The selection: Thursday, 22 October

ECOWAS biometric ID cards due in 2016 (CitiFM)

Ghana is spearheading the Economic Community of West African States’ plan to provide Biometric Identification Cards to the community’s citizens in 2016. This is to facilitate the free movement of community citizens, goods and services in line with the revised ECOWAS treaty. Addressing participants in Tamale, the Director/Africa and Regional Integration and Head of the ECOWAS national unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mrs Sena Siaw-Boateng, reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to create a single regional market for the free movement of goods.

Dr Dlamini Zuma promotes UK-China investment in Africa (AU)

The AU Commission Chairperson will present investment opportunities in Africa in line with Agenda 2063, particularly within growth-stimulating areas such as infrastructure development, human capacity development, energy and agriculture and agro-processing. The AU Commission Chairperson believes that these are prospective areas for collaboration between Africa, China and the UK. Hosted by the UK Trade and Investment in partnership with the Department for International Development , the principal objective of the event is, “to strengthen understanding of how the respective strengths of the UK and Chinese governments and private sectors can be most effectively combined, with the objective of stimulating investment and inclusive growth in Africa.”

China’s investment in Africa falls 84% as the slowdown bites (AFKInsider)

Chinese investment in Africa has fallen by as much as 84% in the first half of this year to $568 million compared to the same period last year when it invested more than $3.54 billion in Greenfield projects and other existing projects on the continent, the Financial Times reported.

Zimbabwe: Sino-Zim mega deals pick pace (The Herald)

A nine-member Chinese delegation arrived in Zimbabwe yesterday for site visits and meetings with senior Government officials as the implementation of the mega deals sealed last year intensifies. The delegation is led by the China International Trade representative Mr Zhang Xiangchen and includes director generals and deputy director generals of various Chinese government arms.

India to play catch-up with China at Africa trade summit (Mint)

India will push for early resumption of talks for proposed trade agreements with the Southern African Customs Union and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa groupings, which have remained stalled for last three years. India and the African countries are also likely to commit to work together for substantial outcomes in the Nairobi ministerial of World Trade Organization members in December, keeping in mind the developmental agenda of the Doha round of negotiations. Both sides may announce they will start work on a joint roadmap of cooperation to harmonize standards and regulatory regimes.

Keys to business success in Africa (Business Day)

It seems every South African company has an African strategy. Whether it is a few lines in an annual report, a statement at a results presentation or a comment to a journalist, many companies aver that they have a strategy for expanding into Africa. The reasons for this are obvious — stagnant growth in SA and a continent stretching north that seems to provide new opportunities to feed the voracious growth appetites of companies.

US firms set aside $4bn for business in Kenya (PR Newswire)

A number of high level US investors are expected to attend the upcoming Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO) on 23rd-25th November, 2015 in Nairobi, following September's US Business Council for International Understanding meeting in New York, which resulted in $4 billion being set aside by US firms for business in Kenya. Arranged in collaboration with the East Africa Trade and Investment Hub – a flagship project under the presidential Trade Africa initiative – KIICO will highlight current investment opportunities across focus sectors of US interest, including agribusiness, ICT, apparels & textiles, leather and renewable energy sectors. [Kenya International Investment Conference due next month (CapitalFM)]

TradeMark to equip women entrepreneurs with EAC customs skills in $4.5m scheme (The East African)

The $4.5 million scheme by TradeMark East Africa will involve women traders from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and South Sudan and run for about a year. “Targets include a 10% average increase in revenues of the targeted women exporters and traders, a 30% increase in the use of formal trade channels and systems by the women cross-border traders and the adoption of policies, regulations or practices that support an enabling environment for women,” the agency said. A second five-year phase is envisaged for 2017 with a $15 million budget committed to the effort.

Land disputes slow Northern Corridor project (The Standard)

The conflict between corporate and land laws among East African Community countries has been cited as the main barrier to the implementation of the Northern Corridor Integration Project. "The bureaucracy in political administration in the creation of these laws has stalled important projects. This may cause governments to be slapped with penalties on their loans, in addition to EAC member countries losing tax revenue,” the chairman of the East Africa Business Council, Denis Karera said when speaking at a private sector stakeholders’ forum in Nairobi on the NCIP.

Five Kenyan firms battle for Sh330m SGR steel deal (Business Daily)

DRC: Goma airport safety improvement project (World Bank)

Mozambique: Closure of international airports – another attempt to protect LAM (SPEED)

Kasumbalesa upgraded, proves effective (Times of Zambia)

South African Airways to commence flight to Abuja (National Mirror)

Government under pressure to revive Uganda Airlines (Daily Monitor)

IGAD: Declaration of the regional consultative meeting on El Nino impact prevention

“The effects of El Nino are already perceived in some parts of some of our member states. I am convinced that we are in a position to provide a better response compared to some time back as we have been working altogether in building resilience to drought these last couple of years”, he said. According to Ambassador Mahboub, experience gained in drought resilience should benefit in this case of El Nino risk reduction through effective coordination mechanisms and pooling of resources. He also reminded the audience that disasters brought by natural phenomena such as El Nino for instance, contributed directly or indirectly to peace and stability as well as to migration issues. Mr Pete Manfield, from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said: “drought conditions already persist in Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and primarily in Ethiopia” while “excessive rain in parts of the region, primarily in Somalia, Kenya and Uganda could lead to widespread flooding, directly affecting up to a further 2 million people”. [Declaration]

The strongest El Nino in decades is going to mess with everything (Mint), El Niño strikes Ethiopia (NYT), East Africa countries seek funds to curb El Nino effects (Global Post), Building climate resilience in the Limpopo Basin: EOI (AfDB)

Botswana’s annual steel import bill at P775m (Mmegi)

Botswana's steel import bill stands at P775 million annually but the establishment of the Pula Steel Manufacturing and Casting Plant will reduce the need to buy from outside, Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi has said. Officially launching the factory, Masisi said local steel demand last year was met primarily by South Africa and China. According to international trade statistics, SADC imported P36 billion worth of steel in 2014 and the local demand amounted to P775 million.

Private sector development in fragile situations: EOI (AfDB)

The AfDB invites individual consultants to indicate their interest in the following assignment: Private Sector Development in Fragile Situations. The consultant will be expected to provide the following services under the Assignment, among others:

Kenyan flowers account for 7% of global production (The Standard)

South Africa stone-fruit growers see record exports in season (Moneyweb)

SA’s credit rating at risk? (Business Report)

Vodacom sale proceeds to fund SA’s first BRICS Bank payment (Business Day)

Building Asia’s new bank: audio of an address by Jin Liqun (Brookings)

Rethinking development strategies after the financial crisis: making the case for policy space (UNCTAD)

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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)