Country focus

Sapa applies for anti-dumping duty against Brazil, four EU countries (Engineering News)

The South African Poultry Association (Sapa) has applied to the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) for anti-dumping duties on chicken imported from Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Poland and Spain.

SA Canegrowers Association calls for decrease to sugar tax (Engineering News)

As Finance Minister Tito Mboweni prepares to deliver his Budget Speech on February 24, industry association the South African Cane Growers Association has called for an immediate decrease to the health promotion levy (HPL) or sugar tax, stating that this will help in the recovery of the local sugar industry and safeguard the one-million livelihoods that depend on it.

Kenya bleeds millions as Uganda goes slow on joint oil jetty plan (The Standard)

Kenya Pipeline Company’s (KPC) Sh2.6 billion Kisumu oil jetty depreciated by Sh150 million in 2019. This was a result of Uganda’s failure to put up a reciprocal facility on Lake Victoria. The depreciation of the jetty has been captured in the State corporation’s annual report to June 2019. Since then, there has been little change, with the facility remaining underutilised.

Kenya Bows to Uganda's Demands in Trade Row (Kenyans.co.ke)

Kenya has ceded to demands made by Uganda in a trade row that had threatened the bilateral relations between the two nations. Uganda had demanded that Kenya allows more of its sugar imports although Nairobi was a little hesitant due to the pressure from local sugar stakeholders who have asked for the industry to be protected. Kampala raised the stakes after they threatened to ban  Kenya's exportation of duty free fruit juices and pharmaceuticals.

Nigeria’s food inflation shows urgency of cross-border trade (The Africa Report)

Nigerian food inflation, now at its highest since 2008, shows that food security is the country’s overriding problem. January’s overall inflation rate of 16.5% was the highest since mid-2017, lifted by food inflation which accelerated to 20.6%.

 

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News from Africa and Africa’s international trade relations

Africa faces a hard choice on the SDGs under COVID-19 (Brookings Institution)

COVID-19 has made it extremely difficult to mobilize the resources needed for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the time left to their target date of 2030. Indeed, as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) reported in July 2020, the current rate of progress on the SDGs in Africa is insufficient to meet the targets. Several other recent reports echo UNECA’s view.

African women's empowerment in the AfCFTA era  (New Business Ethiopia)

The African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), a unit of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), in collaboration with Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), will host a conference on leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost women’s economic empowerment on Tuesday 23 February. The virtual event is aimed at creating a better understanding of the contribution of the private sector to policies that will advance the economic empowerment of women under the trade bloc which commenced business on 1 January this year.

India, Mauritius ink landmark economic cooperation and partnership agreement (Republic World)

India on Monday signed a landmark Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) with Mauritius, the first if its kind with an African nation, making the strategically-located country a launch-pad for business expansion into the huge African continent.

Ministers discuss non-member state accession to ECOWAS treaty (GhanaWeb)

Ministers for Justice and Foreign Affairs from five Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) member states and other officials have deliberated on the accession of third states (non-member states) to the ECOWAS treaty.

Southern Africa: Leveraging EVs for Clean Mobility, Energy Access and Prosperity in SADC (All Africa)

As the world plans for a post COVID-19 economic recovery, an opportunity to invigorate the economies of the region is presented through a policy of electrification of transport. E-mobility could form a key pillar of green industrialisation that facilitates the creation of new supply chains, spanning the region and herald an era of increased energy security via diversity of energy supply

Rwanda-Burundi power project seeks $190m in funding (The New Times)

The Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat has announced that resources mobilization is ongoing to fund Akanyaru Multipurpose Water Resources Development project. The development was announced Monday 22, during a virtual event meant to celebrate the Nile Day

Harmonisation of taxes remains elusive as states stick to own rates (The East African)

East Africa’s grand plan of harmonising domestic taxes to eliminate harmful tax competition and promote the region as a single investment destination faces headwinds as partner states develop cold feet in agreeing on the uniform tax rules and rates for the six-member economic bloc.

Turkey continues to increase its presence in Africa: FM (Hurriyet Daily News)

Given the rise in the number of Ankara's diplomatic missions across Africa, Turkey's foreign minister said on Feb. 22 his country's presence in the continent continues to increase. "The African continent with its 33 Least Developed Countries [LDCs] is in need of solid leadership and support from its developed partners for economic growth, social progress, woman and youth empowerment."

 

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Global Economy

Digitalising trade in the times of coronavirus pandemic (Khmer Times)

Last Saturday marks the entry into force of a new international agreement promoting paperless trade, reminding us, once again, of how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought digital solutions to regional development challenges into the limelight.

New WTO handbook sheds light on the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement (World Trade Organisation)

A new WTO publication, launched on 22 February, provides an overview of the purpose and scope of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement), the types of measures it covers and its key principles.

UNCTAD Paper Cautions Digital Rules on E-commerce Could Negatively Impact Developing Countries | News | SDG Knowledge Hub | IISD (IISD Reporting Services)

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a research paper that shares progress on negotiations on digital rules under the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on electronic commerce.