The selection: Friday, 4 December

Selected updates from the FOCAC 2015 summit:

China announces $60 bn for African development plan (BRICS Post)

Raw materials: Africa pushing to curb exports (IOL)

Download the presentations from yesterday's SAIIA-DEGRP workshop: China-Africa - a maturing relationship?

African consultations on migration: factoring in the outcomes of the Valetta Summit (AU)

The AU recognizes that a comprehensive approach with a long term vision is required to address the root causes of irregular migration and promote regular channels of migration. More specifically, taking cognizance of the fact that 20 AU Member States and 6 RECs were not invited to Valletta, the Nairobi consultations (14-15 December) are designed to provide a forum for all 54 AU Member States and RECs to discuss the Migration Agenda and identify key priority areas that require immediate action in the short and medium term within the framework of AU policies and programs and Assembly Declaration on Migration at the 25th African Union Summit in Johannesburg in June 2015, as well as other relevant instruments such as the Valletta Action Plan.

Expected outcomes: agree on a set of actions at national, regional and continental levels that would give effect to or operationalize the key AU instruments, programs and decisions; identify high impact projects that could be realistically implemented in 2016 in the management of migration; enhance a common understanding of all available funding instruments - including the EU Trust Fund for Migration - that can be used to advance the AU migration agenda. [Workshop draft agenda, the Valetta Summit]

Southern Africa workshop: priority actions to address mixed, irregular migration (IOM)

Labour markets in Sub-Saharan Africa: download the presentations (DPRU)

African Union warms up for CFTA negotiations (ICTSD)

As we approach the start of negotiations for the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area, the AU held a series of three meetings on enhancing intra-African trade from the 23 to 27 November. These meetings, organised with the Trade Law Centre in Cape Town, examined the progress and prospects for regional integration in the context of the CFTA; the issue of modalities for services negotiations of the CFTA; as well as the monitoring of the implementation of the AU Action Plan for Boosting Intra African Trade.

Download the AU-tralac workshop reports: CFTA negotiations - key preparatory issues, Trade in services - modalities for CFTA negotiations

Rob Davies: 'Working towards continental free trade' (IOL)

Africa loses over 40% of competitiveness because of the absence of or poor and inefficient infrastructure. Adequate, effective, affordable and well-maintained infrastructure is, therefore, needed to support economic growth, attract investment and enhance service delivery.

New COMESA industrialization policy in focus at Intergovernmental Committee meetings (COMESA)

The Minister acknowledged the challenges that Member States were facing in implementing some of the agreed COMESA programmes and in particular those that require policy and regulatory framework amendments such as the Customs Union. Among them, the loss of revenue, uncompetitiveness of industry or low levels of industrialization. COMESA’s SG observed that despite the excitement generated by academicians, economic commentators and political leaders a few years ago about "Africa Rising", the reality on the ground was different. “The Africa Rising narrative described appearances and not the substance of our economies that are characterized by wrong specialization in the global economy of producing and exporting low value primary commodities with little or no processing as evidence by the abysmally low percentage of the contribution of industry to the national and regional gross domestic product,” he said. Mr Ngwenya said the answer to this challenge was in part, the implementation of the COMESA Industrial policy and other provisions of the COMESA Treaty on infrastructure, energy, agriculture, Natural resource management and environment, science and technology and human resource development.

Pan African Investment Code: update from Kampala meeting (AU)

EAC: Germany hails Partner States’ commitment to integration (EAC)

“For us, regional integration was not a loss of sovereignty but the regaining of sovereignty. That is why Germans have an ease when dealing with regional integration”, said Mr Schmidt, adding for the African continent, regional integration was a good way of mitigating the artificial boundaries drawn by the European colonial powers. Mr Schmidt was addressing the annual meeting of political advisers for Economic Cooperation and Development at the East African Legislative Assembly plenary hall in Arusha, Tanzania. The focus of this year’s meeting was on the aspect of regional economic and political integration, especially the role of RECs in Africa. Mr Schmidt led a 60-person delegation who engaged staff of the EAC on pertinent issues on regional integration in East Africa and by extension the African continent.

EALA roots for a stronger, more effective Pan-African Parliament (EALA)

EALA is rooting for an effective continental Assembly and one with legislative powers. Consequently, EALA yesterday afternoon passed a Resolution urging EAC Partner States to urgently sign, ratify and deposit the required instruments of the amended Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union. This shall enable PAP to achieve one of its important pillar of legislation. The Resolution presented to the House by Hon Chris Opoka on behalf of Hon Mike Sebalu, notes that PAP has been exercising limited oversight, advisory role and consultative powers to the African Union, as the Organ that represents all peoples of Africa and the interests of Africans in the diaspora.

An African Master Plan: the solution to Africa’s transport challenges (AfDB)

Speaking at the closing ceremony attended by several African Transport Ministers, Solomon Asamoah, the Bank’s Vice-President for Infrastructure, Private Sector and Regional Integration, emphasized that Africa’s transport challenges needed to be addressed urgently for the continent to become competitive. He underlined the need for an integrated approach to the development of transport infrastructure systems within countries. This was supported by Angela Cassell-Bush, Liberia’s Minister of Transport, who called for an African Master Plan to help build a road network connecting Africa. “We need to review our various regulatory frameworks and come up with one for the whole continent. It will help to facilitate movement of people and boost trade,” she noted.

Strategic planning and reforms necessary to mend Africa’s transport sector (AfDB)

Current transport strategies are not pro-poor. They provide inadequate and unequal access, said Tesfamichael Nahusenay, Deputy Program Manager with Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy program (SSATP). The program estimates that about 60% of the rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa lives beyond two kilometres from an all-season road.

Central Africa called upon to consolidate consultation on road safety (UNECA)

The future of the port industry in Eastern and Southern Africa: presentation by Nozipho Nozipho Mdawe (PMAESA)

Food prices fall in November amid robust global inventories (FAO)

Major food commodity prices fell in November, reversing about half their rise in the previous month, as the cost of internationally-traded staples, except for sugar, fell across the board. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 156.7 points in November, down 1.6% from its revised October average, and 18% below its value a year earlier. The FAO Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index tracking international market prices for five major food commodity groups.

The Southern Africa sub-region is also facing some strains as early seasonal dryness linked to El Niño is impacting cropping activities for 2016 cereal crops. FAO now expects the 2015 regional output of coarse grains in Africa to drop by 12% to 67 million tonnes. Global coarse grain production for the year is projected to decline by 2% to 1.3 billion tonnes.

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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)