News
tralac’s Daily News Selection
The selection: Monday, 25 April 2016
This week:
At the WTO: Malawi's Trade Policy Review, 27/29 April
In Dar: the Russian-African Business Forum
In Dakar: trade and development finance top ACP Ministers’ agenda
AGOA mid-term review: update (AU)
The 2016 AGOA Mid-Term Review, organised by the AU Mission to the US, was mainly focused on the effective implementation of AGOA, the development of strategies for its utilization, and the importance of sustained capacity building for eligible countries. It served also as a platform to efficiently prepare for the forthcoming AGOA Forum, which will take place in Washington, DC this year. In her opening remarks, the Commissioner for Trade and Industry emphasized the importance of focusing vigorously on the implementation of AGOA following its reauthorization in order to achieve maximum results.
One Stop Border Post Sourcebook: updated edition (COMESA)
The second edition of the One Stop Border Post Sourcebook is set to be released following the conclusion of a stakeholder’s review exercise. The Sourcebook is an operational guide on the OSBP concept and includes the legal and regulatory frameworks, simplification and harmonization of border procedures, physical facilities and the use of information and communication technologies. During the review workshop held last month in Addis Ababa, the participants discussed on how to use the Sourcebook to operationalize OSBPs and shared experience and lessons learned. They also addressed the role of RECs, development partners and international organizations in the promotion of the OSBP concept and the approach to regularly update the sourcebook. The forum also underscored the need to build a community of practice in developing policies, rules, regulations, standards, and procedures can participate, probably on a web-based platform which, if properly structured, could become a vehicle for updating the Sourcebook.
This weekend's Northern Corridor Integration Projects summit in review: Regional leaders call for faster implementation of EAC projects (New Times), Uganda president Museveni’s oil polygamy and the East African pipeline race (M&G Africa), Tanzania-Rwanda railway line on track, says official (New Times)
How the oil pipeline deal slipped out of Kenya's hands (Daily Monitor)
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta is usually a very jolly man. But at the 13th Northern Corridor Infrastructure Summit held at the weekend in Munyonyo, Kampala, he appeared to be the opposite of his usual self. Days to the summit, it had been concluded, and perhaps he had even been briefed early enough, that Uganda had chosen the southern route through Tanzania for the proposed multi-billion dollar crude oil export pipeline. With an election not so far away, according to insider accounts, Mr Kenyatta had hoped for his country to snap up the deal via the Northern route to the Lamu Port on the Indian Ocean. The project commencing in a pre-election year meant investments, jobs and other associated benefits--which undoubtedly would go to his government's credit. Ugandan technocrats, however, knew clearly and very early enough, after several feasibility studies, that nothing worked in Kenya's favour.
Oil pipeline 'ready June 2020' (Tanzania Daily News)
Construction of the 1403 km pipeline to transport crude oil from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga Port in Tanzania is expected to be completed by June 2020, the Minister for Energy and Minerals, Professor Sospeter Muhongo, announced. Implementation plan for the $4bn pipeline will be up for discussion next Friday in Tanzania where the Ugandan Minister for Energy and Minerals, Ms Irene Muloni, will lead a delegation from Kampala.
Formative evaluation of TMEA projects on non-tariff barriers to trade (TradeMark East Africa)
Detailed recommendations are set out in Chapter 4 and a summary of key recommendations and relevant action points is provided at the end of this executive summary. These include, inter alia, accelerating and augmenting awareness raising activities to reach more beneficiaries; supporting studies to build the evidence base for NTB specific costs and benefits and assessing the impact on gender; strengthening the ability and willingness of stakeholders to strategically Prioritize removal of certain NTBs; linking regional and national online reporting systems; and promoting lesson sharing across the region. [Infographic]
Establishment of a navigational Line between Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean: feasibility study EOI (AfDB)
The principal objectives of this project are to develop sustainable transport linkage between the Nile Basin countries, namely Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt. This will help promote economic integration among the Nile Basin countries through trade movements, and cheaper and cleaner transport means for goods and people, and ultimately build a development corridor on the Nile River. The project includes the following components:
China’s CHEC involved in investment of $1bn in the new port of Maputo (MacauHub)
An international consortium, which includes the port company China Harbour Engineering Co, is projecting an investment of $1bn in a new port in Maputo province, to serve Mozambique and neighbouring countries, including South Africa. The project for the deep water port of Techobanine in Matutuíne district, southern Maputo province, is being promoted by a consortium led by Mozambican company Bela Vista Holdings (BVH) that in addition to CHEC, inckudes South African public rail company Transnet, according to weekly newspaper Savana. Mozambique and Botswana initially agreed to this project in 2010.
Central Africa: EU, UNDP discuss challenges and priorities for regional action (UNDP)
The participants in the policy dialogue discussed a series of recommendations which aim at encouraged and enhanced ownership by the Central Africa region to advance development, ensure stability and peace, and greater citizens’ voice and participation. “Both ECCAS and CEMAC are important long-term partners of the EU,” said Carla MONTESI, European Commission Director for West and Central Africa.
Lesotho: Fitch downgrades Lesotho to 'B+', outlook stable (Reuters)
The recent SADC commission of enquiry report on its investigation into the death of a former army general highlights the institutional weaknesses. Fitch does not expect meaningful improvement in the political environment in the short-term. Fitch estimates continued weak real GDP growth in 2015 and 2016 due to ongoing political tensions, a drop in SACU revenues and a recent drought. The political tension has hit investment, consumption and confidence, affecting the implementation of the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP). Fitch forecasts GDP growth of 2.8% in 2016 up slightly from 2.7% in 2015, before increasing to 4% by 2017 as new mining production comes on stream and initial work on phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) boosts the construction industry. Donor relations are becoming increasingly strained.
Kenya reviews tea taxes to boost main foreign exchange earner (The East African)
Kenya is reviewing taxes and levies on tea production after industry executives and farmers said the charges were putting them at a competitive disadvantage. Producers of Kenya's No. 1 export earner complain about a 1 per cent levy on tea sold at a weekly auction in Mombasa and a 16 per cent value added tax on tea processed and consumed locally. A Kenyan department of agriculture team is reviewing taxes and levies, the department's principal secretary Richard Lesiyampe said, adding a report was due out shortly. "It will really help us to see what kind of levies, what kind of licences and fees that we can indeed waive," he said.
Integrating small cocoa farmers into the global value chain (UNCTAD)
This report examines consolidation patterns in the cocoa industry and their potential impacts on stakeholders along the value chain, in particular small cocoa farmers who constitute the backbone of cocoa production worldwide. It also discusses these farmers’ integration into world cocoa markets, highlighting some critical issues they face. It also also offers some policy recommendations which may help governments, the private sector, the international community and producers to foster the development of a sustainable cocoa economy by empowering farmers, consonant with the Global Cocoa Agenda adopted at the first World Cocoa Conference in Abidjan in 2012.
The recent Dakar workshop on advancing regional agro-food value chains: summaries by AgBiz and Donor Platform
China's Belt and Road Initiative: motives, scope, challenges (The Peterson Institute for International Economics)
The so-called Belt and Road Initiative has generated enthusiasm and high hopes but also skepticism and wariness. And as big as China's ambitions are, many obstacles stand in the way. In this volume of essays, edited by Sean Miner and Simeon Djankov, PIIE experts analyze the initiative's opportunities for China and the world, along with the logistical problems and political, economic, and security implications that have generated concerns.
China’s climate change South-South cooperation to date and future trends (UNDP)
Based on the findings of a global survey and interviews, this pioneering study considers and analyzes the experiences, needs and priorities of China’s partner countries and how China could support other developing countries in the future. Futhermore, this paper offers a number of recommendations for overall principles of China’s climate change South-South cooperation including the following: [The author: Moritz Weigel]
'We did not ban export of Nigeria’s agric products' – EU (Leadership)
Enterprise Mauritius initiates first ever promotion to Australia (GoM)
Egypt targets $5bn in trade with Algeria (StarAfrica)
Opportunities lost as Botswana misses AGOA train (Mmegi)
Africa Energy Resources Atlas: update (COMESA)
ECOWAS nations to get 2GW Green Energy corridors (CPAfrica)
SADC harmonized consumer price indices, February 2016
Ethiopia's trade regulatory system: workshop summary
New TAZARA boss pledges to tackle salary delays (Tanzania Daily News)
Mozambique unrest ‘a threat’ to Malawi business (Club of Mozambique)
Press briefing by African Finance Ministers: statements by Mr Mahamat Alamine Bourma Treye (Chad), Mr Martin Dlamini (Swaziland), Madame Rosine Coulibaly (Burkina Faso) Mr Mohamed Ibrahim (Somalia)
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