments on eliminating tariffs, BRICS members barring China are not keen on such a pact. Their apprehensions about the plan include the fear that it could lead to a surge in imports of Chinese goods into their territory — in turn, hurting local manufacturing. The development comes amid hectic preparations for the BRICS Trade Ministers Meeting on 13 October 13 ahead of the BRICS summit on 15-16 October. [Services, trade-barriers to figure in BRICS Trade Ministers meet]
China and World Bank form firm to fund Africa projects (Business Daily)
China and the World Bank have formed an infrastructure firm with an initial Sh50bn ($500m) investment to help fund projects in Africa. Its shareholding comprises China Development Bank, China-Africa Development Fund and China Gezhouba Group Overseas Investments. Others are China Telecom Global Limited Changjiang Survey, Planning, Design and Research, China ENFI Engineering Corporation and HCIG Energy Investment. It expects to rope in more partners next year. Its deputy boss, Nicholas Mitsos, said they want to show that Chinese and entities from the West can team up to underwrite and construct essential public infrastructure in the developing world. [Is global finance adapting to the renminbi? (East Asia Forum)]
Kenya: Parliamentary memorandum on the EPA agreement between EAC partner states and the EU (GoK)
Kenya and Rwanda signed the EPA on 1 September 2016. However, Kenya has to sign and ratify the EPA and inform the EU of its decision by 30th September 2016 to avoid losing its duty-free, quota-free market access to the EU. Pursuant to section 8 of the Treaty Making and Ratification Act, 2012, the National Assembly shall consider the Treaty, ensuring public participation, and may approve the ratification of the Treaty with or without reservations. To meet this deadline, the Speaker of the National Assembly has appointed Tuesday, 20 September, as a day for a special sitting of the House to consider the proposal to approve the ratification of the Agreement. [The 11 page memorandum can be downloaded] [Tanzania to lose Sh1.7 trillion through EPA - Zitto]
The Esibayeni Declaration (Southern Africa Business Forum)
In Swaziland on August 24 2016, SABF convened for its second annual meeting in the context of the SADC Industrialization Week which took place from 23-26 August 2016. The aim was to place these proposals on trade, investment, industrial development and infrastructure in relation to each other and to identify catalytic actions that could drive progress across the board. Four common messages emerged in these discussions:
SADC: youth innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership assessment EOI
The overall objective of the assignment is to conduct an assessment and analysis to establish the situation of the participation and empowerment of youth (aged between 15 and 35 years) as innovators, leaders of business and social enterprises and stakeholders in the priority sectoral areas of the Revised SADC RISDP 2015 – 2020 and the Industrialisation Strategy and Road Map 2015-2063. Specifically, the assignment seeks to:
Zimbabwe: The domestic and external implications of Zimbabwe’s economic reform and re-engagement agenda (Chatham House)
A deepened crisis in Zimbabwe is a risk that Southern Africa cannot sustain, and regional interdependence makes contagion unavoidable. The West is well aware that further economic collapse in Zimbabwe is liable to put further stress on neighbours such as South Africa and Mozambique that are already overburdened with poor economic performance, unpredictable politics and drought. It is time for fresh thinking on ‘least-worst’ options, and on how to incentivize pro-poor change in Zimbabwe that is not predicated solely on economic collapse or narrowly focused on the ageing President Mugabe and his state of health. [Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review Statement (pdf, MoF)]
In tiny Lesotho, evidence of US trade deal’s success, and its limits (Christian Science Monitor)
“If you look at the economic effects of AGOA, they are easily traced and dramatic, but there are also real changes happening in our social dynamics as well,” says Lehlohonolo Chefa, executive director of the Policy Analysis and Research Institute of Lesotho. “We see, for instance, that AGOA has empowered women by giving them economic freedom and the ability to make financial decisions for their families. This is a basic thing, but it means a lot.” But Lesotho’s case also illustrates how fragile and precarious Africa’s industrial strides under AGOA have been. A decade and a half into the trade deal, Lesotho’s garment industry remains entirely foreign owned – much of it by highly mobile Taiwanese investors – and heavily dependent on its preferential trade position for survival.
Chirundu one-stop border post fostering development (Zambia Daily Mail)
“This year, we decided to commemorate SADC Day here in Chirundu by focusing on the role and importance of the OSBP and other facilities in boosting trade and other economic activities not only between Zambia and Zimbabwe, but SADC as a whole. It is government’s expectation that the media tour undertaken here will result in wider visibility of the strategic cooperation in the SADC region,” Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Godfrey Malama says. Cross Border Trader Association secretary Lason Sichulu says the introduction of the OSBP has minimised smuggling to a great extent.
Egyptian firm looks for buyers for 85% stake in Rift Valley Railways (Daily Nation)
Barely two years after Kenyan equity firm TransCentury exited the Kenya-Uganda railway concessionaire Rift Valley Railways, the firm is again on the verge of a major change in shareholding, with reports indicating that Egyptian majority shareholder Qalaa Holdings is looking for buyers. Qalaa is talking to several suitors with a view of selling either part or its entire 85% stake in the concession that still has 17 years to go. Although officials at RVR refused to comment on the reports, sources familiar with the developments say there have been exploratory talks with firms from the US, Russia and South Africa.
Ghana: Port of Tema upgrade (IFC)
If you’re eating a chocolate bar in Malaysia, Belgium, or the United States, odds are the cocoa bean flavoring was harvested in Ghana. Cocoa is one of Ghana’s top exports. Its globe-spanning journey typically starts at the country’s main seaport: the Port of Tema, 30kms east of Accra. The port is about to get a lot bigger and more efficient thanks to an over $1bn project to build and operate a new container terminal. IFC is supporting the expansion by leading a $667m financing package. The project is a joint venture between the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority, APM Terminals, and Bolloré Transport & Logistics. By increasing the revenues of Ghana’s import and export companies, the boost in trade is expected to lead to as much as a $1.1bn rise in value added to the Ghanaian economy and as many as 450,000 new jobs. [Nigeria: Govt seeks collaboration among African ports, Opportunities and constraints for East African ports]
Kenya: New fisheries law will enable tapping of Kenya’s massive marine resources (Business Daily)
The assenting to the Fisheries Management and Development Act, 2015 by President Uhuru Kenyatta marks the country’s long journey to tap into the massive marine resources that have been unde-utilised for years. The fisheries sector has been faced with several challenges including a weak policy framework, limited access to markets, low productivity (yields) and outputs (quantities), weak institutional capacity, weak monitoring and evaluation and lack of use of informational technology, which have limited the sector’s contribution to food security and wealth creation.
World Development Report 2017: an invitation to comment on the ‘Green Cover’ draft (World Bank)
The World Development Report 2017 seeks to shed light on how a better understanding of governance can bring about more effective policy interventions to achieve sustainable improvements in development outcomes. The Report makes three main arguments. For this purpose, the team is sharing a “Green Cover" of the Report for public consultation. The WDR 2017 goes through 4 stages of drafting and reviews, traditionally referred to by different colours. The “Green Cover" refers to the third stage of this drafting process. The draft will be available in WDR 2017 site until Friday, 16 September.
Promoting agriculture, climate and trade linkages in the EAC – Phase 2: CUTS International, SEATINI workshop documentation
The revenue implication of trade liberalisation in Sub-Saharan Africa: some new evidence (pdf, Lanre Kassim, University of Kent)
Tete Province to have a 4500 hectare, $770m, duty free industrial zone
ITC’s SheTrades Initiative launched in Nigeria
Flower farms targeted by Ethiopia anti-government protesters
Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam talks put off
China exports Sh2bn cement to Kenya in first half of year
Can China help Mozambique fight deforestation?
tralac’s Daily News archive
Catch up on tralac’s daily news selections by following this link ».
SUBSCRIBE
To receive the link to tralac’s Daily News Selection via email, click here to subscribe.
This post has been sourced on behalf of tralac and disseminated to enhance trade policy knowledge and debate. It is distributed to over 350 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.
