The selection: Monday, 9 November

The Kinshasa Consensus: outcome document from the African Economic Conference 2015

High cost of doing business is posing a serious threat to investment in Africa: The region ranks high in the cost of doing business, deterring quality investors. Costly business processes, inflexible and costly labour markets, ad-hoc policy environment and corruption are some of the underlying factors behind the high investment risks. The high cost of communication within Africa is another.

Nairobi Ministerial: proposal on a declaration for MC10 (WTO)

Joint proposal by China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Venezuela: The co-sponsors of this Joint Proposal are strong supporters of an open, non-discriminatory, transparent and rule-based multilateral trading system embodied in the World Trade Organization. The co-sponsors are firmly committed to co-operate with other Members to ensure the success of the Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya during 15-18 December 2015. This submission seeks to reaffirm Members’ commitments to respect the mandates under the Doha Development Agenda and continue to negotiate the remaining DDA issues after MC10 consistent with the DDA mandates and framework.

South Africa and AGOA - a selection of commentaries, updates: Songezo Zibi: 'AGOA theatrics expose abysmal planning' (Business Day), Dewald van Rensburg: 'Will black business take a bite at US chicken?' (City Press), J Brooks Spector: 'Playing chicken on the AGOA speedway' (Daily Maverick), SA labour protests trade ban threat by US (Caj News), AGOA threat sees calls for creation of small-scale poultry farmers (Business Day)

SADC Ministers of Environment and Natural Resources (SADC)

During the meeting, ministers approved new programmes and strategies to further intensify the regional integration agenda, promote adaptation to climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, foster low carbon development pathways and resource use efficiency. They approved the Sub-Regional Action Programme to Combat Desertification (SRAP) and Strategies on Climate Change, the Green Economy, and Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching. Ministers welcomed the inclusion of the blue economy as one of the new frontiers for SADC Member States.

Mozambique hosts meeting to facilitate south-south labour mobility (NewsHour)

Delegates from the Labour Ministries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are meeting in Maputo to launch an IOM Development Fund-backed project: “Developing a Roadmap to Facilitate South-South Labour Mobility.” Participants are expected to discuss challenges, including a lack of effective data collection, analysis, reporting and exchange systems; a lack of inter-institutional coordination mechanisms and inter-state/cross-border cooperation; and limited capacity to develop and implement labour migration programmes tailored to each country’s specific national context.

Migrating for work in South Africa: updated MiWORC factsheets

The team is pleased to announce the completion today of our full set of policy briefs, factsheets and policy updates on migrating for work in South Africa. The first three cover labour migration data, regional labour migration policy frameworks, and statistical and econometric analyses of Stats SA's labour market data; the next four are summaries of sectoral research on foreign health professionals, domestic workers, farm workers and hospitality workers; and the last is a policy update on the adoption by SADC in 2014 of a regional labour migration policy framework.

Seminar on the ratification, implementation of SADC Employment and Labour Protocol (8-9 December, Gaborone)

Zambia, Namibia, DRC seal road deal (Lusaka Times)

The governments of the Republic of Zambia, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo have adopted the draft Trilateral Road Transport Agreement among the three countries. According to a joint communique issued after a three day meeting held in Walvis Bay in Namibia, the three countries adopted the draft Trilateral Road Transport Agreement and agreed to sign the agreement in March 2016 in Congo DR.

Rwanda-Burundi tensions spill over into EAC as Arusha succession comes to the fore (The East African)

The prevailing insecurity and uncertainty in Burundi following its controversial July elections could cost it the chairmanship of the East African Community, which comes up for rotation at the end of this month. It is also Burundi’s turn to nominate a citizen to the position of secretary-general when Richard Sezibera’s term ends in April 2016. Under the EAC Treaty, the EAC chairmanship cannot be handed over to a country in the absence of a sitting president and, should President Nkurunziza fail to turn up for the summit, Tanzania cannot hand over to Burundi. In such a situation, the Heads of State Summit could decide to give the chair to Rwanda, like they gave it to Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta in November 2013. An official at the EAC Secretariat said such an eventuality would cause complications, given the bad blood between Rwanda and Burundi.

EAC optimistic Magufuli will tackle the 'coalition of the unwilling' puzzle (IPPMedia)

The East African Community is optimistic that President John Magufuli will work tirelessly to iron out the differences and challenges facing the community. Speaking during the 11th graduation ceremony of Mount Meru University at the weekend, EAC’s Secretary General Richard Sezibera said he had hopes that the new regime had EAC’s agenda at heart and that it would step up efforts in sorting out the challenges facing members states.

Rwanda: EAC awareness week to focus on students, border communities (New Times)

Options for low income countries’ effective and efficient use of tax incentives for investment (IMF)

This report was prepared at the request of the G20 Development Working Group by the staff of the IMF, the OECD, the UN and the World Bank. A separate background document also attached here reviews practical tools and models to assess the costs and benefits of tax incentives, and to enhance transparency and support informed decision making.

Kenya's Cabinet approves establishment of regional bank in Nairobi (The Standard)

The Cabinet has approved a proposal to establish a regional financial institution in the country that will take care of the East Africa Community’s five member states. The Cabinet, which met Saturday, approved the creation of African Export Import Bank in Nairobi to foster financial power in the block.

Museveni: ‘Development requires new financing’ (Daily Monitor)

President Yoweri Museveni has called for new financing models that involve the private sector to fund the next stage of global development. During a UN-backed, high-level Development Cooperation Forum on the new Sustainable Development Goals at Speak Resort Munyonyo over the weekend, Museveni said blending arrangements to mobilize cheaper sources of funding will require creativity and many players because the challenge remains huge. Museveni said each country has a primary responsibility for its own economic and social development citing the example of Uganda that is currently undertaking huge infrastructure projects on road and rail which take a bigger chunk of their budgets.

Financing development under President Buhari: the role of pan-African DFIs (Vanguard)

Nigeria is in a unique position to tap into the emerging global finance that would increasingly promote sustainable development. Nigerians now lead the two frontline Pan African Development Finance Institutions. Erstwhile Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina assumed the leadership of African Development Bank on September 1. Later that month, another Nigerian, Dr. Benedict Oramah, became President of Africa Export – Import Bank . These Nigerians were appointed to work for the entire continent. But their nationality provides Nigeria an opportunity for closer affinity with these institutions beyond being the biggest financial contributor to them. There are important values these institutions offer. [The author, Roberts Orya, CEO of the Nigerian Export – Import Bank]

Tanzania: Call for new govt to adopt AU, FAO models in natural resource governance (The Citizen)

Members of the Tanzania Natural Resources Forum have urged the fifth phase government to consider adopting the AU and FAO voluntary guidelines on improvement in natural resource governance. Dr Suma Kaare, TNRF Board chairperson, said: “Tanzanians have confidence in him and we at TNRF are willing to accord his administration due cooperation for the President to walk his ‘work’ rhetoric by ensuring an effective management of natural resources is in place” he said.

Zimbabwe: South African rand kicked out of market (The Standard)

But over the past weeks, retailers, consumers, transport operators and vendors have shunned the rand due to its loss of value seen as eating into profits and increasing the cost of doing business. One dollar is being exchanged for between R13 and R14. National Union Transport Workers’ of Zimbabwe president Noah Gwande said the cost of running a vehicle, buying fuel and returning money to owners has to be maintained in United States dollars. “Fuel operators are not accepting rands at all — coins or notes — because they procure fuel in dollars. So when you pay for your fuel in rands, the danger is that when they go and refuel the rand would have lost its value,” Gwande said. Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers’ president Denford Mutashu said his body had received complaints from consumers when retailers refused to accept the rand.

Zimbabwe's agricultural sector – trade updates: Support to the beef and leather value chain project (AfDB), Govt rescues Cottco (The Herald), Zim rakes in $543m tobacco exports (NewsDay)

Pakistan, UK topple Tanzania among top buyers of Kenyan goods (Business Daily)

The United Kingdom and Pakistan have overtaken Tanzania among the top buyers of Kenya-made goods after exports to the neighbouring state dropped 31.5% in the nine months to September. Tanzanian consumers bought Sh18.6bn worth of Kenyan goods in the period behind the UK’s Sh29.6bn and Pakistan’s Sh21.6bn, according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data. Kenya’s exports to Tanzania stood at Sh27.2bn in the same period last year. Exports to Tanzania have been declining on what experts attribute to a vibrant manufacturing sector in Dar and Kenyan firms opening shop in the neighbouring country. [Leading Economic Indicators September 2015]

Zambia: Government launches $1bn One Belt Chinese investment platform (Lusaka Times)

Delegation leader Liu Dao-gang said the One Belt and One Road Zambia Industrial Park would transform Zambia’s economy by the consortium of investors from China. Mr Liu, who is also Tianjin Federation of Industry and Commerce Chairman, disclosed that six various giant manufacturing among them bicycle, battery and decoration plants would be opened in Zambia to demonstrate China’s milestones investment in Africa’ particularly Zambia. Meanwhile, Zambia and China have signed a memorandum of understanding to further foster investment opportunities in Zambia.

Zambia's kwacha falls to record low as copper price tumbles (Reuters)

Mozambique: Call for proposals (Swedish Embassy, Maputo) 

This programme entitled 'Research Training Partnership Programme' is an integral part of Swedish Research and Development Cooperation and aims at supporting the strengthening of institutional research capacity at universities and research institutions/organisations in Sweden's target countries, contributing to increased capacity for carrying out research for inclusive development. The call is directed at five year collaboration between Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique and Swedish and/or South African research and higher learning institutions.

Shock Waves: managing the impacts of climate change on poverty (World Bank)

Without inclusive and climate-smart development, alongside efforts to rein in greenhouse gas emissions that protect the poor, agricultural shocks, natural disasters and the spread of diseases could push more than 100 million additional people into poverty by 2030, the World Bank warns in a new report released just weeks ahead of a major United Nations climate conference in Paris.

Emissions Gap Report (UNEP)

The Emissions Gap Report is an authoritative assessment undertaken by a team of leading scientists and modelling experts from around the world. It presents an assessment of the 119 Intended Nationally Determined Contributions  submitted the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change by 1 October 2015, covering 146 countries (including the European Union submitting as a bloc) and up to 88% of global GHG emissions in 2012.

Intellectual property: how much room is left for industrial policy? (UNCTAD) 

Botswana implement IMF’s Enhanced General Data Dissemination System (IMF)  

Angola's Trade Policy Review: minutes of the meeting (WTO) 

China's imports fall 19% on waning demand (BBC) 

African countries told to embrace regional fish trade (New Vision) 

Identifying policy synergies on Aid for Trade, fisheries, and food security (ICTSD)

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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)