News
tralac’s Daily News selection: 1 July 2015
This paper seeks to provide some insights on the failure of national policies and regulations to support regional integration efforts in Africa. It presents a general analysis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) market integration experience with respect to select national policies and regulatory frameworks of member states. The selected areas relate to national trade, industrial, agricultural, competition, and labour policies. The paper concludes that most of these policies are underpinned by restrictive measures arising from inadequate implementation of the adopted protocols and policy frameworks at national levels, thereby hindering progress on regional integration in SADC.
Effective mechanisms for strategy development, planning, and especially for monitoring and evaluation of protocols and other core policies, are urgently required in SADC. Such mechanisms need to be underpinned by a rules-based institutional framework that enhances compliance by member states. The current institutional mechanisms remain inadequate to foster greater policy and regulatory convergence among member states. [Download]
New Trade Briefs from tralac (all written by Gerhard Erasmus):
The new Principles for Negotiating the Continental FTA
Implications of the Tripartite FTA for SADC and its Member States
The Implications of the Tripartite FTA for SACU
SADC countries to petition SA over new visa regulations (263chat)
Countries in the SADC region will be forced to petition South African government over its new visa regulations, which require children under the age of 18 to produce an Unabridged Birth Certificate at all ports of entry, a senior Government official said. Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi said the new system will pose myriad of problems to the region’s tourism since South Africa is the main port of entry for travellers. “ We feel aggrieved by the South African Passport Documentation Act which compels countries that are visa free and South Africans themselves to produce unabridged birth certificates.”
Mozambique: Government relentless on illegal employment of foreigners (Club of Mozambique)
37th Plenary Assembly of the SADC-PF
The South African Parliament will host the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) in Durban from 6 – 12 July 2015. Migration and development; Free movement of people: towards regional integration; and diaspora engagement, are amongst the topics to be discussed at the 37th Plenary Assembly of the SADC-PF 2015. [Download]
SADC water ministers to converge in Zimbabwe for annual meeting (StarAfrica)
Ministers responsible for water from the 15-member Southern African Development Community will meet on Friday in Harare to review progress on the implementation of the third phase of the Regional Strategic Action Plan on Integrated Water Resources Management and Development (RSAP III) 2011-2015. The ministers would further provide strategic and political guidance on the fourth phase of the SADC Water Programme (RSAP IV) which is under development. The SADC water minsters meeting would be preceded by meetings of senior officials in the water sector and the Zambezi Watercourse Commission Council of Ministers, which would be held on Thursday.
This note discusses how strengthening subregional, regional and interregional dialogue and cooperation can contribute to the economic integration and development of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Approaches that work best to boost productive capacities in a framework of regional integration need to be analysed and discussed, and this note attempts to distil key policy lessons for development-oriented regional integration and identify important gaps in the understanding of these issues.
Fifth Global Review of Aid for Trade: update
As part of the Fifth Global Review, the WTO and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) launched a new joint report highlighting the importance for developing countries and LDCs in reducing trade costs in order to benefit from the market opportunities the multilateral trading system creates. The report contends that cumbersome and time-consuming border procedures, obsolete or ill-adapted infrastructure, limited access to trade finance, and the complexity and cost of meeting an ever broader array of standards “all serve to price too many countries out of international trade”.
The WTO/OECD report notes that donors have already disbursed some USD 1.9 billion in aid for trade facilitation since 2005. Annual commitments now stand at USD 668 million, an eight-fold increase in donor support since 2005, with many donors indicating they intend to increase their support over the next five years.
Aid for Trade at a Glance 2015: reducing trade costs for inclusive, sustainable growth [Country profiles, Pocket edition]
Investing in Africa Forum: update (World Bank)
To boost responsible investment on the continent, the government of Ethiopia, China Development Bank, the World Bank Group, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization have joined forces to host the “Investing in Africa Forum,” in Addis Ababa on June 30 and July 1. Policy makers, development partners, and foreign and local private investors will discuss what it will take to make Africa the next great investment destination. The bottom line? It will take partnerships between governments and the private sector, between African countries and their neighbours, between Africa and non-neighbour countries, and between Africa and its development partners. Africa has a unique opportunity to attract strategic, job-creating investment. The time for action is now.
2015 Global Sustainable Development Report (United Nations)
The report provides a survey of scientific findings that includes oceans and livelihoods, natural disasters, industrialization, sustainable consumption and production, and use of “big data” in Africa. [Download]
High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: update, resources (UN)
Addressing fragility and building resilience in Africa: AfDB group strategy 2014–2019 (AfDB)
South Africa: May 2015 merchandise trade statistics (SARS)
The R4.99bn surplus for May 2015 is due to exports of R88.94bn and imports of R83.95bn. Exports increased from April 2015 to May 2015 by R3.94bn (4.6%) and imports decreased from April 2015 to May 2015 by R2.49bn (2.9%). The cumulative deficit for 2015 is R29.85bn compared to R46.95bn in 2014. Africa: a trade surplus of R16 786 million (a 2.9% decrease from April). BLNS only: a trade surplus of R9.10 billion. [Download]
Tanzania: Growers of pulses for export to India cautioned on standards (IPPMedia)
The Indian market is looking forward to import 4 million metric tonnes of pulses from Tanzania, Malawi and Kenya to meet its consumption needs, he said, noting that it’s high time the farmers from these countries used this opportunity to penetrate the market. To meet the existing Indian demand of 4 million tonnes of pulses, EAGC will work with farmers’ organizations’ stakeholders to spread the benefit of Supporting Indian Trade and Investment for Africa” (SITA ) project to a large number of small-scale farmers in the country, he said.
Climate change impacts on African crop production (CGIAR)
The SBSTA crops paper, produced in collaboration between CIAT and ILRI scientists, shows that, under our current emissions trajectory (RCP8.5, where global warming by the end of the 21st century is between 6-8 ºC), common bean, maize, banana and finger millet are projected to reduce their suitable areas significantly (30-50%) across the continent, and will need some kind of adaptation plan, or be replaced with other crops. On the other hand, sorghum, cassava, yam, and pearl millet show either little area loss or even gains in suitable areas.
Kenya: Local importers face higher levies under EAC customs rules (Business Daily)
The recent haggling among the East African finance ministers has left Kenyan consumers facing another wave of price increases as Customs taxes rise on a number of commonly imported items. Farmers will from today pay 25 per cent duty to import aluminium milk cans instead of the 10 per cent levied on their peers in the region, an East African Gazette notice shows. The notice dated June 19 indicates farmers will also pay 25 per cent tariff on made-up fishing nets instead of 10 per cent being applied at the moment. Manufacturers will also have to ship in paper and paperboard products at 25 per cent customs duty instead of 10 per cent throughout the next fiscal year.
Kenya: Second-hand clothes importers face harsh penalties (Business Daily)
Silvester M Kututa: 'Through maritime cluster model, our ports can become the new Singapores of Africa' (Business Daily)
Kampala meeting charts regional telecoms future (Daily Nation)
NGOs, individuals may be allowed to open cases at Arusha's African Court (IPPMedia)
The East African Community partner states have been challenged to make a declaration to allow non-governmental organisations and individuals to bring cases before the Arusha-based African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR). Addressing about 30-member delegation of the Kenya’s International Peace Keeping Training Centre (IPSTC) and the National Steering Committee (NSC) yesterday, the AfCHPR’s President Justice Augustino Ramadhani said that the African Court was based in East Africa and East African countries should take a lead in ratifying and making a declaration to allow individuals, NGOs and other entities to bring cases directly to the Court.
Towards the Africa Mining Vision: Lesotho launches new legislative framework for the mining sector (UNECA)
Clare Short/Jonas Moberg respond to Paul Collier's statements at NRGI conference (EITI)
AU Commission Chairperson commends re-authorizing the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AU)
Kenya: Small scale irrigation and valued addition project - ESIA summary (AfDB)
Joint communique by President Barack Obama and President Dilma Rousseff (The White House)
US-Brazil statement on climate change (The White House)
China, Brazil launch $20bn fund to support production capacity cooperation (ecns)
New Zealand govt rejects TPP "China containment": trade minister (Xinhua)
