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tralac’s Daily News Selection
The selection: Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Starting today, in Addis: Expert group meeting on the revitalization of the African Peer Review Mechanism (AU)
Today, in Nairobi: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania talks on oil pipeline route options (The EastAfrican), [Oil pipeline deal: Tanzanian business lobby enters the fray (IPPMedia)]
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade: documentation (WTO)
WTO members raised the 500th specific trade concern at a meeting of the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade on 8-10 March 2016, marking a milestone in their discussions about product regulations and standards. Director-General Roberto Azevêdo qualified this work as “essential to avoid concerns escalating into disputes and to keep trade flowing.” Members also discussed how they use regulatory impact assessments to assess the impact that regulations have on trade. Some main points were the importance of public consultations, methodologies for identifying and assessing the trade impacts of regulation in RIAs, and which regulations should be subject to RIA.
Annual Review of the TBT Committee: The Committee completed its 21st annual review, which reports on its 2015 activities. During the previous year, notifications decreased by 12% compared to 2014 (to a total of 1,989 notifications). Nevertheless, the trend since 2005 has been an upward one driven increasingly by developing members. In 2015, developing Members continued to submit significantly more new notifications than developed members – also the number of notifications from LDCs increased during the year. A total of 37 technical assistance (TA) activities on TBT were organized by the WTO in 2015, and TBT-related TA activities are in high demand by WTO members. [Various downloads available]
ECA to launch a report on bilateral investment agreements (UNECA)
In 2015, ECA undertook a study 'Investment Policies and Bilateral Investment Treaties in Africa: implications for regional integration', to cast light on the prevalence, scope, application and contribution to investment as well challenges arising from these agreements. Bilateral investment treaties contain provisions for the settlement of investment disputes and between 1972 and 2014, Africa participated in 111 cases representing about one fifth of all those documented, which are treaty-based. About 107 of these cases were settled at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, making it very difficult for African countries to defend their cases. The report therefore recommends to consider using regional courts such as SADC Tribunal. [Why developing countries are dumping investment treaties (The Conversation)]
Pan-African Investment Code: draft (2016 Conference of Ministers, UNECA)
The objective of this Code is to promote, facilitate and protect investments that foster the sustainable development of each Member State, and in particular the Member State where the investment is located. This Code shall apply to Member States as well as investors and their investments in the territory of Member States as defined by this Code. This Code defines the rights and obligations of Member States as well as investors, and principles prescribed therein.
2016 Conference of Ministers - profiled documentation: Status of African integration: the implications of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 on African integration, Report of the ninth session of the Committee on Regional Cooperation and Integration, Proposed strategic framework for the period 2018-2019, ECA: biennial report 2014-2015, Tentative timetable: conference sessions, other meetings and side events
AGOA-IV and the trade prospects of sub-Saharan Africa (The Commonwealth)
An AGOA export strategy for SSA governments and exporters would be well advised to advance on two fronts: to take better advantage of existing and newly created opportunities under AGOA (including attracting export-oriented foreign direct investment to take advantage of these preferences); and to lobby for additional amendments that would open US markets further. Accelerating African regional economic integration (especially the envisaged Continental FTA) would facilitate prospects for developing supply chains within AGOA-eligible SSA for exports. [The author: Geoffrey Allen Pigman]
US chicken imports put BEE operation under pressure (Business Day)
Kholofelo Maponya, the CEO of Daybreak Farms, told Business Day that since the US imports started hitting South African shelves this month, when the first consignment of poultry was delivered to cold storage facilities, production losses became a reality. "We have reduced production by 15% and that is 1,000 or more jobs already at risk. We are already negatively affected by the increase that has flooded the market," Mr Maponya said.
Trade integration and global value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa: in pursuit of the missing link (IMF)
In Section 1, we document SSA’s international and regional integration over the past 20 years. In Section 2, we introduce the concept of centrality in the global and regional trade network, which takes into account, for each country, both the size of its trade and the number of its trade partners and their weight on global trade. The third section links trade openness with macroeconomic performances.
First conference on global value chains, trade and development: Q&A (World Bank)
Daria Taglioni, Lead Trade Economist and Global Value Chains Global Solution Lead for the World Bank Group, and Paola Conconi, Professor of Economics at the Université libre de Bruxelles, share their insights as the organizers of the conference, 30-31 March.
Africa and its visa pains: where even billionaire Dangote-type big fish have nightmares (M&G Africa)
Aliko Dangote could be forgiven for hoping that his status as one of the continent’s more recognisable faces could buy him some extra minutes to locate a missing passport, but an anecdote he narrated recently in Ivory Coast suggests that being the Africa’s richest man does not automatically buy you good immigration custom care. Speaking recently at the Africa CEO forum in the financial capital Abidjan, the Nigerian said he on a visit to South Africa forgot one of his many passports—he says he has eight—and which contained his visa back in his jet.
But by the time he realised it, immigration authorities in his would-be African host were well on their way to bundling him out, having grown high-pitched and agitated at his frantic efforts to locate the travel document. Meanwhile, in the background, his American staff were breezing by, having been waved through almost nonchalantly by the same officials. [The author: Lee Mwiti]
Sanral to collect road charges at Beitbridge post (Business Day)
The South African National Roads Agency Limited is due to start levying road charges on south-bound traffic at Beitbridge, the country’s busiest land border post. However, motorists should not expect a change in fees, according to the roads agency. Sanral spokesman Vusi Mona explained that a bilateral agreement entered into by the two countries in 1994 stated that each state would be responsible for collecting the respective road charges. "Sanral is now carrying out its contractual obligation”. [Little traffic at Ressano Garcia over Easter (Club of Mozambique)]
SADC states plan highway to bypass Zim (Zimbabwe Independent)
Zimbabwe could lose millions of United States dollars in annual revenue earnings for its continued failure to maintain and upgrade its road infrastructure, amid revelations that South Africa and other Sadc countries are planning a new road network to bypass the country largely because of the bad state of the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Road. Transport minister Jorum Gumbo confirmed the plan, but said government was moving fast to expedite the long-awaited rehabilitation of the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Road, saying further delays could be costly to the country. [Zim-SA trade ties: tightening loose ends (The Chronicle)]
Kenyan firms benefit from increased use of financial services, lower crime-related losses (World Bank Blogs)
This blog focuses on surveys conducted of 781 Kenyan firms across five regions (including Nairobi and Mombasa) and six business sectors - food, textiles and garments, chemicals, plastics and rubber, other manufacturing, retail, and other services. [The author: Silvia Muzi, Asif Islam]
From Thika to Webuye, the recurrent story of collapsed industries (Sunday Nation)
Once upon a time, Thika was Kenya’s industrial hub with a mix of agricultural, auto and fire-belching metal work factories. Today, some of its deserted factories — victims of rash policies and competition — are a daily reminder of the town’s industrial descent with sections of the abandoned rust-wrecked railway line cutting across private property or vanishing into overgrown thickets. The halcyon days when these rail lines brought people and goods into Thika and sent products into distant markets are long gone. The same story is being repeated some 482 kilometres northwest of Magadi at the small town of Webuye where the cost of energy brought down Kenya’s sole paper milling factory. The collapse of Pan African Paper Mills has turned the once-booming town into a near ghost town which remains a case-study on the impact of obsolete technology and high fuel costs. [The author: John Kamau]
Kenya: Manufacturing still major driver of growth (Daily Nation)
It is easy to conclude that the era of industrialisation has given way to other sectors, such as the service industry. The assumption is based on the fact that the economies of many developed countries shifted to the service sector in the late 1980s. In the past three years, however, this thinking has changed. Developed countries have seen a growth in their manufacturing sector, with jobs increasing by 2.6% and uplifting their economies. The contribution of industrialisation to the growth of the economy of many countries, including Kenya, cannot therefore be discounted. The government and industry should collaborate to develop a robust policy to strengthen our manufacturing sector. A national manufacturing policy requires us to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of the other sectors of the economy. This policy should aim at increasing the current level of the manufacturing in the GDP from 11 to 15%. [The author, Julius Korir, is Principal Secretary in the Industrialisation Ministry]
Related: Manufacturing solar panels in East Africa: rising demand, but challenges remain, Kenya Vision 2030: mega projects well under way but growth remains elusive (The EastAfrican)
Made in Nigeria and the complications (ThisDay)
We can actually “crush imports” as Emefiele wishes, but the CBN is just one of the agencies needed to make it happen. We need to implement, not just conceive, pro-Made in Nigeria policies that will fertilise the growth of industry. We must make policies on trade, tariffs and taxes to our own advantage. We need infrastructure and cheap capital. We need border security to curb smuggling so that we don’t gain on the right and lose on the left. Above all, Nigerian companies must dream like Sony to change the poor-quality image of “Made in Nigeria”. It is one thing to market a product with sentiments — it is another thing for the consumer to be satisfied and keep asking for more.
Related: South Africa-Nigeria forging ahead with solid minerals (ThisDay), Stakeholders seek return of export expansion grant (ThisDay), Nigeria’s problems are compounded by sub-national debt (Financial Times), Jibrin Ibrahim: 'President Buhari - one year after the mandate' (Premium Times)
CIF Annual Report 2015 (AfDB)
The AfDB has released 'Financing change: the AfDB and CIF for a Climate-Smart Africa', its 2015 annual report for its climate investment funds portfolio. The report demonstrates that by the end of 2015 through its AfDB-supported CIF portfolio, 27 African nations – half of Africa – had become engaged in various aspects of climate solutions, and through 39 pilot programs are embedding them in their national development economic and social goals.
Global trends in renewable energy investment 2016 (UNEP)
All investments in renewables, including early-stage technology and research and development as well as spending on new capacity, totalled $286bn in 2015, some 3% higher than the previous record in 2011. Since 2004, the world has invested $2.3trn in renewable energy (unadjusted for inflation).
EAC Partnership Fund high-level dialogue: update (EAC)
EABC: consultancy opportunity for designing a Brand Book
MENA: enhanced coordination of food safety in the region (UNIDO)
Mariya Badeva-Bright: 'Taking African law online — and why it matters' (Daily Maverick)
Engaging civil society in Pan-African issue: call for proposals (EU)
Egypt: PM unveils ambitious programme to revive economy (Ahram)
The labour content of exports database (World Bank)
African merchants in China and the African-China mobile phone trade (Columbia)
SDG indicators challenged by many UN member states (Third World Network)
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