The draft programme of the 2019 WTO Public Forum is now online (click here). This year's Forum takes place from 7-11 October under the headline of 'Trading Forward: Adapting to a Changing World'. A number of grain trade participants will be leading sessions, including Gafta, the Grain and Feed Trade Association, who will table 'Digital Transformation of the Agricultural Trade', and Cargill, Incorporated who will lead on 'Global Trade Systems and the Next Generation: Connecting Our World'. Other trending issues at the Public Forum include: Digitalization and digital trade (Gafta, ITC, WEF, ICC) Millennials and Gen Z expectations for the future of trade (WTO, UNCTAD, ITC, Cargill, Incorporated, Government of Canada, farming unions of Norway and Switzerland) WTO reform (Africa Trade Network, Government of Brazil, Apex-Brazil, AEGIS Europe) WTO dispute resolution (Bertelsmann Stiftung) Sustainability and trade (ECOSOC, Confederation of British Industry, Government of France, Governmnent of Canada) Developing countries and the international trade agenda (World Bank, IICA) Gender and trade (Gender and Trade Coalition, Trade Mark East Africa) Source: Public

East African Community member states are working towards linking the regional electronic payment system to other payment solutions in Africa, to ease trade around the continent following the launch of the African Continent Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The performance of the East African Payment System (EAPS), which was launched in May 2014, has been hampered by the reluctance of member countries to trade in each other’s currency, leaving Kenya to control over 98 per cent of the transactions through the system. EAC central banks are now exploring ways of transforming the system by linking it with other payment solutions in Africa to enable seamless transfer of cash across the continent at both retail and wholesale levels. Bank of Uganda’s deputy governor Dr Louis Kasekende said the move will help boost intra-Africa trade and support the growth of regional firms. Currently, Kenya dominates transactions in the EAPS, which allows citizens of member countries to make and receive payments in regional currencies — the Kenyan shilling, Ugandan shilling, Tanzanian shilling, Rwandan franc and Burundian franc. During the 2017/2018 financial year, Kenyans accounted for over 98 per cent of the transactions in this system amounting to $ 2.37 billion out of $2.41 billion, with a paltry $40 million being transacted by Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi. Source: The East African

The Workshop brought together key Stakeholders, Transport Corridors and Development Partners to discuss the challenges posed by GHG emissions and agree on a common methodology for measurement. Stakeholders and Development Partners from Member countries of three Transport Corridors namely; Northern Corridor, Dar es Salaam Corridor and Central Corridor established a road map of actions towards a joint effort of reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Pollution in the transport sector by harmonizing emissions data collection, sources and estimation methodologies. As a way forward, after a two day mobilization workshop on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Pollution in the Transport Sector held in Nairobi,  Kenya, from 30th to 31st July 2019,  participants recommended that emissions data collection requirements should include among others, Vehicle/equipment type, distances covered, tonnage carried, amount and type of fuel consumed, and Emission Factors. The aim of the two day workshop was to mobilize key Stakeholders towards reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Pollution by fostering a common understanding in harmonisation of comparability of indications and methods of collecting emissions data, calculation methods and agreeing on common emissions factors to be used. Specific objectives were to have a common understanding of the environmental impact of GHG emissions, the principles and evaluation methods of GHG emissions,the importance of monitoring & evaluation processesrequired, Carbon off-setting options, the use and options for sustainable energy utilization; and identifying the reporting requirements and validation techniques for GHG emissions, assessing the benefits of a GHG reduction program as well as sharing experiences on GHG evaluation in the transport and...

In the past 10 years, Kenya has adopted a new spine for national economic growth, shifting from the initial focus on agriculture and service industry, with infrastructure now largely considered the enabler to development in hitherto neglected regions and sectors. MASS EVICTIONS In Nairobi, the quest to rejuvenate the capital city’s infrastructure has been so upbeat, more so in 2018, that we now speak of mega infrastructure projects. Road construction has seen the largest of these ventures. Planned and ongoing construction projects include A104 (Mombasa Road) from the Likoni Road junction to James Gichuru Road junction by the government and Nutrip, funded by the World Bank; European Union-funded ‘Missing Link 15 B’, commonly known as Deep Sea road; James Gichuru-Rironi road; and dualling of Ngong Road. There are also plans to build a highway bridge connecting Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Mombasa Road to Kangemi on the Nakuru highway. The 28km bridge, an expressway, is expected to stem the problem of passengers missing flights at the JKIA due to perennial traffic congestion in the city centre. The same mega road projects have happened in Mombasa, as seen in the expansion of the Sh6 billion Moi International Airport-Port Reitz-Magongo and Mombasa-Miritini roads into dual carriageways, interchanges and overpasses. Ongoing projects include the dualling of the Mombasa-Mariakani highway, Dongo-Kundu Bypass and Mombasa Northern Bypass, which were set to increase efficiency in the Port of Mombasa. Construction of a road connecting the Mombasa port to Bujumbura, which a recent report indicated is finally...

TradeMark Africa (TMA) has signed a $3.14 M financing agreement with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) which is aimed at ensuring that EAC countries comply with the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The agreement was signed by TradeMark Africa (TMA) CEO, Frank Matsaert and the Secretary General of UNCTAD, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi in Geneva. The initial TradeMark Africa (TMA) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Financial Aid Arrangement was signed in 2015 and implemented from early 2016 with three components: Trade Facilitation (TF); Trade Portals and Gender. The main objective of component I was to assist in setting up the institutional environment for Trade Facilitation in five East African Community (EAC) Partner States (PS); Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The main activity was focused on creating the National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs) in the five mentioned PS and to empower them through a capacity building program allowing them to coordinate and supervise their national TF processes, including implementation of the World Trade Organisation Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA). The main achievements of the capacity building program were WTO TFA ratification by Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda and the notification of A measures by the EAC PS in 2015 and the B and C measures for Rwanda in June 2018. As of 2017, the five EACcountries have had their NTFC legally established and operationally functional. The current cooperation agreement was foreseen to end in December 2017. However, due to several delays at national levels...

On a recent trip to Ethiopia, Britain’s new international development secretary Alok Sharma announced plans for a new commission to mobilise private sector investment for bankable infrastructure projects in developing countries. During his two-day visit, Sharma allocated £10m of infrastructure investments to East Africa’s fastest growing economy, Ethiopia. The funds were earmarked for clean energy and sustainable infrastructure projects in Ethiopian cities, the Department of International Development (DFID) said.As one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, Ethiopia has “huge potential for future trade with the UK,” DFID added. Commissioning infrastructure The new commission aims to mine the expertise of UK and international business leaders in order to scale up infrastructure development in Africa and other emerging economies, according to DFID. Deploying a team of experts with experience in infrastructure development in Africa and Asia will help mitigate the risks of infrastructure projects and make such ventures more attractive to foreign investors, especially those in the City of London, Sharma said. “The focus will be to help make investment in infrastructure in developing countries more attractive to businesses and investors,” the department said. African economies on the continent currently face a £140 billion annual infrastructure gap, which requires urgent private sector investment, the African Development Fund says. The Commission hopes to facilitate private equity support to build infrastructure projects and create better trading partners for Britain, Sharma said. This Commission will aim to turbo-charge investment in green, sustainable infrastructure, leading to more jobs, better access to basic services and opportunities for businesses, creating the UK’s...

In about two weeks-time the 39th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) begins in Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli, who is currently the deputy chairperson of SADC, will take over the rotating leadership of the regional organization from his Namibian counterpart Hage Geingob at the Summit. The theme for this year’s meeting is on the focus of the past four SADC Summits that sought to advance industrial development and takes into account the need for sufficient infrastructure to support industrialisation and the need to engage the youth, who are no question the bulk of the SADC population and headache for those responsible to come up with way to absorb them efficiently in economic undertakings. I recognize contributors would love to have their voices head, from presentations that will look at encounters and prospects in financing infrastructure projects that are key in stimulating industrialization program to those who might contemplate on openings for developing regional value chains within SADC and their benefits in stimulating intratrading within the region et cetera. As I join other contributors I would like to re-examine industrial development in Tanzania and what would take to make it take off swiftly in the prevailing business environment that is increasingly becoming very competitive. To begin with, I would like to examine the possibilities requirements and nature of industrialisation suitable for SADC member states with a clear understanding of the nature and magnitude of Tanzania’s journey to middle income and the...

Africa is a continent of immense contrasts. It has vast reserves of natural resources but suffers from severe economic inequality. Nevertheless, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) has brought some reasons for optimism as it presents an important component for economic transformation. Yet, such development must be coupled with clear regulations and guidelines if we are to have any hope of attaining the primary goal of boosting intra-African trade. This, from the beginning should be pioneered with the practical implementation of normative frameworks to support the course. Part of this normative framework is a combination of innovative trends on exported products and intra-country trade which ought to be shaped by policies at the local, national and global levels. In order to optimally leverage on AfCFTA for collective progress and prosperity, we need governance frameworks, protocols and policy systems that ensure inclusive and equitable benefits. Most importantly, we need to embrace the fact that there is a disconnect when it comes to the goods exported within African countries by African countries vis-aʹ-vis the goods exported by African countries outside the continent. To ensure that the member countries reap the benefits that come with AfCTA, this asymmetry ought to be addressed with utmost urgency. According to a study by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the share of intra-African exports as a percentage of total African exports has increased from about ten percent in 1995 to around seventeen percent in 2017. Meanwhile, only 13 per cent of Africa’s world...

Central bankers across Africa are paying special attention to the noises coming out of the U.S. Federal Reserve as they mull impending calls on monetary policy easing. On Thursday, the South African Reserve Bank announced its first cut to interest rates in over a year, lowering rates by 25 basis points to 6.5% as the continent’s most industrialized economy tackles low inflation and its starkest contraction for over a decade in the first quarter. Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Angola will all set rates this week. Nigeria recently passed measures compelling banks to boost lending, while a drought in Kenya drove up inflation. “Monetary policy in Africa has been held hostage to the Fed hiking cycle for the past 18 months, with African central banks maintaining nominally high domestic interest rates to protect their currencies against capital outflows, despite an improving inflation outlook,” Ipek de Vilder, European executive director at international brokerage network Auerbach Grayson, told CNBC. “The policy is working as 2018 was the first year since 2015, when African currencies were essentially flat vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar relative to annual deprecation about -10% over the previous four years,” she added. When the Fed tightens policy for an extended period it tends to lower demand for traditional U.S.-based safe haven assets, sending investors searching for return elsewhere. This often facilitates a windfall for emerging markets and causes central banks to mirror Fed measures to stabilize supply and demand. The recent shift to a more dovish tone from the Fed has...

African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) was signed during the African Union Summit in Kigali, Rwanda on March 21, 2018. Uganda is part of this bloc. Focusing on the bloc’s modus operandi, the operational phase for AfCFTA was launched on Sunday, July 7 during the African Union summit in Niamey, Niger where Ghana was announced as the host of the trade zone’s headquarters. Countries were required to ratify before bringing into force the trade framework, that is designed to free the continent of tariff barriers, bolster trade among African countries, drive industrialisation and create jobs. At present, 24 countries have submitted their instruments of AfCFTA ratification, including Uganda. Five others have also started the ratification process. How Uganda stands to benefit from the world’s largest trading bloc According to UNCTAD’s December 2018 report, more than 90 per cent of African countries are on the List of Least Developed Countries. AfCTA could be a silver lining for possible relief from predators that have continued to blackmail African economies unfairly through conditional debts, sanctions and other forms of exploitation. Uganda’s commitment to be part of AfCFTA, which is a continentwide economic integration presents enormous opportunities for Ugandans as ensuing benefits for Africa will be immense. If all 55 African countries join a free trade area, it will be the world’s largest (going by the number of countries); covering more than 1.2 billion people and with a combined GDP of 52.5 trillion. It will be the world’s largest free trade area since the...