The selection: Friday, 6 November

Data visualisation: 'A new way of visualising world trade' (WEF)

SA has 60 days before Obama revokes AGOA privileges (Business Day)

Mr Obama said on Thursday that South Africa had until January 4 to satisfy him that it was complying with the eligibility requirements to enjoy duty-free access for its agricultural products under AGOA. Losing the duty-free status afforded by AGOA could affect US orders for South African citrus, which were valued at $57m through the first nine months of this year; macadamia nuts, worth $43m in 2014; and wine, worth $33m in 2014.

SA and AGOA: statements by Ambassador Gaspard, Democratic Alliance

Kenya: Government set to hold SME forum on AGOA (KBC)

China SA's biggest trade partner - Cyril Ramaphosa (iafrica)

The SACU trade policy review continues today at the WTO:

Extract from the US statement: With respect to SACU writ large, we are interested in hearing how plans for wider regional economic integration in Africa might affect SACU’s future, including the recently launched Tri-Partite FTA encompassing the Southern African Development Community, the East African Community, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa; as well as the African Union’s plans for a Continental FTA also announced earlier this year.

Extract from EU statement: We note that trade facilitation is an important area and we are keen to know where the individual SACU Members stand in terms of notification of their category A commitments and how far has the process had gone towards the ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. Mr Chairman, in our advanced written questions, we have raised a number of issues. Let me group them into three categories: investment-related measures, import licenses, import levies and export taxes and the functioning of SACU.

The previous SACU trade policy review took place in November 2009: the documentation

Declaration of the AU Informal Ministerial on the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference

Ministers agreed that the LDC Package must include binding commitments that will be commercially meaningful for Africa and must be more than a repetition of the promises made in Bali. It should include a substantive delivery of a package beyond the Bali promises. It must also not erode any of the trade preferences currently enjoyed by African countries. Cotton must be addressed ambitiously, expeditiously and specifically in all three pillars of market access, domestic support and export competition. Further, the work in favour of LDCs should continue in the post-MC10 period.

Featured tweet: @UNCTADinAfrica: Africa needs a CFTA that is signed, ratified and implemented. Not just one quoted by researchers. Treasure Maphanga @ ECOWAS CFTA consultns.

AUC consults ECOWAS on the Continental Free Trade Area

The meeting (3-4 Nov) which was co-organized by ECOWAS, AUC, and UNECA, discussed the current state of trade liberalisation in the ECOWAS, BIAT action plans accompanied with M & E frameworks, studies on the trade potential of the CFTA, Principles Guiding the Negotiations for the CFTA, institutional arrangements for the negotiation of the CFTA, technical issues on the CFTA and private sector views on the CFTA. The Director of the Department of Trade and Industry, Mrs Treasure Maphanga, urged ECOWAS Member States to respond to the call by the AU Commission for the designation of Lead CFTA Negotiators and their Alternates in line with the Roadmap for the CFTA negotiations. The ECOWAS Regional Consultative meeting on the CFTA will be followed by the 5th Meeting of the Continental Task Force on the CFTA from 5-7 November 2015. [5th Continental Task Force meeting: update]

ACP, COMESA strategize on future cooperation

COMESA and the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States have agreed on the need to take common positions on emerging issues related to the EU-ACP co-operation and the Intra-ACP co-operation. Further, they have agreed on the implementation of the forthcoming new trade programme, TradeCom 2 and the future co-operation framework with the European Union. The two agreed that TradeCom 2, which is an ACP-EU facility to be launched not later than January 2016, should be used among others, to strengthen South-South triangular Cooperation to enable all ACP regional organizations to share experiences. Mr Ngwenya said that the priority areas where TradeCom 2 and other ACP facilities should focus to achieve results on the ground are market linkages and productive capacities (sanitary and phytosanitary standards); trade and investment facilitation.

Update on Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and African regions: a tralac discussion authored by William Mwanza

Trade and poverty alleviation in Africa: the role of inclusive structural transformation (UNCTAD)

This paper argues that while transformation is indeed necessary for trade to contribute to poverty reduction, the nature of transformation also matters. In particular, strengthening the contribution of trade to poverty reduction in Africa requires inclusive structural transformation, which is transformation that enhances participation of vulnerable groups in the trade and development process. And for this to happen, governments have to address economic, political and cultural issues that foster social exclusion, remove input market imperfections that prevent vulnerable groups from exploiting market opportunities, and adopt a more gradual approach to liberalization to ensure that the reforms do not have a disproportionate negative impact on the poor. [The authors: Patrick N. Osakwe, Miriam Poretti]

UN targets 'hidden source' for development funding (IPS)

The UN has estimated a hefty funding requirement of over $3.5trn to $5.0trn dollars per year for the implementation of its ambitious post-2015 development agenda, including 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), approved by world leaders in September. But at least one key question remains unanswered: how will the UN convince rich nations and the world’s multinational corporations to help raise the necessary trillions to reach those global goals, including the eradication of poverty and hunger by 2030?

Mainstreaming sustainability criteria into freight transport systems (UNCTAD)

Held from 14-16 October in Geneva, the Expert Meeting on Transport, Trade Logistics and Trade Facilitation brought together representatives from governments, international organizations, the transport industry academia and civil society to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainable freight transport infrastructure and services. Following the meeting, three of the invited speakers shared their thoughts on the theme and how the meeting could contribute to their organizations' work on sustainable freight transport. [Conference documentation]

EU-Nigeria Business Forum: Nigeria seeks to enhance its N5tn trade surplus with EU, says Osinbajo (ThisDay), Cecilia Malmström: 'The EPA as a pathway to diversification', Stopping agric produce rejection (The Nation)

Uganda: Export earnings expected to drop by Shs682b, says BoU (Daily Monitor)

Uganda’s export earnings are expected to drop by $200m (Shs682b) this year, following a decline in global trade. The Bank of Uganda says the expected decline in export earnings will worsen the country’s already weak balance of payments, resulting in a sharp depreciation of the Uganda Shilling. BoU executive director of research Adam Mugume told Daily Monitor’s sister newspaper The East African, that Uganda’s total export earnings are projected at $2.4b while the import bill is likely to be $6b.

Kenya: Nigerian firm to construct Sh2.8bn can factory (Daily Nation)

The International Finance Corporation will invest Sh8.2 billion in a can factory that will be set up by GZ Industries. GZ Industries, a Nigerian outfit, will be set up on Nairobi-Mombasa highway. It currently operates two beverage can manufacturing plants in Nigeria. It is on an expansion drive that will see it open a similar factory in South Africa, besides Kenya and acquire container glass, plastic crate and crown manufacturing operations of Frigoglass in Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates at a total cost of ($360 million) Sh36.7 billion.

Kenya shrugs off Uganda plan to build oil pipeline via Tanzania (The Citizen)

Maiden Kenya trade expo held in Accra (Graphic)

Tanzania suspended from EITI months after Passing Law (The Citizen)

The Board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has suspended Tanzania for failing to publish its EITI report for 2012/2013 in time. Tanzania’s request for the board to allow more time for the Tanzania EITI Secretariat to complete the report was rejected on grounds that the country did not back up the application with enough justification.

25 African states seek total ivory trade ban (The East African)

The countries, through the African Elephant Coalition meeting in Cotonou, Benin, have called for immediate and decisive action to save the African elephant. The Cotonou Declaration aims to end this crisis by committing to strengthen collaboration between member States to secure the highest possible protection for all African elephant populations under international law. Participants proposed a strict ban on all international and domestic ivory trade, including re-listing all African elephant populations as most endangered. They also called on other countries and organisations to support the proposal. The coalition also discussed other threats to elephants, particularly human-elephant conflict, as well as the difficulties member States face against determined and well-armed poachers, and in enforcing laws to combat poaching and ivory trade.

Experts call for punitive laws to deter illicit tobacco trade (New Times)

Grieve Chelwa from the Economics of Tobacco Control project at University of Cape Town in South Africa, urged governments to work with industry players if they are to eliminate illegal tobacco cartels. Speaking during the fifth consultative policy institutes committee meeting in Kigali recently, experts blamed the rise on weak institutions, corruption and lack of political will to streamline the tobacco industry on the continent. “The lack of co-operation among stakeholders and governments, as well as weak tax administration and enforcement have created loopholes that are being taken advantage of by unscrupulous dealers to trade tobacco illegally on the continent,” Chelwa told The New Times.

Is muscle or machine the future of agriculture in Africa? (World Bank Blogs)

The evidence is incontrovertible: Higher levels of mechanization are linked to economic growth, improved farm productivity, higher incomes and greater food security. But mechanization is no panacea: If not done right, it can potentially burden small farmers with machines they can’t afford or maintain and tools that eliminate jobs and disempower wage earners.

Howard G. Buffett: 'Africa’s agricultural potential begins on the ground' (IPS)

Zimbabwe’s mega dam project could flounder in the face of climate change (IPS)

Adverse weather pushes global food prices up by 3.9% in October (UN News Centre)

African lawyers challenged to dispense quality justice for more investments (IPPMedia)

Fitch lowers credit rating on Mozambique (MacauHub)

US-India Trade Policy Forum: joint statement (USTR)

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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)