News
tralac’s Daily News selection: 2 September 2015
The selection: Tuesday, 2 September
Inaugural speech: Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina (AfDB)
Five priorities will shape our work at the Bank under my Presidency as we advance the implementation of the Bank’s Ten Year Strategy: Light up and Power Africa. Feed Africa. Integrate Africa. Industrialize Africa. Improve quality of life for the people of Africa. Our Bank staff, processes and systems will be shaped to deliver on these critical imperatives. We will become sharply focused on measuring the results of our lending operations on the lives of people. No longer will we judge ourselves simply based on the size of our lending portfolio but on the strength of Africa’s growth and development and the quality of improvements in the lives of the African people. We will be more than a lending institution. We will build a highly competitive, world-class knowledge-driven Bank, to provide top-notch policy and advisory services to countries and the private sector. We will become a true development institution with measurable impacts on the lives of Africans.
African Caucus 2015: Luanda Declaration
We, the African Governors of the IMF and WBG, discussed ways and means through which the Bretton Woods Institutions to support our efforts to: (i) address the challenges of financing for sustainable development; (ii) combating tax evasion and eliminate illicit financial flows; (iii) invest in processing and economic diversification; (iv) finance transformational projects and regional infrastructure; and (v) strengthen the voice and representation of Africa at BWI. [Downloads include: UNECA presentation on economic transformation and diversification in Africa, OECD presentation on illicit financial flows]
Beyond a middle income Africa (ReSAKKS)
The strategic choices facing African countries are important and complex, in light of the major developments occurring across the continent. These developments present both challenges and opportunities and include rapid urbanization, a growing middle class, the rapid rise in the young population entering the labour force, the effects of climate change, and the increased volatility of global food and energy prices. In this context, the 2014 Annual Trends and Outlook Report chapters examine both current and future trends that are likely to shape the trajectory of African economies and the factors driving Africa’s recent growth performance.
The chapters examine the drivers behind the recent growth recovery, the nature and patterns of structural transformation among African economies, past strategies and future outlook for industrialization, the changes occurring in agrifood systems, and the role of major infrastructure sectors in the continent’s past and future growth. They also analyze major global- and continental-level trends that may shape future growth across the continent and affect the region’s integration into global value chains. [Downloads include: Africa in the global agricultural economy in 2030 and 2050, Megatrends and the future of African economies, Renewing industrialization strategies in Africa]
IORA: Enhancing Blue Economy cooperation for sustainable development
The First IORA Ministerial Blue Economy Conference aims to act as an ideal platform to bring together Member States and Dialogue Partners of the Indian Ocean Rim Association to promote Blue Economy in the Indian Ocean region. The conference will focus on four priority areas namely: fisheries and aquaculture, renewable ocean energy, seaports and shipping, seabed exploration and minerals.
Why India must be the leading player in the Indian Ocean region (Economic Times)
Australia must dive into the blue economy of marine resources (The Australian)
Research on Blue Economy gains momentum as Australia and Seychelles' ocean-oriented research institute forges partnerships (Seychelles News Agency)
East African Manufacturing Business Summit: follow it live
Africa welcomes Japan's quality infrastructure model (UNECA)
Infrastructure Africa Business Forum: update (TimesLive)
CEMAC: Transport-transit facilitation (World Bank)
The project's development objectives are to enhance regional trade and integration and sub-regional cooperation between CEMAC and ECCAS member states, and specifically provide the landlocked countries Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad with a better access to the Port of Douala through: (i) assistance to the strengthening of the CEMAC Customs Union; and (ii) improvement of the logistics chain, including road and rail infrastructure to the Port of Douala's hinterland. At a higher level, the project will contribute to the shared growth objectives of the CEMAC countries'PRSPs, by ensuring that the Customs Union is effectively implemented and by improving trade facilitation in the region. It will also support the broader goal of increasing the regional integration of CEMAC member states by improving its core rail and road infrastructure. Furthermore, NEPAD has selected CEMAC as one of the target institutions for Central Africa, and these corridors as the main transport infrastructure to be supported in this sub region.
South African and Lesotho transport ministers meet in Pretoria (The New Age)
The meeting discussed the resuscitation of the Committee of Transport Officials; the process of the uprading of the roads that leads to the borders between South Africa and Lesotho, especially the N8 (under SANRAL), Monantsa (under Free State province) and the Sani pass (under KwaZulu Natal province); the process of the installation of eNatis in Lesotho; the Cross Border Transport issue, particularly the border taxi operators conflict between South Africa and Lesotho and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on transport-related matters between the two counties.
Namibia feels the pinch of China’s economic woes (New Era)
“We are definitely impacted by the situation in China because their demand is slowing, but the volumes of trade between us is relatively small, hence so far there is no indication that [bilateral] trade is slowing,” Schlettwein said yesterday. He said there remains space to increase trade because of the recent agreement between the two countries that allows Namibia to export its beef to China. “The volumes of dimension stones and minerals are relatively small, and they are tied into long-term contracts, so I do not think we have a big issue,” he said. “I think if we mitigate it [market crash] early enough we will manage it,” said Schlettwein.
Is 2015 the beginning of the end for Africa’s China-led boom? (Reuters, MoneyWeb)
China-South Africa Economic Forum: update (Global Post)
"You have to transfer skills development and training to the locals. Localize supply chain to value chain. Look at the architecture beneficiation platform for value chain and come to work with us. If you do these you will be successful in this country," dti's Yunus Hoosen, Head for Investment Promotion, said.
Joint China-South Africa arbitration centre set up to resolve commercial disputes (Out-Law)
A new arbitration centre will open in Johannesburg specifically to resolve commercial disputes between Chinese and African parties. The China-Africa Joint Arbitration Centre (CAJAC) will be led by Michael Kuper, the current chair of the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa. Kuper told the industry publication that the new centre would be ready to accept cases from October.
China-Africa International Arbitration Centre: speech by Dep Min John Jeffrey (RSA Department of Justice)
Zambia's power woes: all roads lead to Kariba Dam (Daily Maverick)
Experts have warned that without urgent repairs the Kariba Dam risks collapse, unleashing a ‘tsunami’ of water through the Zambezi Valley, reaching the Mozambique border in just eight hours where it would overwhelm the Cahora Bassa wall, in so doing eliminating 40% of the region’s hydro-electric capacity and putting an estimated 3.5-million human lives at risk. Overlooked, perhaps inevitably, amidst the hyperbole of collapse, destruction and loss of life, is the cost of the poor management of the asset, and the water resource, something that can be relatively easily fixed and where the failure to do so is less dramatic but no less costly. [The author: Greg Mills]
African Governance Architecture Platform: consultation (DGTrends)
The Africa Union Department of Political Affairs, as the Secretariat of the African Governance Architecture Platform, is convening a consultation with the African Union Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) on the operationalisation of the African Governance Architecture and the State Reporting processes under the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG). The PRC consultation will be held from 2 – 4 September, 2015 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Mozambique issues new deadline for completion of Sena rail line rehabilitation (Club of Mozambique)
11th SADC CSO Forum calls for inclusion of citizens in regional decision making (Southern African Trust)
Festus Nghifenwa: 'Regional cooperation on banking regulation – why is it needed?' (New Era)
Durban Marukutira: The wicked side of a dollarised economy (NewsDay)
Carlos Lopes: 'African Migrants - payback time?' (UNECA)
South Korea exports plunge 14.7%, the biggest fall in 6 years (Financial Times)
US-China economic relations: the propeller needs oil (CSIS)
Christine Lagarde, in Indonesia: 'The future of Asian finance', ‘Unleashing Indonesia’s economic potential’
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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)
