News
tralac’s Daily News selection: 10 November 2015
The selection: Tuesday, 10 November
Live blog: the Arabian Business Africa forum
AfDB Transport Forum 2015: sustainable transport for an integrated Africa
The first African Development Bank Transport Forum will bring together high-level government representatives, experts, development partners, international organizations, the private sector, academia, NGOs and other stakeholders to discuss the key issues and challenges facing the transportation sector on the African continent. How can we facilitate the movement of people and goods to meet the increasing needs of producer and consumer markets in Africa? How can we facilitate reliable, safe, sustainable and inclusive travel, both locally and internationally? These questions and more will be at the heart of the two days of debate and discussion, which will be animated by more than 30 high-level speakers.
Central Corridor states bank on railway project to make route more competitive (New Times)
Rwanda’s State Minister for Transport and the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency chairman, Dr Alexis Nzahabwanimana, says the creation of the agency has played a major role in efforts geared at eliminating trade barriers along the corridor. Business Times’ Peterson Tumwebaze caught up with Nzahabwanimana and he explains the initiatives TTFA is working on to make the corridor more competitive and route of choice for business people in the region:
Rwanda government, WB officials to meet over investor report index (New Times)
The government is this week expected to meet with top officials of the World Bank group to discuss the latest Doing Business Report (DBR) and the change in methodology that saw the country’s global rankings on various indicators taper. According to Rwanda’s Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Claver Gatete, the discussions with WB officials will centre on the global survey’s new methodology in a bid to understand how it works and inform new government reforms to spur private investment. “They will be coming here this week and we shall discuss item by item of the new rankings on each indicator in order for us to properly understand the new methodology, which introduced new elements that weren’t previously there,” Gatete said.
Mozambique’s conformity with Trade Facilitation Agreements: Part 4 (SPEED)
In this fourth blog in our series we consider Mozambique’s degree of conformity with SADC provisions: Consistent with its role, the SADC Secretariat developed a framework for evaluating each member state’s progress in 30 different aspects of the SADC trade facilitation agenda grouped into 9 different categories. The SADC Secretariat, with the assistance of the USAID Southern Africa Trade Hub, then proceeded to conduct a Customs Audit of all 15 SADC members in 2011. Drawing from the SADC report, Table 4 summarizes the findings for Mozambique, showing that Mozambique scored well on the SADC Customs Audit in 2011. Without the benefit of field interviews, it was not possible for this preliminary study to assess the conditions in 2015.
A busy week for SACU Secretariat (New Era)
When the heads of state and government of Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa meet in Windhoek on Thursday, giving their blessings to the Southern Africa Customs Union head office building will not be the only item on the agenda. The heads of state and government would also, according to the SACU Secretariat’s executive secretary, Paulina Elago, have an “informal discussion to consider issues related to implementation of the SACU work programme”. Issues would include the promotion of economic growth in the member state countries through regional industrial development policies, revenue sharing arrangements and trade facilitation.
SACU Trade Policy Review: opening statement by SA, on behalf of SACU
Despite the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2008, the simple average applied MFN tariff remained stable at around 8% since the last trade policy review in 2009 as attested by the latest WTO Secretariat Report. It is noteworthy that SACU increased the percentage of duty-free tariff lines from around 54% in 2009 to 56% percent in 2015. Despite our varied levels of development, the shares of SACU’s WTO agricultural products and WTO NAMA products attracting a zero tariff in 2015 are 40% and 58% respectively. In light of this and other features of our trade regime, we do not concur with the assertion made in the Secretariat Report that the SACU Common External Tariff remains complex.
Value chains in Southern Africa: entry points for donor impact (SAIIA)
The downside of the project, however, is that the policy framework has now been lying on a desk at the Ministry without any feedback or evidence that it is being prioritised for passing through cabinet and beyond. From a donor perspective, the project was highly relevant, was effectively and efficiently implemented and yet the impact is zero. Should donors, therefore, get involved in government processes where the outcomes are uncertain or is there value in the exercise in and of itself?
Kenya yet to tap full potential of AGOA pact (Daily Nation)
Kenya could increase by 50% its exports to the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, according to a US-backed trade plan seen by the Nation. The study initiated last year seeks to enable East African Community member states including Kenya, better utilise the trade platform. “We are looking at increasing exports from the region to the US under AGOA by 50%. We are also looking to bring in $100m in new investments to the region, which will create about 10000 new jobs,” said AGOA Trade Advisor, USAid East Africa Trade Hub, Mr Finn Holm-Olsen.
China-Africa trade approaches $300bn in 2015 (China Daily)
China's trade with African states has grown about ten times in the last decade, with the total value likely to hit $300 billion this year, according to the Fourth China-Africa Industrial Forum, which opened Monday in Beijing. China's trade with Africa recorded $10bn in 2000. Last year, the figure grew to $220bn. China is seeking to raise the amount to $400bn by 2020, said Yang Fuchang, a former deputy foreign minister, at the fourth CAIF opening session. Statistics show China's trade with the European Union stood at 467.3 billion euros in 2014 and $590.68 billion with the United States.
ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme launched in Addis (AU)
The African Union Commission and the African Minerals Development Centre hosted the Africa launch of a new global programme to support small-scale miners, public institutions, and communities operating in the low value minerals and materials (LVMM) sector. The ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme is an initiative by the ACP Group of States and financed by the EU and the UNDP. Africa’s strong economic growth, infrastructure boom, and rapid urbanisation are driving the demand of construction materials, dimension stones, industrial minerals and semi-precious stones. Estimates indicate that more than 8 million Africans are engaged in the sector, with women making up more than 40 of the workforce.
Uganda: Small-scale miners seek government regulation (Daily Monitor)
Emerging market slowdown and drop in trade clouding global outlook (OECD)
A further sharp downturn in emerging market economies and world trade has weakened global growth to around 2.9% this year – well below the long-run average – and is a source of uncertainty for near-term prospects, says the OECD. In its latest twice-yearly Economic Outlook, the OECD projects a gradual strengthening of global growth in 2016 and 2017 to an annual 3.3% and 3.6% respectively. But a clear pick-up in activity requires a smooth rebalancing of activity in China and more robust investment in advanced economies.
How to monitor the trade elements of the 2030 Agenda? (ICTSD)
Yesterday, at the UN:
UNSC calls for total neutralization of foreign, local armed groups in east DRC
Burundi experiencing 'deep political crisis' with hundreds dead since April, UNSC told
South Sudan’s push to join EAC gains momentum (The East African)
South Sudan will push for admission into the East African Community at the Heads of State Summit in two weeks time, despite having not met all the eligibility criteria. Government officials argue that Juba has already opened its economy to EAC members though questions on governance, democracy, human rights and security linger. Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin, who led a high level ministerial committee to the latest EAC session on South Sudan accession in mid-October, said that a technical committee had recommended that Juba "is now qualified" to join the bloc.
EAC expert warns of El Nino and associated '5 Deadly Sisters' (Arusha Times)
The EAC has urged its member states to stem any likelihood of outbreak of the deadly Ebola and other highly infectious diseases in the region. With the El Nino rains around the corner, the region can be vulnerable to the re-emergence of Rift Valley Fever which created much havoc in 2006/2007, wiping out livestock herds and wild animals in some areas. "There is a high possibility for infectious diseases to spread out to many countries across the world if they are not properly controlled" said Dr. Timothy Wesonga, a senior livestock and fisheries officer with the EAC Secretariat in Arusha.
IGAD, WHO chart way forward on regional medicines regulation
Senior officials of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the World Health Organization held a joint meeting in Djibouti to discuss the development of a regional program to regulate medicines and other medical products. Mr Abdalla further noted that the region was severely affected by the burden of Substandard, Spurious, Falsely labeled, Falsified and Counterfeit (SSFFC) medical products, calling for joint collaborative efforts to address the root causes and challenges, as well as availing necessary resources to establish and strengthen harmonized national regulatory systems.
ECOWAS, other regions cooperate to promote peace in Africa
The Economic Community of West African States, the Economic Community of Central African States and the Eastern African Regional Mechanism, have been commended for the high level of cooperation and synergy exhibited during the Amani Africa II Field Training Exercise. This type of multinational, inter-regional, and multidimensional cooperation, according to Ambassador Augustine Philip Mahiga, is one of the main reasons behind the success of the exercise. The Troop Contributing Countries of Nigeria, Angola and Kenya, through the ECOWAS Standby Force, Central African Standby Force and the Eastern Africa Standby Force, were grouped together under Sector Three at Tactical level of the exercise, in order to validate the workings of different troops of the African Standby Force, coming under one central command, during peace support operations. [African security cooperation suffers from uneven regional integration (World Politics Review)]
EAC, Interpol to boost border security (The Citizen)
Joint projects being implemented by the two organisations included the EU-funded Eastern and Southern Africa-India Ocean (ESA-IO) Maritime Strategy, the operationalisation of the Regional Forensic Referral Centre and the establishment of a Police Liaison Office at the EAC Secretariat, to enhance coordination of policing activities in the region.
Nigeria: MTN, Stanbic IBTC and effective regulatory regime (ThisDay)
As a society, our concern should be about having an effective regulatory regime that ensures the proper functioning of the market and reinforces the faith of citizens in their government and in their country. We do not have that now. Most of our regulators are indecisive and inconsistent, are open to capture by political and business interests, and are not as resourced and as knowledgeable as those they are supposed to regulate. They do not communicate effectively to the public on whose behalf they exercise enormous powers and do not adequately factor in the interests of the dispersed and mostly voiceless consumers. Also, the countervailing mechanism for checking abuse of regulatory powers is very thin. All these must change.
EAC, Comesa receive €85 mn grant to aid regional integration (The East African)
Pegging currency to dollar costs Zimbabwe (Business Day)
Zimbabwe: Rising imports push up cost of living (NewsDay)
tralac’s Daily News archive
Catch up on tralac’s daily news selections by following this link ».
SUBSCRIBE
To receive the link to tralac’s Daily News Selection via email, click here to subscribe.
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)
