News
tralac’s Daily News selection: 3 July 2015
The selection: Friday, 3 July
Today, in Addis: The future of disaster risk reduction and resilience in Africa (Common Africa Platform)
In order to obtain empirical data, the ECA commissioned four country studies in Zambia, Tanzania, the DRC and South Africa. These countries were selected because of the significant importance of the mineral sector to their respective economies as well as the diverse tax challenges that they face. These sample countries also allow for wider coverage of different mineral types. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a diversified mineral producer with copper, gold, diamonds and coltan while Tanzania and Zambia are principally gold and copper producing countries respectively. A further consideration was given to the fact that there exists a considerable body of literature on these countries to allow for both in-depth analysis and comparative inquiry. The Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting will take place on 6-7 July 2015 in Addis Ababa. [Download]
Profiled audio recordings from the Global Review of Aid for Trade:
The role of trade facilitation in supporting Africa's regional integration agenda
Mombasa: one port, 200 million people
Looking ahead to the Nairobi Ministerial Conference
Closing remarks by WTO Director-General, Roberto Azevêdo
Kenya/Seychelles: WB update says 10 countries move up in income bracket (World Bank)
The World Bank’s latest estimates of Gross National Income per capita (GNI) continue to show improved economic performance in many low-income countries, with Bangladesh, Kenya, Myanmar, and Tajikistan now becoming lower-middle income countries, joining those with annual incomes of $1,046 to $4,125. Beset by civil war and a national oil industry at a standstill, South Sudan has fallen out of the lower middle-income classification and back into low-income status, where average per capita incomes are $1,045 or less. In 1990, Malawi’s GNI per capita was $180 – in 24 years its average per-capita income has increased by just $70. In the same period Norway, one of the world’s wealthiest countries, has seen its per capita income increase from $26,010 to $103,050, an increase of $77,040.
Building resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa’s fragile states (IMF)
An approach focusing on inclusive politics, effective governance, and fiscal health seems to offer a viable route to overcome fragility in sub-Saharan Africa, an IMF staff report said. The report, “Building Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa’s Fragile States,” was released July 1 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. The report highlights the persistence of fragility and documents progress across countries since the 1990s, including through detailed analysis of seven country case studies.
The report covers the period 1990-2013. The case study countries are Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. The report adds that Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda made substantial progress in building resilience; it cites Cote d’Ivoire, Malawi, and Zimbabwe as countries that had regressed. [Download]
SSA trade and gender analysis training (UNCTAD)
Twenty-five researchers from 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have taken part in an UNCTAD regional workshop on trade and gender analysis. The event was hosted by the North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa, on 15-19 June, and funded by the Government of Finland. The second volume of the UNCTAD teaching manual on trade and gender, "Empirical analysis of the trade and gender links" was the basis for the activities.
UNCTAD analysis: 'Trade in the Post-2015 Development Agenda' (Chapter 9 of the OECD/ WTO publication, Aid for Trade at a Glance 2015)
Fin4Dev: a new shared platform (World Bank)
This new blog platform - Fin4Dev - aims to spark conversations and build a better understanding about how the world can and is coming together to provide the resources for the sustainable development we need. (Fin4Dev will be complementary to the UN-sponsored FFD3 blog that’s been running since early May and we will be cross-pollinating our content for maximum impact). Our ambition is to show how the multilateral model brings together government, private sector and civil society to achieve results and transform lives.
Ravi Kanbur: Africa should invest in people, not industries (video, World Bank)
The current African commodity/resource booms raise the question of how to appropriately use the revenues gained. Professor Ravi Kanbur of Cornell University talks to the distributional dilemmas and the best way forward for these growing countries to achieve transformation. He argues that African countries should generate sustainable growth by investing in infrastructure and human capacity building and not in the light manufacturing industrial policies that have worked so well in East and South Asia.
Africa’s transformation: leveraging partnership with Korea (World Bank)
Building African skills in applied sciences, engineering, technology (World Bank)
African governments invest in skills in sciences, engineering, and technology (World Bank)
Namibia: Government welcomes new AGOA trade agreement (The Namibian)
In an interview with Nampa this week, director of international trade in the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and Small and Medium Enterprise Development Benjamin Katjipuka said Namibia is currently not trading with the USA under AGOA, but he commended the USA's strong commitment to enhancing the Africa-US economic partnership. “Although we do not benefit much from AGOA, Namibia welcomes the new version of AGOA. We have been calling for a reauthorisation of 15 years, but still, the 10 years reauthorisation is a welcome development,” said Katjipuka.
In Namibia, he said, AGOA's benefits have not been fully utilised due to a number of challenges, in particular the closure of the Ramatex garment and textile factory in 2005, which left 600 people unemployed. Ramatex turned cotton into textile to export it to the US under AGOA. He said Namibia is currently trading with the US, but under the Most Favoured Nations (MFN) agreement. Namibian exports to the US mainly comprise uranium ore and concentrate; non-industrial diamonds; as well as refined copper and fish products. “None of these products is eligible under AGOA. We trade in those products with the US, but under MFN,” Katjipuka said.
Namibia: Livestock industry none the wiser after SA meeting (New Era)
Namibia’s multibillion livestock export industry to South Africa is still holding its breath after a high-powered delegation from South Africa’s agricultural ministry met with their counterparts of Namibia behind closed doors on Monday and on Tuesday this week. The fresh round of talks follows after a recent notice in the SA Government Gazette, which introduced a consultation process about the re-introduction of strict animal health regulations for imports from South Africa. Namibia has objected to this on the highest level after such drastic requirements was implemented overnight by South Africa, bringing the Namibian export industry worth some N$2.4 billion per annum to its knees in 2014.
Uganda: Absorption of Budget funds increases to 50 per cent (Daily Monitor)
Speaking at a joint news conference between ministry of Finance and Bank of Uganda on Tuesday at ministry of Finance headquarters, the Deputy Secretary to Treasury, Mr Patrick Ocailap, said over the last one year, there has been improvement in the absorption capacity in ministries leading to implementation of projects. “The level of absorption capacity in ministries, agencies and departments now stands at 50 per cent compared to an average of 23 per cent in the past years,” he said.
Rwanda: Govt launches business friendly investment code (New Times)
Rwanda Development Board has unveiled a new investment code that elucidates potential investment opportunities in the country as well as the key areas the government is marketing to investors. The new code aims bring in $1.12 billion worth of foreign direct investments (FDIs) by the end of the year. Figures from RDB put the country’s actual FDIs at $257 million in 2013 and $521 million projected investments in 2014.
Zimbabwe: Zimra lobbies for retail taxes to be reduced (The Herald)
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has recommended Government to reduce taxes for retailers as the influx of illegal vendors in cities and towns is threatening their survival. Zimra commissioner general Mr Gershem Pasi said this was in light of challenges that many retailers were facing as they have to contend with vendors who sell their wares on pavements in front of their shops. Retailers argue that the vendors are crippling their operations as they often sell similar goods to theirs at lower prices, disadvantaging them as they have to pay rent and taxes. Mr Pasi said the influx of vendors had also contributed to the high rate of tax evasion. Zimra is owed over $1 billion in unpaid taxes, a situation blamed on the current economic challenges.
Zimbabwe: Fresh vegetables exports to EU up 269pc (The Herald)
New ports and container terminals make Kenya the region’s trading hub (Business Daily)
Currently, the Mombasa port on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline has 19 functional berths with a capacity to handle over one million TEUs and two new container berths with a 1.2 million TEUs capacity. Over the past few years, the container traffic has been growing at an average rate of 11 per cent per annum. [The author, Gilbert Langat is CEO, East African Shippers Council]
Mombasa port strike hurts trade in East Africa (The EastAfrican)
US-SADC exchange on good regulatory practices in Southern Africa (US Department of Agriculture)
Rwanda, Kenya private sector bodies to strengthen ties (New Times)
Kenya scraps manual visa application to ease travel (Daily Nation)
Minister Malusi Gigaba on meeting on immigration regulations with Child Advocacy Groups (GCIS)
Adequate, targeted financing key to people-centred sustainable development – UN official (UN News Centre)
China’s foreign aid reform and implications for Africa (Brookings)
China Economic Update (World Bank)
This week in the news
Follow the links below to read tralac’s daily news selections for the past week:
The selection: Thursday, 2 July 2015
The selection: Wednesday, 1 July 2015
The selection: Tuesday, 30 June 2015
The selection: Monday, 29 June 2015
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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)
