The selection: Wednesday, 9 September

Featured tweet, @ECA_Lopes: #DYK: over 19m people use M-PESA in Kenya via a network of over 81K agents. That's 43% of the country’s GDP going through the system.

Experts review final drafts of AU Border Management Strategy (PM News)

A panel of experts on Border Management convened in Addis Ababa (3-4 Sept) to finalise the Draft African Union Strategy on Enhanced Border Management. An AU statement said the panel, organised by the AU Border Programme, was composed of experts on trade facilitation, migration, border security and cross-border cooperation from various Member States. The panel reviewed the draft strategy and made recommendations on its implementation, including a roadmap with a concrete action plan. The panel also made recommendations for the ratification of the AU Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation. [Draft African Union Strategy for Enhancing Border Management in Africa, 2012]

COMESA to assist clearing agents’ integrate into regional trade (COMESA)

COMESA has invited Zambian freight forwarding companies to participate in piloting the implementation of the single customs bond in the country in order to understand its implication on regional transit trade. In recent weeks, clearing and forwarding companies in Zambia have lobbied the government against implementing the Regional Customs Transit Guarantee (RCTG) otherwise known as the CARNET on the ground that it will lead to loss of business. The agents contend that the issuance of customs bond will eliminate the need for clearance of transit cargo at the border points where they derive their livelihood. In allaying their fears, Mr Ngwenya said the regional bond provided immense business opportunities to the freight forwarding industry to participate more meaningfully in the regional trade. “At the moment, the clearing and forwarding companies in this country take up only 15% of transit traffic and transit trade,” Mr Ngwenya said. “With the introduction of the RCTG, you have the opportunity to issue the bond for both export and import cargo to all countries participating in the scheme.”

ECOWAS launches Sahel database initiative (ECOWAS)

Experts from the Economic Community of West African States are meeting in Lome, 7-10 September, to strategize on a comprehensive data base initiative for Member States of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria that are within the Sahel belt. The meeting which is to prepare grounds for the launch of a common database for the Sahel is expected to further pave the way for the emergence of the technical conditions for same in an integrated Sahel-Saharan region. The common data base initiative is expected to address the problem of lack of economic information, and data requirements for modeling and orientation decisions which are very important to planning and implementation of intervention within the Member States.

Mapping study on agro processing value chain, Tripartite support plan (AfDB)

The broad objective of the study is to map and analyse the competitiveness challenges in the value chain, explore the scope for value addition and joint investment opportunities in the value chain, and prepare Tripartite Support Plan for value chain development and upgrading. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa now invites eligible consultancy firms to indicate their interest in providing these services.

Nigeria: FG sets up committees to reduce rejection of Nigeria’s non-oil exports (ThisDay)

Following the continuous cases of rejection of Nigeria’s exported products mostly in European countries, the federal government on Tuesday constituted two committees to reduce the level of rejection of non oil products exported from the country. This came as Nigerian exports across the world face intense scrutiny, with attendant rejection of such exports. The committees set up are the Trade Information, Export Procedure and Documentation committee; and the Capacity Building, Quality Standards and Compliance committee. Awolowo stated that the setting up of the committee is geared towards ensuring that Nigeria’s export are embraced given that the country is currently facing the most severe case of rejection of exported goods when compared to other countries within the ECOWAS sub region.

EU denies ban on Nigerian agricultural products (ThisDay)

The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has refuted reports that the EU has banned the import of agricultural products from Nigeria. It however noted that the import suspension measure, which has been misconstrued, affected only dried beans. The EU statement read in part: “The reason for the import suspension measure of dried beans is that since January 2013 more than 50 rejections have been recorded at the EU border in relation to this product originating from Nigeria, nearly all of them reporting the presence of the unauthorised pesticide dichlorvos at levels largely exceeding the acute reference dose tentatively established by the European Food Safety Authority. This represents a rate of rejections of more than 70% of dried beans coming from Nigeria in the last two and a half years."

Destruction of US credibility at WTO (LiveMint)

The tenth ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization, to be held in Nairobi on 15-18 December, is already mired in discord, with negotiators unable to agree on a mandated post-Bali work programme. At issue are US and EU proposals to scrap the texts agreed to thus far in this interminable round of trade negotiations. Yet again, the developed world led by the US and the EU are pitched against developing countries led by India, China and Indonesia, who have over the past two years tried unsuccessfully to move towards the promise—made at the ninth ministerial conference in Bali in 2013—of a permanent solution to the public stock-holding issue in food security, while advancing the stalled Doha development round. [The authors: Timothy A. Wise, Biraj Patnaik]

Sixth African Grain Trade Summit: update (New Times)

Sudan: Five-year agriculture investment plan workship (Sudan Vision)

Kenya: Farmers fault move to empty maize reserves (Daily Nation)

Uganda, Kenya authorities to meet over sugar deal (StarAfrica)

Nigeria: Dwindling oil revenue and the NEXTT Project (Leadership)

Tim Benton, Rob Bailey: 'Extreme weather and food shocks' (New York Times)

European Union bans Mozambique goat meat (Club of Mozambique)

Kenya's private sector new consortium eyes big tenders (The Standard)

Kenya’s private sector has formed a consortium in a move to tap into billions of shillings worth of investment opportunities arising from the Northern Corridor Integration Projects. There are currently 16 mega projects identified under NCIP, top among them the Standard Gauge Railway, Lamu port, South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor, oil refinery and pipeline infrastructure. “To enable the private sector fully participate in the investment opportunities available under NCIP, Kepsa has established an NCIP Consortium,” reads a statement released yesterday by the private sector lobby group. The new consortium is expected to pool private sector human and financial resources to enable local manufacturers and suppliers to compete with Chinese contractors and get a bigger slice of the region’s development. [Download: KEPSA's call for registration]

Uptake of East Africa’s single tourist visa increases (The Standard)

Since East Africa’s single tourist visa was launched in February last year, 4,000 visas have been issued. This is a month-on-month improvement from an average of 156 visas sold in the 10 months to December last year, to 305 this year.

Study finds Kenya losing ground to tourism rivals (The Standard)

South Africa: Tourism sector continues to decline (Business Day)

South Africa: DTI to fast track plans to address economic challenges (SAnews)

Briefing reporters following the Department of Trade and Industry’s presentation of its 2014/15 report to the Portfolio Committee of Trade and Industry, Minister Davies said that while the department’s programmes have made a positive contribution, this needs to be fast tracked. “Our conclusion is that this requires our programmes to move us up the value chain, the 9 point plan which is a combination of addressing short term constraints that we have in the South African economy and also making longer term adjustments in the structural base of our economy that this programme remains important. What is required is that we move faster to implement,” the Minister said on Tuesday.

ANC wants mining laws changed to ‘prevent resources leaving SA’ (News24)

South Africa's Mining Sector Consultative Forum: concluding remarks by President Zuma (GCIS)

Trade and climate change policy beyond 2015 (UNCTAD)

Many transnational corporations have put in place strategies to reduce the carbon footprints of their global value chains and thereby green such chains, including such companies as ACCIONA, Alcatel-Lucent, International Business Machines and Walmart. The greening of global value chains creates green income and job opportunities in a range of countries situated along the value chain; each country supplies inputs for which it is an internationally competitive producer. This creates opportunities for transnational corporations with global value chains to integrate developing countries into the chains they manage and for developing countries to build regional value chains, such as in agrifood industries. A forthcoming UNCTAD study on prospective regional value chains in the agricultural sector in Africa found that potential for such chains exists for rice, legumes, maize, cotton, palm oil, beef, dairy, poultry and fisheries as well as cassava, sorghum and millet. [Download]

Science, technology and innovation strategy for Africa 2024: update (AU)

The African Union Commission, NEPAD Agency and Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa jointly co-organized a consultative workshop on the implementation framework of the 'Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024'. The workshop was held to elaborate and agree on the implementation framework of STISA-2024 and brainstorm on the implementation of priority one, on 'eradication of hunger and ensure nutrition and food security', a case of engaging FARA, CORAF, RUFORUM, ASARECA, and African Universities including PAULES, PAUBST, and other key institutions, the NEPAD Agency, RECs and specialized institutions of the AUC. [Download STISA-2024]

World's cities produce up to 10 billion tonnes of waste each year, UN study estimates (UNEP)

Inadequate waste management has become a major public health, economic and environmental problem, with 7-10 billion tonnes of urban waste produced each year and 3 billion people worldwide lacking access to controlled waste disposal facilities. Fuelled by population growth, urbanization and rising consumption, the volumes of waste are likely to even double in lower-income African and Asian cities by 2030, warns the Global Waste Management Outlook.

The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2015 (WEF)

In its first edition, The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2015 provides a new framework for stimulating growth that translates into broad-based improvements in living standards, touching all citizens. The online report includes comparative country profiles for 112 countries. These are like diagnostic scans of each country’s institutional enabling environment as it relates to social inclusion. The new benchmarking framework introduces over 140 quantitative indicators across seven pillars and 15 sub-pillars: [Download]

G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance

The G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance provide recommendations for national policymakers on shareholder rights, executive remuneration, financial disclosure, the behaviour of institutional investors and how stock markets should function. “In today’s global and highly interconnected world of business and finance, creating trust is something that we need to do together,” OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría said during a presentation of the new Principles with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cevdet Yilmaz,‎ who chaired the G20 finance ministers meeting on 4-5 September in Ankara. [Various downloads available]

Zimbabwe: 8000 apply for job exports (The Herald)

Obasanjo calls for international efforts to stop African youths from emigrating to Europe (ThisDay)

Olusegun Obasanjo: 'Facing the facts about African illegal immigration to Europe' (Opinion Nigeria)

Buhari, Mahama agree to strengthen bilateral relations and improve regional security (Channels)

GUTA clashes with President Mahama over Nigerian traders waiver (CitiFM)

Malawi: It takes more than a good recipe to export biscuits (UNDP)

Africa Down Under conference: Julie Bishop on 'Boosting trade and investment with Africa' (DFAT)

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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)