The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and AfCFTA Secretariat announced the operational roll-out of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), a Financial Market Infrastructure to enable instant, cross-border payments in local currencies between African markets. By simplifying cross-border transactions and reducing the dependency on hard currencies for these transactions, PAPSS is set to boost intra-African trade significantly and underpin the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). PAPSS will serve as a continent-wide platform for the processing, clearing and settling of intra-African trade and commerce payments, leveraging a multilateral net settlement system. Its full implementation is expected to save the continent more than $5 billion in payment transaction costs each year. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank and Chairman person of PAPSS Management Board, said: “With the implementation of PAPSS, Africa can expect to begin to reap the fruits of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Afreximbank is proud to have contributed in the realization of the multi-decade dream that seemed unachievable just a few years ago. PAPSS is not positioned to replace existing regional and national payment systems but to collaborate and work with them in better integrating African economies for the benefit of all. We thank the African Union, the AfCFTA Secretariat, the West African Monetary Institute and African Central banks for a remarkable outcome.” The development of a pan-African payments infrastructure has been made possible by some of the continent’s leading institutions. The platform has been developed by Afreximbank, who also acts as the main Settlement...

SUMMARY The platform will enable traders to conduct cross-border trade using information technology to minimise physical barriers. Sokokuu is Swahili for big market. The platform enables manufacturers and suppliers in different member states to share information on their potential to produce and supply products. The Comesa Federation of Women in Business and the African e-Trade Group (Ae-Trade) have launched an online platform Sokokuu for traders in the regional bloc. The platform will enable traders to conduct cross-border trade using information technology to minimise physical barriers. Sokokuu is Swahili for big market. The platform enables manufacturers and suppliers in different member states to share information on their potential to produce and supply products. Sokokuu will complement existing platforms such as the womenconnect, which is used by women entrepreneurs in regional states to exchange information on the availability of essential products within the region. Two other Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) institutions, such as the Comesa Business Council and the African Leather and Leather products) have already signed memoranda of understanding with Ae-Trade to implement the Sokokuu platform. The AeTrade is a multi-stakeholder group of African professionals and business owners with a vision to develop and implement an e-empowerment programme, which will enhance intra-and inter-African trade. The group brings together public and private sector partners to develop projects that leverage the power of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the benefit of entrepreneurs in Africa. Speaking at the launch, during the Second Comesa Federation of Women in Business Annual...

Department of Economics, Faculty of Management Sciences, Mangosuthu University, Umlazi 4031, South Africa Academic Editor: George R.G. Clarke Economies 2021, 9(4), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/economies9040135 (registering DOI) Received: 7 July 2021 / Revised: 21 August 2021 / Accepted: 25 August 2021 / Published: 24 September 2021 Download PDF   Abstract Maritime transport remains the main gateway to the global marketplace. Ocean ports are a central and necessary component in facilitating trade. Ports are essentially a channel of integration into the global economic system. Resourceful and well-connected container ports empowered by regular and consistent shipping services are key to reducing trade costs, including transport costs, connecting supply chains and supporting global trade. Consequently, port performance is an important factor that can influence countries’ trade competitiveness. However, for Africa, the ports are dilapidated, lack essential infrastructure, are congested and perform poorly. Africa’s shipping and ports do not always match global trends and standards. In light of this, this study seeks to assess Africa’s current port performance and test the relationship between Africa’s port performance and trade performance. Very few studies have attempted to investigate the impact of port performance on trade. Hence, it was worthwhile to study the impact of port performance on Africa’s trade. The study used panel data that covering the period 2005–2018. An ARDL panel technique was used for estimation purposes. Results showed that port performance positively affects trade. This study argues that African ports require expensive infrastructure to be able to compete successfully. Africa needs to pursue an intensive course of infrastructure development...

Rwanda has set her eyes on putting in place instruments that remove barriers to trade and investment through increased collaborations with the private sector. Yves Bernard Ningabire, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, made the remarks on a panel discussing manufacturing and infrastructure development at the ongoing Concordia Summit. Ningabire was joined by Patience Mutesi Gatera, the Country Manager at Trade Mark East Africa, and Clarisse Iribagiza, CEO of HeHe Mart among others. Looking at the growth of Rwanda's manufacturing industry, Ningabire said, the sector's contribution to GDP grew from 14.5 per cent in 2016 to 19 per cent in 2019. “The sector is a key contributor to achieving Rwanda's 2050 targets,” he added. Boosting capacity Five days ago, trademark signed a deal with the AfCFTA, with an aim to collaborate on customs, transit and trade facilitation, harmonisation and mutual recognition of standards, said Mutesi. “We also want to work with the private sector to increase their capacity to trade by developing regional value chains to help firms increase their capacity to add value,” she asserted. Gatera shared similar views with Iribagiza who pointed out that her firm had embarked on a journey of increasing access to e-commerce tools and services for SMEs. “Our vision is to increase access to e-commerce tools and services for SMEs,” she added, “We want to use various infrastructure to enable Africa to aggregate its fragmented resources and make them more affordable and accessible.” After three days of high-ranked dialogues, the...

ECA simulations stress that AfCFTA is set to boost Eastern Africa manufactured exports, in particular, textiles & clothing exports will increase by 100 per cent KIGALI, Rwanda, September 24, 2021/APO Group/ -- The business community is a key part of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and could benefit immensely in terms of access to raw materials, technology and also increasing economies of scale for participation in regional and global value chains, said Ms Mama Keita, Director of UN Economic Commission for Africa, Office for Eastern Africa. Ms Keita was speaking during a webinar organized by ECA in collaboration with the East African Business Council (EABC) to discuss with the private sector of East Africa about the AfCFTA implementation in East Africa. The e-meeting participants exchanged views on how to harness the potential of the African markets and on how businesses can seize the moment to implement and benefit from the AfCFTA agreement. ECA simulations stress that AfCFTA is set to boost Eastern Africa manufactured exports, in particular, textiles & clothing exports will increase by 100 per cent, heavy manufacturing by 63 per cent, light manufacturing by 61percent, Processed food by 54 per cent while livestock & meat products by 39 per cent. In his presentation, Mr Rodgers Mukwaya, an Economic Affairs Officer at ECA said that the implementation of AfCFTA would increase intra-African Trade by over 50 per cent. The agreement would also boost the continent’s GDP by more than $40 billion, and its exports by more than...

The centres are expected to develop the next generation of African business leaders ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, September 17, 2021/APO Group/ -- The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and International Chamber of Commerce have jointly launched Centres of Entrepreneurship in Africa, under the theme, ‘Creating Livelihoods for Inclusion’. With strategic locations across Africa, the ECA - ICC Centres of Entrepreneurship will work with various stakeholders, including businesses, chambers of commerce, academic institutions, intergovernmental and governmental agencies, to connect local entrepreneurs to global markets and enhance regulatory conditions for SMEs to thrive. The entrepreneurship centres will develop the skills of young people who face uncertain employment prospects to mentoring local start-ups and entrepreneurs. The centres are expected to develop the next generation of African business leaders. Speaking during the virtual launch on 16 September 2021, Oliver Chinganya, Director of the Africa Centre for Statistics at the ECA, said “the launch of the Centres of Entrepreneurship comes at the right time when Africa is trying to build back better from the effects of Covid-19. We believe that these Centres, based in different regions of the continent, and with tailored-made solutions, can mobilize the next generation of entrepreneurship in Africa.” Mr Chinganya said the Centres will provide Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with the tools and pathways to expand their business and play an effective role in the goods and services supply chain. They will also provide pathways to accelerate women and youth empowerment a necessary action to accelerate Africa’s growth and recovery...

African shippers are currently experiencing a tragedy in liner services, with historic port bottlenecks now compounded by a surge in freight rates, making shipping operations difficult for many. Alphaliner released new data showing shipping lines deploying greater tonnage to the profitable East-West, transpacific, and transatlantic trade lanes, owing to COVID era supply chain disruption. Specifically, the data revealed liner services capacity to and from Africa had declined by 6.5 percent compared to a year ago. The data analytics firm gave the example of MSC, which had shifted some 13,000 TEU of ship capacity from African trading routes in favor of the Pacific. The report noted that the major reason behind the shift was due to the high revenue earned along the East-West trade routes. This has a significant impact on African shippers. For instance, Nigeria - sub-Saharan Africa's largest economy - has been unable to overcome persistent inefficiencies in port operations. As a result, exporters have lost about $218 million in perishables and other damaged products over the last one year due to gridlock at Apapa Port. In an interview with The Guardian Nigeria, Shippers Association of Lagos President Jonathan Nicol said that some trucks took three months to access the filled-up terminals, as there was no space to drop export containers. “The infrastructure on the ground cannot cope with the volume of cargo accessing the port and at the same time, costs are uncontrollable. This results in exporters hiring barges and berthing by the sides of vessels to load...

Addis Abeba, September 16/2021– The government of Ethiopia and Kenya yesterday signed the Moyale – Moyale One Stop Border Post (OSBP) operational procedure manual on a ceremony held in Addis Abeba.  Ethiopia through  the Ethiopia Customs Commission and the Border Control and Kenya through Operation Coordination Committee signed the operational procedure manual at an event attended by key private and public sector players from both countries. The Moyale – Moyale One Stop Border Post (OSBP)  was inaugurated in December last year.   One Stop Border Post (OSBP) started operations in June 2021.With the OSBP operations manual, border clearance processes will be easier, faster and cheaper for traders, transporters and travelers, while maintaining the border regulatory requirements of both counties through coordinated border management operations. The two governments discussed the opportunities available for traders to use the OSBP at a consultative workshop attended by representatives from various public and private sector organisations from both Ethiopia and Kenya. Kennedy Nyaiyo, Kenya’s head of delegation and the Secretary of Kenya’s Border Management Secretariat said, “The signing of the procedure manual will guarantee that all processes have been reviewed and harmonised . This will ensure that trading and cooperation between Kenya and Ethiopia is efficient and effectively facilitated.” His counterpart Debele Kabeta, Commissioner of the Ethiopian Customs Commission said, “Though the two countries have a long time friendly relations, trade connectivity between us has been quite insignificant compared to the potential we have for doing business.” Debele further explained that the volume and diversity...

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and TradeMark EastAfrica (TMA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that is set to boost trade in Africa. AfCFTA and TMA are now aiming at increasing prosperity in the African continent through the liberalization of trade. Barriers to trade The deal which was signed in Lome, Togo, by Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA, and Frank Matsaert, Chief Executive Officer at TMA will now see the organizations embark on working to reduce barriers to trade across Africa. This will be achieved by supporting engagement with the continent’s private sector on trade and economic development issues. Digitizing key trade processes These include digitizing key trade processes at a national level followed by linking these at a regional level and supporting policies to promote e-commerce across the Continent. Also in the agreement is developing regional value chains and investment; and developing Africa’s cross-border trade with a focus on women traders, youth, and MSMEs. Share of costs The agreement will allow the two organizations to share costs and support each other in logistical challenges as they seek to implement programs to develop trade across Africa. “The MoU will further allow TMA to carry out the necessary reforms needed to fully implement AfCFTA’s trade agreement, unlocking the Continent’s trade potential and increasing market competition. This will, in turn, translate into much-needed jobs within the target sectors,” said Mene. “We thank the AfCFTA Secretariat for the strong partnership forged and we look forward to jointly generating impact for...

In Summary The MoU was signed in Lome, Togo, by Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA, and Frank Matsaert, Chief Executive Officer at TMA. The MoU represents the next logical step for the two organisations as they work to reduce barriers to trade across Africa. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and TradeMark EastAfrica (TMA) have signed an agreement aimed at collaborating to boost trade in Africa. The AfCFTA Secretariat and TMA are now united in their shared goal of increasing prosperity in the continent through the liberalisation of trade. The MoU was signed in Lome, Togo, by Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA, and Frank Matsaert, Chief Executive Officer at TMA. The MoU represents the next logical step for the two organisations as they work to reduce barriers to trade across Africa by supporting engagement with the continent’s private sector on trade and economic development issues. These include digitising key trade processes at a national level followed by linking these at a regional level and supporting policies to promote e-commerce across the Continent. Also in the agreement is developing regional value chains and investment; and developing Africa’s cross-border trade with a focus on women traders, youth and MSMEs. The agreement will allow the two organisations to share costs and support each other in logistical challenges as they seek to implement programmes to develop trade in across Africa. “The MoU will further allow TMA to carry out the necessary reforms needed to fully implement AfCFTA’s trade agreement, unlocking...