Vice President Salous Chilima on Tuesday addressed the 21st Common Market for the Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) summit in Egypt with a call for the regional block to move swiftly in adopting digitalisation and developing economic recovery plans following the devastation of the Covid pandemic. Chilima—who during the Sadc Summit in Lilongwe urged member states to embrace digitilisation and e-government—is representing President Lazarus Chakwera at the summit. Advertisement He said there was urgent need for Comesa to develop a robust economic recovery plan in order to build back economies because soon Covid will no longer be an excuse to people. “The Covid pandemic has reversed some of the gains that we had achieved over years in our respective countries. We, as Malawi, also have had our fair share of the negative impact that the pandemic caused on the economy,” he said. Chilima said on regional level, the value of Comesa’s total exports to the world decreased by 27 percent from $123.4 billion in 2019 to $90.3 billion in 2020, while the value of Intra-Comesa total exports declined by 11 percent from $10.9 billion in 2019 to $9.7 billion in 2020. Advertisement “What is more worrying is that the uptake of vaccines in the region is currently less than three percent. Therefore, as a response, we need to develop a robust economic recovery plan. “We need to build back. We need to build resilience. Soon Covid 19 will no longer be an excuse to our people. As a regional group,...

How are the trends like in terms of online shopping trends? Has anything changed due to a slump in the economy? Covid-19 has been a game changer. It has changed how and what people shop. Before Covid-19, people had more interest in brands. But now, they consider price and saving a little because they have less cash while others have lost jobs. The shift has been mostly visible among essential. Shoppers are sensitive to price, and we are witnessing an increase in demand locally manufactured products, because imports have become expensive due to disruptions in supply chains. Have standard operating procedures had a hand in these shifts? The online space is growing very fast. Customers who came for the first time during last year's lockdown have stayed. We are growing year-on-year and we are seeing double digit growth. The shift also includes vendors. Last year, we had less than 10,000 vendors, today, we have doubled that number to more than 20,000. That's a sign that people are using technology to survive and thrive, and are now able to maneuver the impediments brought by curfew and such others. What has changed for the last eight years you have been in business? We have observed incredible strides. Our teams have grown and we have overall coverage of Uganda where we deliver to every district in the country. When we started in 2013, we had about 10,000 products. Today, we have five million. We have thousands of buyers and sellers, and therefore the...

Industrialisation is crucial for Africa’s development and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could provide crucial impetus in the coming years. Major challenges and opportunities for Africa’s transformation model present themselves continuously. African countries have responded to Covid-19 by resorting increasingly to digital solutions but to a lesser extent with greener, fiscal measures. Prospects for African manufacturing at this year’s Africa Industrialisation Day appear brighter than last year when Africa was in the middle of the largest economic crisis for decades. While economic recovery is still slow, appropriate support linked to the implementation of the AfCFTA can boost manufacturing prospects significantly. Progress in Africa’s manufacturing performance In a paper published earlier this year, Carlos Lopes and I argued that discussions around premature deindustrialisation (a decline in the contribution of manufacturing to GDP ahead of its normal development path) were in fact premature in relation to many African countries. Taking recent World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI) data for the subset for sub-Saharan African countries, the share of manufacturing in GDP in 2020 was 12%, the same as it was in 2002, but up from as low as 9.2% in 2010. Despite the downturn in 2020, annual growth in real manufacturing value added was 3.3% over the decade to 2020 (up from 3% in the previous decade), significantly better than the 2.8% (and 1.9% respectively) annual growth for the world as a whole. Some countries have really transformed their industrial sector in recent years. Morocco surpassed South...

The Secretary General of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), Dr Hermogene Nsengimana, has called on African governments to strengthen their standards regulation agencies to position them as the springboard for economic development. He said standards played a critical role in the competitiveness of businesses and must be prioritised while the continent implemented the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to reap the benefits of the world's biggest trade bloc. Dr Nsengimana made the call at the 65th meeting of the ARSO Council in Accra last Wednesday. The ARSO Council members, who are heads of the standards organisations of member states, have met in Accra to identify a means of facilitating seamless intra-Africa trade through harmonised infrastructure. The meeting is taking place amidst calls to accelerate the harmonisation of standards in the region to achieve the objectives of the AfCFTA. It is being held under the theme: “The beginning of trade among African countries under the AfCFTA Agreement: Boosting intra-African trade within the African single market through ‘One Standard–One Test–One Certificate–Accepted Everywhere”. Harmonisation In order to reap the benefits of the free trade agreement, Dr Nsengimana said the ease of doing business in the region must be deepened by eliminating trade barriers and harmonising standards. “When we talk about one standard, we are talking about harmonisation and we are looking at equal collaboration or mutual recognition arrangement so that we can help our private sector to trade from Ghana to Kenya or South Africa with one standard so that...

The World Trade Organization's (WTO) forthcoming 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), to be held from 30 November to 3 December, comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted human and economic activities and heightened the significance of trade-related responses to accompany other global initiatives. Enhancing the participation of developing countries, including Commonwealth least developed countries (LDCs), in the multilateral trading system is indispensable because trade is an essential tool for growth and development. The WTO LDC Group, which includes eleven of the thirteen Commonwealth LDCs, have prepared and advanced proposals on their priorities and expected outcomes at MC12.[1] The below analysis by Colin Zhuawu, Economic Adviser (Multilateral Trade), Trade, Oceans and Natural Resources Directorate of the Commonwealth Secretariat, assesses the priorities of Commonwealth LDCs at MC12 and suggests possible strategies to pursue a favourable outcome. Multilateral Negotiating Issues Agriculture Discussions on Agriculture focus on several disciplines intended to correct trade distortions in agricultural trade, encompassing domestic support, export competition and market access. The discussions provide an opportunity for developing and least developed countries to address their food security needs through a Special Safeguard Mechanism and provision on Public Stockholding (PSH). Reductions in trade distorting domestic support by the world's largest subsidisers is imperative to improve access to markets for farmers in Commonwealth LDCs. Due to the highly complex and technical nature of deliberations on domestic support, a realistic outcome at MC12 would be agreement to initiate a specific work programme post-MC12 on the necessary reductions. However, Commonwealth LDCs might...

With a landmass bigger than India, China, the US and Europe combined, few doubt the scale of the African continent and its resources. However, until recently, only some have seen it as the growth market that it is fast becoming. Africa has grown its economy by five per cent annually over the last decade. With its population steadily growing towards two billion, the continent is projected to have the largest workforce by 2040. Also, with a collective GDP of $2.6 trillion by 2020 and $1.4 trillion of consumer spending, many see the impact of around 500m new middle-class consumers. After witnessing its worst recession in half a century in 2020, Africa’s economy is forecast to grow at a healthy pace of 3.8 per cent in 2021, driven by rising global demand as restrictions are eased, untapped market opportunities, a rebound in commodity prices and a rise in oil prices. While Africa’s vastness and diversity allow for entrepreneurship to flourish across communities, it also poses challenges to creating universal solutions for issues such as poverty and food security, because each country has its unique capacity for innovation. For instance, while Ethiopia, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Rwanda and Kenya ranked in the top 10 fastest growing economies worldwide in 2020, the continent still holds some of the poorest nations in the world. African economies are not the same in design. We have the oil exporters: Nigeria, Angola, Libya and Algeria; and the more diversified economies found in Egypt, South Africa and Morocco. Then...

... Call for effective use of natural resources The two Heads of State remarked this in separate events held at the Magogoni State House in Dar es Salaam, including citing the Tanzania- Uganda Oil and Gas Symposium and State Banquet. According to the Presidents, it was crucial for the countries to act fast so that their numerous resources can sustainably benefit the citizens of the two nations. On her part, President Samia revealed that the East African states have been endowed with immense natural resources, which have not been tapped as stated earlier by President Museveni. “The many natural resources a country possesses do not imply wealth, it’s important to tap and promote investment through the supply of raw materials, particularly in the areas including agriculture and geographical opportunities to create more jobs within the coun- try,” said President Samia. She cited other areas as production of goods, human resource investment and in- dustries established as well as examples of fertiliser factories, which should be exploited. The Head of State observed that experts from the two countries have agreed to explore more areas of cooperation in the energy sector, noting that the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP) will mean less if other areas of co- operation are not exhausted for mutual interest. She also cited the gas pipe- line to Uganda and the liquefied natural gas project (LNG) in Tanzania, which are going to add value to the EACOP project. The President, however, requested the private sector in...

UGANDAN President Yoweri Museveni has acknowledged the economic strides made by Tanzania in the area of infrastructures, and the increase in trade and investment being driven by the spirit of hard work, thereby boosting the country’s economy. President Museveni disclosed this after visiting the Dar es Salaam Port expansion and the execution of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), to witness the progress of the country’s key strategic projects in Dar es Salaam, on Sunday. At the Dar Port, he was able to make a tour at berth number 10 and 11 and also witnessed the Dar es Salaam main station built in the form of a Tanzanite mineral, rare gemstone only found in Tanzania. According to him, transporting freight by means of railway is considered effective, easier and saves time, taking into account that trains have the ability to move large volumes of cargo in a single trip. “The railway line is anticipated to boost the economies of our East African countries,” said President Museveni, who is in the country for a three-day state visit. Earlier, the Minister for Works and Transport, Prof Makame Mbarawa, said the implementation of the modern railway construction project is going to link the Dar es Salaam Port in Tanzania and Port Bell in Uganda, which are crucial for the economies of the two coun- tries and EAC through Lake Victoria. Prof Mbarawa noted that the process would thereby help fast- track loading and off-loading as well as reduce cargo congestion at the ports. He...

Malawi’s leading commercial banker, Stock Exchange listed FDH Bank impressed the international stage and left an indelible mark at this year’s Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Durban, South Africa. FDH Plc, which is the only Malawian bank to have participated at the 2021, mounted a business stand at one of the continent’s biggest business trade fairs to showcase its business packages. Chippi Saka, a Malawian based in South Africa and working as a trade and market officer in the department of economic integration at the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) formerly NEPAD. NEPAD said he has been impressed by FDH bank’s level of excellence and commitment to quality banking services. Speaking in an interview with Nyasa Times from his base in one of the busiest cities on the African continent, Johannesburg, Saka who is also a qualified accountant, said: “FDH Bank is a very serious and forward-thinking bank and I am impressed with their professional demeanour at Africa Intra-African Trade Fair. “I have in the past four days been visiting the Malawi stand at the Intra-African Trade Fair. FDH bank is amazingly impressive – It is the most ‘impressive’ bank and the only bank from my land of birth showcasing their products and services.” Saka said FDH Bank is ticking all the right boxes in its quest to becoming an international bank adding that all its services are people-centred. Said Saka: “FDH Bank is meeting people’s needs. FDH is selling itself vigorously to world stage. FDH is repositioning. FDH is...

  With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) poised to generate potential gains of up to $450 billion according to the World Bank, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) in Nairobi, in collaboration with OWIT Nigeria and OWIT Zimbabwe, are partnering to support African women entrepreneurs to participate in intra-regional trade. Speaking during the Africa Women Trade Conference organized by the two organizations on November 25 and 26, Aissatou Diallo, ITC Senior Coordinator for the AfCFTA and Least Developed Countries, said that trade under the AfCFTA would drive larger gains in earnings for businesswomen. Themed ‘Empowering Women in Intra-Africa Trade’, the conference encourages women entrepreneurs to trade cross continentally, taking advantage of the AfCFTA’s enormous potential for trade within the regional and continental markets. The conference further focuses on Africa’s investment opportunities while creating an opportunity for women entrepreneurs and business leaders to meet with investors. Supported by ITC’s One Trade Africa programme, the two-day hybrid event, with 200 participants on-site and 1,000 joining virtually, brings together traders, government agencies, financial institutions, investors, small businesses and local eco-system partners. Experts attending the conference say it is critical to establish what the AfCFTA means for women in terms of their participation in cross-border trade, value chains and public procurement from the onset. They also underscore women and youth are key stakeholders in continental economic development, as Africa’s informal sector accounts for 85% of the continent’s total economic activity; and while women account for 90% of the labour force in the informal...