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tralac’s Daily News Selection
The selection: Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Mauritius and Brexit: Prime Minister’s statement to National Assembly (GoM)
No formal inter-ministerial committee has been established on the issue of BREXIT. However, informal consultations have been held with the private sector on the possible fall-out of BREXIT. These discussions are still ongoing and this issue is on the agenda of the next Joint Public-Private Sector Steering Committee. Sir Anerood Jugnauth pointed out that our exports on the UK Market may be affected if the benefits of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement which provides duty and quota free market access to Mauritius on the UK Market, by virtue of its membership in the EU, are removed. However, we do not believe that this is likely to happen, given that even if the UK were to exit the EU, there would be a transitional period of 2 years during which the UK would be expected to respect its obligations, he added. During that transitional period, we would seek to transpose the commitments of the UK under the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement into a new arrangement, underlined the Prime Minister. [Brexit weighs on SA trade ties]
Ambassador Michael Froman: speech to the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (USTR)
But while we are waiting for ratification, other countries are sewing up their own trade agreements, putting our exports and our farmers and ranchers at a disadvantage. For example, there is a trade agreement that Australia already has with Japan. And that is giving Australian beef exporters superior access to Japan than we have. In April, the agreement’s third round of tariff cuts took place, and that means that Japan’s duty on Australia’s beef has fallen to 30.5% for fresh or chilled beef, and 27.5% for frozen beef. Those tariffs are going to continue to decline, to 19.5%. In the meantime, we face tariffs of 38.5%, and I am perfectly prepared to relate that our beef is better than Australian beef. If we face a tariff that is twice as much as what Australian exporters are facing, we are going to lose market share. In fact the, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has already estimated that right now, we’re losing $122, a year in exports to Australia, and that number is rising. But when it comes to ag, TPP is more than about tariffs and quotas. It’s also about the rules. Making sure other countries, for example, live by the same science-based regulations that we do.
If India signs RCEP, it will not be the ‘pharmacy of the world’: MSF (The Hindu)
Humanitarian aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières has warned India that the country will not remain ‘pharmacy of the developing world’ if the proposals in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement are adopted. The RCEP is a regional trade agreement being negotiated between the 10 ASEAN countries currently in Auckland. A leaked copy of the intellectual property text being discussed at RCEP negotiations shows that Japan and South Korea have made several “alarming” proposals to include intellectual property rules that go beyond what international trade rules - agreed under WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights require. [India's pharma exporters hope for a barter-deal with African nations to beat currency blues]
Trends and measures of global trade growth (E15Initiative)
Is there more that the G20 can do to restore trade and economic growth and, if so, what could the T20 think tanks do to help? Hector Rogelio Torres, Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), suggests that T20 think tanks could help by enlarging the analysis in two ways:
ICGLR Heads of State and Government summit: a wide-ranging communique
Noted with great concern the growing threat of terrorism and radicalization in the Region and internationally, and called for sustained solidarity in fighting this menace with greater vigour and resolve, including implementation of the earlier ICGLR Summit decision by establishing a Committee of Ministers of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence of ICGLR to expeditiously formulate a strategy and practical actions towards addressing this threat against the region.
All's not fair in proposed SACU reforms (ISS)
This weekend, SACU ministers will be meeting in South Africa for a retreat to try once again to set a new strategic direction, a roadmap into the future, for this critical body. The leaders of the member countries will meet in a summit, also in South Africa, sometime before 15 July – when South Africa’s term as SACU chairs ends – to adopt or reject this roadmap. The aim of the changes in the SACU treaty would be to turn it ‘from an arrangement of convenience held together by a redistributive revenue formula to a development integration instrument,’ South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said during a press briefing in Kasane, Botswana, last Friday. [The author, Peter Fabricius, is an ISS consultant]
Is the EAC at a tipping point? – 2 (IPPMedia)
The EAC is now receiving the due recognition it deserves in Tanzania. It manifestly shows that politics matters and that it is the right leadership that drives right politics. What then could such new positive leadership environment foster for deepening and widening EAC integration? What can President Magufuli’s entry onto the EAC political leadership stage mean in real terms for pushing the EAC into a higher trajectory of success? Will he be able to shift gears from what has basically been a lacklustre stance by Tanzania in the past four years and create the enabling conditions and drivers that foster a more robust collective execution of decisions and the implementation of agreed projects and programmes that move the EAC to higher levels of integration? [The author: Ambassador Juma v Mwapachu]
North-South Corridor: Government must address chaos at Beitbridge Border Post (The Herald)
In addition the mercenary attitude among border officials has contributed to the collapse of standards. For instance, the volume of travellers who accessed the country through Beitbridge Border Post in December last year was down by 42% compared to the same period in 2014. This is attributed to the depreciation of the South African rand and that other travellers now prefer the less busy Plumtree and Mpeongs border posts. Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Transport and Home Affairs should expedite full implementation of the OSBP concept between Zimbabwe and South Africa. Bogus customs clearing agents, beggars, touts, conmen have also contributed to the madness at Beitbridge Border Post. The Government must also set up an accreditation body for customs clearing agents and freight forwarders, which would go a long way in addressing issues such as corruption. [The author: Thupeyo Muleya, Senior Reporter] [Zimbabwe making progress with Walvis Bay dry port]
ECOWAS urged to reduce non-tariff barriers to trade (News Ghana)
Another common finding of the NTM surveys relates to procedural obstacles. They found that many challenges are directly linked to delays and high costs of compliance and clearance procedures, often because local authorities lack modern equipment. Stefan Nalletamby, the Acting Vice-President Infrastructure, Private Sector & Regional Integration at the AfDB, said that ‘most of the bottlenecks are related to application procedures that hamper directly regional competitiveness and might be a major obstacle to regional integration and economic development in Africa’. [Download the presentation by Ursula Hermelink]
China's 'Belt and Road': where is Africa? (The Diplomat)
To the surprise of many observers, Africa is not mentioned in either of these two routes. Why not? Is it due to historical reasons? The historical Silk Road included only a small part of Africa; back then, Africa was not the destination or a main participant in the ancient Silk Road. Or is it for modern reasons – perhaps because Africa is not ready to participate in the “Belt and Road” due to the current state of transportation infrastructure and social-economic development level on the continent. In my view, neither of these arguments are convincing. Instead, the engagement of Africa within the “Belt and Road” initiative is still open for discussion. In 2015, the African Union launched Agenda 2063, intending to accelerate the modernization and industrialization progress of the African continent. The “Belt and Road” initiative provides a strategic chance to dock China’s development strategy with Africa’s Agenda 2063. [The author, Cui Xiaotao, is a researcher at the Department for Developing Countries Studies, China Institute of International Studies, China MFA]
Ethiopian Airlines: ‘Use us as a gateway to Africa’ (The Hindu)
Ethiopian Airlines is Africa’s largest carrier, and also its most profitable. In eight years, while the airline accumulated $800 million in profits, the rest of the African aviation sector incurred losses of $1.5 billion. The airline is now buying more aircraft to expand its long haul fleet and wants to improve the connection between India and Africa. Chief Executive Officer Tewolde Gebremariam tells Amrita Nair-Ghaswalla that it is time for India to expand its bilateral service agreement. Excerpts from an interview:
'Bringing African Voices to TICAD VI': Nairobi consultation statement (AU)
The Citizens and Diaspora Directorate partnered with the Civic Commission for Africa, the Japan Citizen Network for TICAD, and the Kenya government to bring Africa’s non-state actors to a sensitization and consultation meeting for Tokyo International Conference on Africa's Development. The meeting took place from 9-10 June 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting culminated in a declaration to TICAD VI. The programme of action comprised of five pillars, Industrialization, Health, Water and Sanitation, Women and Youth, and Social Security. The statement:
COMESA trade and investment guides
The COMESA Secretariat has signed an agreement with Leading Edge Publishers to collaborate in gathering and dissemination of news and information on trade and investment in the COMESA region. The first publication under the partnership will be on Madagascar which is the host of the 19 COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit in October this year. Key issues in regional integration will be in focus including COMESA trade and investment promotion strategy and the Tripartite Free Trade Area agreement among others.
Africa Solidarity Trust Fund improving food safety in southern Africa (FAO)
A project - funded by the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund - working on strengthening food safety controls as well as improving the management of plant and animal pests and diseases in the subregion, convened a workshop on bivalve safety management for experts from Angola, Namibia, Madagascar and Mozambique. Speaking at the opening session of the meeting (6-10 June 2016), Babagana Ahmadu, FAO Representative in Namibia highlighted both the nutritional and economic benefits derived from the bivalve mollusc.
Global Nutrition Report: Malnutrition becoming 'new normal' amid obesity boom (Daily Nation)
Malnutrition is becoming the "new normal" as rising rates of obesity across the world coincide with persistent undernutrition in many poorer countries, according to a major study released Tuesday. The Global Nutrition Report says the number of people who are obese or overweight is rising almost everywhere, fuelling an increase in diabetes and other diseases. At least 57 of the 129 countries studied were experiencing serious levels of both undernutrition and adult obesity, putting huge pressure on health services, said the study. [Downloads]
Malawi Demographic and Health Survey 2015-16: key indicators report (pdf)
Is the World Bank Group on Track? (IEG)
After a period of decline, the overall performance of World Bank Group projects appears to be stabilizing, according to a new report released by the Independent Evaluation Group. The 2015 Results and Performance of the World Bank Group report provides a detailed assessment of the factors driving project outcomes across regions, business units, and sectors. The report looks at the performance of projects completed during FY12-14. Overall, the report shows a mixed picture across different parts of the World Bank Group. [Downloads, data]
Call for papers: 10th International Colloquium of Rabat on the theme 'Trade, investment and sustainable development'
Africa Union Advisory Board on Corruption: Arusha meeting statement
Malawi: French Govt to fund mineral mapping project (The Times)
Angola: IMF team completes visit
Mkapa, Shivji denounce EU’s trade pacts as retrogressive (IPPMedia)
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