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tralac’s Daily News selection
The selection: Friday, 15 January 2016
Two new, multi-year DFID-funded China-Africa trade research projects:
Chinese national oil companies and the economic development of African oil producers
Crucially it is a mistake to see this as one-way traffic with Chinese firms entirely determining the agenda. Past ESRC-funded research reveals the importance of African agency in shaping the terms of this engagement and with it the potentials for development. In terms of DFID-ESRC's priorities the project addresses Chinese FDI, resource-based growth models, and infrastructure given that many Chinese oil deals are tied to infrastructure. This project will be the first to assess whether and how such developmental benefits may be occurring. It will start by investigating the Chinese NOCs and their relationships to key state and semi-private agencies in China, before undertaking field research in Africa.
Important here are the complex 'packages' of aid, trade and investment in Africa through Chinese NOCs, banks and ministries. Chinese NOCs are active across Africa but three countries - Ghana, Angola and Sudan - represent different aspects of their engagement with the continent. These countries are also unique so these contextual differences allow the team to examine the role that African agency plays in shaping the nature of and benefits from this new investment in their oil sectors. They will also assess their impacts and the extent to which the growth they generate - directly, through oil-backed infrastructure, and via state revenue - trickles down to Africa's poorest.
This project aims to address two key development challenges and opportunities concerning Africa's natural resource governance today: the growing informal commodity trade and engagement with China. It focuses on the impacts of Chinese actors in informal agriculture, mining and timber trade along two fast-developing trade corridors connected to the Indian Ocean. The first corridor is a transit route for commodities such as timber and minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through East Africa for export from Kenya. The second corridor links central southern Africa (Zambia and DRC's Katanga province to Beira port in Mozambique, from where agricultural products, timber and, increasingly minerals are exported). Specifically, the research involves four work streams over the course of 36 months:
Debnath Shaw: 'Why Africa?' (IDSA)
While Indian policy makers are fairly clear about what the country expects from the continent – the need to project and retain India's traditional political ties and influence in the region, protection of its core interests including that of the 2.7 million diaspora, and access to Africa's natural resources and markets – it is not clear if they have an understanding of what Africa expects from India. It is also important to continue to project to Africa that it is a priority in India’s foreign policy. Perhaps, it is time to set India’s Africa policy in stone, in the form of a white paper on Africa. [The author is a former Indian Ambassador to Tanzania, IAFS2015 consultant]
Accelerating Trade in West Africa: Stage 1 report (SAANA)
As is evident from the ToC presented above, some interventions that ATWA will be designing will be corridor or country specific: the development of JBPs, the professionalization of the transport industry, or the strengthening of single windows for example. These activities have to be undertaken “somewhere”. Others are not necessarily dependent on a specified geographical area: the development of a transport observatory, work on the ECOWAS CET or support to regional CSOs and PSOs can be undertaken at the regional level, without a national base. This report therefore has two main objectives:
Extract: The West Africa region is in great need for timely and reliable information on trade flows, transport infrastructure, corridor performance and trends. The information presented in this Stage 1 main report may give the impression that there is extensive data on the performance and features of key corridors. However, it took the ATWA project team however several months to gather and compare this information from various sources, and some of it is several years old. Most corridor data has been collected by one-off studies by different organizations for different purposes, at different times, making the data difficult to compare, and often difficult to interpret, confusing and contradictory. [Project www]
West Africa: Cross-border co-operation - mapping policy networks (SWAC)
The SWAC Secretariat's 2015-16 strategic reflection cycle is analysing major challenges and opportunities of cross-border co-operation. A mapping study is currently being conducted on the socio-economic potential of cross-border areas in West Africa using nine indicators (population potential, accessibility, border markets, status, resources, institutions, languages, human development and poverty).
The Migration, Mobility and Development in Africa (MIGDEVRI) project [Stakeholders advocate flexible migration laws(The Nation)]
West Africa declared free of Ebola transmission (UN News Centre)
United Nations Office for West Africa: report of the Secretary-General
Yesterday's UNSC's West Africa briefing
Mass exodus to SA hits Zim as economy falters (Zimbabwe Independent)
The deepening economic crisis has resulted in a renewed exodus of Zimbabweans seeking greener pastures with most heading to neighbouring South Africa, the Zimbabwe Independent has learnt. Statistics made available by the South African embassy shows that work permit and study visa applications processed by the embassy in 2015 have doubled to 300 per day from about 150 per day in 2014. South African Ambassador to Zimbabwe Vusi Mavimbela told the Independent in an interview this week that the embassy is overwhelmed with the increased study and work permit applications.
South Africa's trade conditions approach desperate levels: survey (Shanghai Daily)
SADC Double Troika meets on Monday in Botswana (TimesLive)
Tensions rise in Lesotho ahead of Phumaphi report (Mmegi)
Zimbabwe: Government to upgrade border security (The Herald)
North Africa: greening the economy to speed up industrialization (UNECA)
This meeting (Rabat, 1-4 March) will build on a number of ECA studies on topics such as achieving sustained industrialization in Africa (2012 ICE meeting), optimizing the use of basic commodities and other natural resources (2013 ICE meeting), selecting policy and institutional frameworks (2014 ICE meeting) and speeding up industrialization processes through trade (2015 ICE meeting). In preparation for COP 22, scheduled to take place in Marrakech (Morocco) in November 2016, participants will also discuss the sub-region’s essential need to preserve its environment while industrializing.
15th Border Regions in Transition conference: Cities, States and Borders - from the local to the global
The conference (17-20 May) will serve as a global forum for border scholars engaged in research dealing with cities, state and borders, irrespective of their disciplinary backgrounds, methodological approaches, or geographical scope. BRIT 2016 is open to contributions from all over the world, and not exclusively to those dedicated to Western European or North American borders which historically have been strongly represented in border studies.
Public debt vulnerabilities in low-income countries: the evolving landscape (IMF)
While the share of low-income countries at high risk fell by almost half between 2007 and 2013, debt vulnerability has actually increased in the past two years. According to the report, which looks at 74 low-income countries, public debt trends have changed significantly over the past decade. Debt relief programs, strong growth, and high demand for commodities, drove the average debt-to-GDP ratio down from 66% in 2006 to around 48 at end-2014.
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2015: year-end update (UN News Centre)
Against the backdrop of a global economic slowdown, reinvigorating domestic and intra-regional demand plays a crucial role in reviving economies in Asia and the Pacific, according to a newly released-United Nations report, which also recommends a proactive fiscal policy emphasising productivity and addressing inequalities in the region. Developing economies of the Asia-Pacific region grew by an estimated 4.5% in 2015, the lowest rate since 2010, with only a modest rebound to 5% growth projected for 2016, according to the report. [Download]
How African tech start-ups received $185.7m investment in 2015 (Ventures Africa)
Nigeria 2016 Budget: available online here
Counting inconsistent policy costs on Nigeria Customs’ revenue drive (National Mirror)
Should we continue to use the term “developing world”? (World Bank Blogs)
Various downloads on 'Smart cities and infrastructure and foresight for digital development' (UNCTAD)
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