The selection: Wednesday, 20 May

ICGLR Heads of State and Government: statement

ECOWAS Council of Ministers: statement

African Union: popular version of Agenda 2063  

SACU: 2013/14 challenging and important year (Namibian Economist)

Launching the latest Southern African Customs Union Annual Report, its Executive Director, Paulina Elago remarked that the customs union had survived the most challenging year in its 105 year long history. She said, “Key global and regional developments have had a profound impact on the manner in which the Customs Union and in particular, its Membership approached the continued implementation of the SACU Work Programme.” [Download 2014 report]

Continental Free Trade Area: UNCTAD's suggestions

UNCTAD participated in a dedicated meeting of AU Trade Experts in Addis Ababa from 8 to 10 May 2015 to consider the objectives and principles for CFTA negotiations, and the associated roadmap and schedule for the setting up of the CFTA. UNCTAD presented a summary of the main policy suggestions on the scope, objectives and principles of the CFTA as well as institutional supportive arrangements that emerged, inter alia, from four studies commissioned on intra-African trade in goods, services, agricultural value chains and institutional arrangements, as inputs from AUC and ECA. Five main suggestions on the way forward:

Inhofe, Coons introduce African Free Trade Initiative Act (Edmund Sun)

US Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) today introduced the African Free Trade Initiative Act, which would require the president to establish a plan to negotiate and enter into Free Trade Agreements in sub-Saharan Africa and would require the United States Trade Representative, the Millennium Challenge Corporation and USAID to coordinate and collaborate together on how to implement the goals established in the Free Trade Agreement plan. The legislation was also introduced as an amendment to the Trade Promotion Authority legislation currently being

Ben Leo: 'It’s time to push for reciprocal US-Africa trade and investment agreements' (CGD)

The United States does not have a single FTA in Sub-Saharan Africa. Existing BITs cover a mere 7 percent of regional GDP, including only one of the ten largest economies. And while Washington has pursued ineffectual, non-binding trade and investment framework agreements, Beijing, Ottawa, New Delhi, and others have been inking deals all across the continent. It’s sorely time to move more strategically toward mature economic relationships with several African countries. This is why the Inhofe-Coons amendment could be so helpful. It would apply pressure on the White House and USTR to develop a clear plan of action and to assess individual countries’ readiness. Yet, it also would provide the executive branch with sufficient flexibility to pursue sensible negotiating strategies.

Trade Hub collaborates with SADC Secretariat on development of investor roadmaps  

The SADC Secretariat, in cooperation with the OECD and the EU through the Regional Economic Integration Support (REIS) Programme, has been working for the last two years to develop a SADC Investment Policy Framework using the OECD Policy Framework for Investment. In order to complement the ongoing efforts and activities of the REIS Programme and the overall SADC IPF initiative, the SADC Secretariat requested support from the Southern Africa Trade Hub to develop “Investor Roadmaps” for SADC Member States that had not previously gone through an investor road map exercise.

Corruption and conflict in SADC countries: views of SA business (Stellenbosch Business School)

The Centre for Corporate Governance in Africa at the University of Stellenbosch Business School has released its Ethics and Compliance Risk Survey 2014. The survey covers ethical and compliance risks faced by South African companies with operations in SADC. The research is based on responses received from 26 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Most of the respondents were company secretaries, compliance officers or risk managers. [Download]   

Botswana:  De Beers accused of breaking beneficiation promises (Mmegi)

According to analysts that claim to have intimate knowledge of the ten-year 2010 agreement, the diamond manufacturers’ plight might be lessened if De Beers keeps its promise of supplying local companies with ‘suitable’ stones that are profitable to cut under Botswana’s high cost operating environment. In the better quality ranges, Botswana’s labour costs are competitive with other centres and below some of the other southern African countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s top cotton company seeks rescue partner (Bloomberg) 

Cottco Holdings Ltd., sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest cotton company, said it’s seeking a partner to help it with funding after talks with the China-Africa Development Fund collapsed and as it renegotiates debt payments with lenders. “The business was looking for a partner to work with in its efforts to grow the crop volumes,” Collins Chihuri, Cottco’s managing director said in an interview on May 15 in Gokwe, 227 kilometers (141 miles) southwest of the capital Harare.“The negotiations did not go through for now, but the business will continue to look out for opportunities.” He declined to say why talks failed.

KRA sets up cross-border monitoring unit (Business Daily)

The taxman has set up a unit to monitor cross-border transactions of multinational firms in Kenya, further tightening the noose on non-compliant companies. The Kenya Revenue Authority on Tuesday said the government is also in the process of making laws that would effect agreements already signed with over 85 new tax jurisdictions to facilitate exchange of information on multinational firms. The organisation has also joined the Global Forum, the premier international body for ensuring the implementation of the internationally agreed standards of transparency and exchange of information.

Foreign products constitute 80% of counterfeits in African market, say SON, ARSO (ThisDay)

The Director General, SON and President of ARSO, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, made this known during the stakeholders launch to announce a three-day expo for Chief Executive Officers of all African National Standards Bodies slated to be held next month in Abuja. “We believe that the present membership of ARSO, which is 34 countries today, may not serve the purpose the Heads of States have set for us as a target. It is imperative that we must bring all African countries under the umbrella of the ARSO so that in 2017, when the CFTA starts, we will be on the same page and raise the volume of intra-Africa trade from the current 5 per cent to 30 per cent yearly, moving forward,” he said.

Tanzania: Tax breaks cost nation billions every year (IPPMedia)

Tanzania loses billions of shillings every year in unwarranted tax exemptions to foreign companies, Controller and Auditor General Prof Mussa Juma Assad told the National Assembly yesterday. Tabling the CAG’s report for financial year 2013/14 in the House, he pointed out that while the government failed to fund various development projects in the last financial year, it gave tax breaks of a whopping 22.33bn/- to two giant miners – Geita Gold Mine and Resolute Tz Ltd.

Thabo Mbeki to present High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa report to PAP (UNECA)

Central Africa’s resolve on free movement is laudable - Carlos Lopes (UNECA)

The UNECA has hailed the decision by leaders of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community to lift visa-based restrictions on free movement of citizens of member States across the Community with immediate effect, in compliance with existing agreements.  “The resolve by CEMAC Heads of State, coming just days after a technical committee involving ECA deliberated on pressing sub-regional integration issues, in Yaounde – Cameroon, is an indication that Central Africa’s leaders are fully committed to the African Union vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent."

Congo Basin countries: Road improvement and deforestation (World Bank)

The paper contributes to several aspects of the literature. First, it provides the most recent and reliable estimates of the drivers of deforestation in the Congo Basin, with the latest high-resolution satellite data on forest cover changes. Second, it presents novel estimates of biodiversity threats by creating an index that combines and synthesizes several measures of biodiversity loss and impacts.

Rwanda: Govt asks Parliament to approve export guarantee fund (New Times)

The Ministry of Trade and Industry is seeking from the Treasury Rwf500 million during the next financial year to initiate a guarantee facility for exporters in the ongoing efforts to reduce the trade imbalance. According to the Minister for Trade and Industry, François Kanimba, setting up an export guarantee facility will help exporters to venture more into trading at foreign markets where they have been shying away from exporting their goods because they would lack the capital needed for initial investments.

Rwanda to set up business support centres in Brazzaville (New Times)

EA traders spoilt for choice as infrastructure upgrade boosts supply chain (Business Daily)

It has since been proved that hinterland can be influenced and changed by technology — such as the Single Window customs clearance, removal of non-tariff barriers and enhancement of physical infrastructure such as roads, rail and even port efficiency.  The speed of change was slow in the past, but with the current ambitious investment in infrastructure by all regional governments, how will the network of refurbished roads, new road network, new standard gauge railway network and new ports influence supply chains?

Plan to raise Dar es Salaam port user charges by over 30% opposed (Business Daily)

Logistics audit system set to boost efficiency  (Business Daily)

Trade ties with Asia, Middle East attract airlines to Uganda (Daily Monitor)

Study claims China is illegally fishing in Africa (New Vision)

Chinese companies have been illegally fishing off the coast of West Africa, environmental campaign group Greenpeace said in a study Wednesday, at times sending incorrect location data suggesting they are as far away as Mexico. The number of Chinese-flagged or Chinese-owned fishing boats operating in Africa has soared in recent decades, from just 13 in 1985 to 462 in 2013, the international advocacy group said.

The trade challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean (World Bank)

The World Bank’s latest flagship report for the region, “Latin America and the Rising South: Changing World, Changing Priorities” provides an in-depth look at these global connections in trade and finance, and a sober assessment of their promise and trials for the region. [Downloads] 

Joakim Reiter: 'Unleashing the power of trade' (UNCTAD)

Conclusions of the WPTGS Chair and Bureau of the WPTGS 2015 meeting (OECD)

Tanzania-Israel extend bilateral ties for better investment links (IPPMedia)

SA banks facing forex fines (Moneyweb)

Africa-Arab Joint Action Plan on agricultural development and food security (African Union)

On the sustainable development goals and the role of Islamic finance  (World Bank)

Founding members of China-led Asian infrastructure bank to meet in Singapore this week (Straits Times) 

Japan set to unveil $133b infrastructure plan for Asia (Asia One)

MEPs subject to fierce lobbying on conflict materials (EUobserver)

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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)