ATPC DAILY DIGEST 9 SEPTEMBER 2020

Rules of origin, SPS and TBT under African Preferential Trade Arrangements - The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) is carrying out a comparative study focused on two crucial non-tariff measures that must be complied with for private sector operators to access preferences: (1) Rules of Origin (RoO) and (2) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) measures. In this light, we kindly asked for your support and participation a 10-minute survey. Your participation is vital to help us better understand the obstacles that prevent private operators from fully taking advantage of the opportunities arising out of trade agreements, and therefore assist policymakers with designing more inclusive trade agreements. Participate in the survey at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1H4I5E9tzHmgGW9DCKQY43TuMzohk6BgLbf5kbO3NA-w/viewform?edit_requested=true. (UNECA)

Key Words: UNECA, Trade Agreements, Rules of Origin

INTERNATIONAL

Economic Watch: China advances digital trade to fuel economic growth – China has set its sights on the rapidly developing digital economy and digital trade to fuel economic development and seek higher-level opening-up. At the ongoing China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, products and services in the telemedicine, online education, digital entertainment and other industries have attracted significant attention from visitors. Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the CIFTIS runs from Sept. 4 to 9 and has attracted about 100,000 attendees, with 18,000 enterprises and institutions from 148 countries and regions taking part. For China, digital trade will surely help advance its opening-up to a higher level, said vice commerce minister Wang Bingnan while addressing a forum at the CIFTIS.

LEAPFROG DEVELOPMENT - China's digital economy has achieved leapfrog development, said Xiao Yaqing, minister of industry and information technology, at the forum. He said that the digital economy has become an important support for China's high-quality economic development, as evidenced by the statistics. In 2019, the country's digital economy hit 35.8 trillion yuan (about 5.23 trillion U.S. dollars), accounting for 36.2 percent of GDP.

Last year, China's digital trade totaled 203.6 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 26 percent of the country's total trade in services and up 6.7 percent year-on-year, said Wang.

NEW ENGINE FOR GLOBAL ECONOMY - As a digital wave driven by the new generation of information and communication technologies gains momentum, the digital economy and digital trade have become new engines for global economic development. "Data have become the most important trading resource after capital goods," said Huai Jinpeng, a senior official with the China Association for Science and Technology. He added that digital technologies play an increasingly important role in the services trade, and digital trade is the future of trade development. (Big News Network)

Key Words: China, Global Trade, Economic Growth

Climate change: Major energy companies lag in green shift – Only 10% of global energy utility companies are expanding their renewable energy capacity at a faster rate than their gas or coal-fired capacity. That is the main finding of a study by Galina Alova from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. The study, published in research journal Nature Energy, found that of the 3,000 utilities studied most remain predominantly invested in fossil fuels. And of those prioritizing renewable energy growth, 60% had not halted expansion of their fossil fuel portfolios. The companies with the slowest transition tended to be larger and from outside Europe, Alova told DW. "The renewables-prioritizing cohort of utilities that I identified comprises companies that are overall larger and own a larger market share in the countries where they operate, compared to the other companies," she said. "The key issue is that the majority of these companies continue in parallel to expand their fossil fuel-based capacity, although they do so at a slower rate." Her research highlights a gap between what is needed to tackle the climate crisis and "the actions being taken by the utility sector," she added. These companies face the risk of carbon lock-in, given that a third of their fossil fuel capacity has been added in the last 10 years, so is here to stay for decades. "Unless it is retired early, it will render significant shares of their portfolios stranded," Alova said. "Although there have been a few high-profile examples of individual electric utilities investing in renewables, this study shows that overall, the sector is making the transition to clean energy slowly or not at all," she said. (DW)

Key Words: Global Trade, Global Growth, Business

PAN AFRICA

AGRF targets urban food supply boost amid Covid-19 disruption – As Africa’s food systems face up to unprecedented Covid-19 supply disruption, AGRF’s Virtual Summit begins tomorrow in Rwanda under the theme ‘Feed the Cities, Grow the Continent’. The virtual summit, which runs until Friday, brings together thousands of delegates from government, the private sector and research and development organisations at a time when Africa is dealing with the effect of lockdowns and border closures on already fragile food supply chains riven by climatic events. Agriculture makes up 23% of the continent’s GDP and provides work for nearly 60% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s economically active population. Exports of food and agricultural products are worth between $35bn and $40bn a year, while some $8bn a year flows through intra-regional trade in agricultural products. Since the onset of the crisis however, agricultural exports have faced demand disruptions and supply chain issues, while localised pricing spikes and market and logistical bottlenecks have been seen, according to McKinsey research. Logistics costs have spiked due to travel restrictions, border checks, curfews, staff shortages, and volume reductions. Extra demand-side pressure may worsen food insecurity as incomes dwindle and food prices increase. In Kenya, pricing for most food commodities was between 4 and 27% higher than at the same time last year. That has complicated the agricultural picture on a continent already under severe pressure. (The African Business)

Key Words: Africa, Trade, Regional Integration

Absa commits to growing African trade with award-winning online platform – Absa, recent winners at Global Finance’s 2020 World’s Best Corporate/Institutional Digital Banks Awards in Africa, is transforming trade on the continent. The group is broadening access to trade finance by digitising its trade finance offering, ensuring increased trade opportunities that boost economic growth in Africa. “Trade is critical to Africa’s growth,” says Michelle Knowles, pan-African head of trade finance product at Absa Corporate and Investment Bank. It has been hindered by a lack of access to trade finance, despite growing demand for products that give importers and exporters multiple ways of financing trade transactions and a range of proven risk mitigation options.

Trade finance gap set to widen- “There is demand for trade finance across the region,” Knowles says, “but supply is not keeping up”. She says the estimated trade finance gap in Africa is between $110bn and $120bn. “Only a quarter of Africa’s trade finance needs are being met.” She says the trade finance gap is likely to widen in the next 18 months, leaving businesses facing an uphill battle to access the resources and support they need to fulfil their trade needs. “Trade finance is an integral part of Absa’s business. We are accelerating our efforts to meet the demand for trade finance and be a key provider of trade finance on the continent to enable the free trade agreement,” Knowles says. This includes digitising trade finance products. (Business Day)

Key Words: Trade, Africa, COVID-19

Comesa warns against rising pyramid schemes – THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa has warned consumers in the trading bloc to be warry of the pyramid schemes that are defrauding people of their hard-earned money. A pyramid scheme is a fraudulent investment plan that has cost a lot of people worldwide their hard-earned savings. In a statement, the Comesa Competition Commission (CCC) said its attention had been drawn to the activities of a scheme known as ‘Crowd1’, which markets itself as a digital multi-level firm and whose operations are being investigated in some jurisdictions. “The Comesa Competition Commission (CCC) advises consumers in the region to be on the lookout for pyramid schemes whereby people are encouraged to join and recruit others at a fee to make money,” said the bloc. “Consumers are, therefore, advised to exercise caution when dealing with Crowd1 and also conduct research about companies they wish to invest in to avoid losing their hard-earned money. The CCC said specifically, the commission has noted that authorities in the Philippines and Namibia found that Crowd1 members made money by recruiting others and the organisation has since been banned in Namibia. In Philippines, authorities are said to have issued a cease and desist order to Crowd1 for operating without a license. Furthermore, Comesa said authorities in Mauritius and New Zealand have issued investor alerts, advising the public to exercise caution in their dealings with Crowds. The commission has observed that some pyramid schemes pose as multi-level marketers that pretend to be selling products. (Chronicle)

Key Words: Africa, Trade, Regional Integration

AfDB contributes to regional food security through forum- The African Development Bank (AfDB) says its partnership with African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) is to promote policies aimed at ensuring food security in the continent. Mrs Wambui Gichuri, AfDB’s Acting Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja. Gichuri said the partnership had become imperative because of the need to prioritise policy support in the light of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “As COVID-19 causes disruptions across Africa, we must prioritise policy support, especially for small and medium enterprises that produce, process and market 60 per cent of food consumed on the continent. “We need to enhance movement of inputs and food, increase production of, and access to, healthy and nutritious foods, establish food security task forces in countries, as well as strengthen regional organisation capacity to monitor multi-country initiatives. “AGRF is the platform to move these policy conversations forward,” she said, and added that “the acting vice-president will lead the Bank’s ‘digital delegation’ to AGRF.” The statement said the delegation included Atsuko Toda, the bank’s Director for Agricultural Finance and Rural Development, and Martin Fregene, the bank’s Director for Agriculture and Agro-industry. Others included Esther Dassanou, Coordinator of the Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for the Women of Africa initiative (AFAWA), and Edson Mpyisi, Coordinator of the Bank’s Enable Youth programme. According to the statement, the delegation will take part in nine AGRF sessions. Gichuri is scheduled to deliver remarks during a nutrition-themed plenary entitled “Building Back Better – Growing the Continent”.“This policy symposium is expected to discuss the UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, the ongoing pandemic, and feeding the continent,” the statement added. It said that Toda would moderate a bank-organised AGRF side event tagged “Integrating African Food Systems through the Lens of SME Champions”. (Naija247 News)

Key Words: Africa, AfCFTA, Regional Integration

Post-colonial African Economic Development in Historical Perspective – Africa’s positioning on the global scene has seldom been devoid of controversy. Africa has long been portrayed through a distorted lens that betrays the true stature of the continent. With a landmass of over 30 million square km, Mercator’s map projected Africa’s size to be equal to Greenland’s, whose size is fourteen times less. Mercator’s 1569 cartographic depiction of the world became one of the most influential and widely circulated world map projections throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Whilst some have argued that the initial intention was mostly to provide a navigation tool for sailors because of the ease in ensuring angle and shape accuracy, it morphed to become the recognised global map, adorning backgrounds of daily television news, homes, walls and the cover of many atlases. In fact, despite the knowledge of these distortions, Google continues to use it as a basis for web projection. Many have also argued that the Mercator projection reinforced Western colonial attitude towards Africa and an image of European dominance (Peters 1983; Henderson and Waterstone 2009). Arno Peters, in 1967, provided an alternative way of looking at maps to correct for what he perceived as the inaccuracy and racism being projected by the Mercator map. It led to one of the most stimulating and controversial debates on Africa. Africa is easily as big as India, China, the US and most of Europe combined. Africa’s blue economy is even bigger than its landmass. The maritime zones under Africa’s jurisdiction alone totals about 13 million square km including territorial seas and approximately 6.5 million square km of the continental shelf (UNECA 2016a). Still, when Saarinen conducted a study in 1992 that tested the way people viewed the world, the results suggested a diminished view of the size and importance of Africa (Meffe 2013). (CODESRIA)

Key Words: Africa, AU, Regional Integration

Changing Global Complexities Affecting Africa’s Performance Outlook, Says Ex-President Sirleaf – Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf says the world is witnessing increasing complexities and shifts in alliances amid the reordering of priorities in the wake of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. Addressing the Annual Bruegel flagship event, which gathers high-level speakers to discuss the economic topics that affect Europe and the world, Madam Sirleaf said unexpected changes in the wake of the pandemic are changing and affecting Africa’s performance outlook. he former Liberian President told the conference that the Covid-19 pandemic has slipped across the securities of countries’ borders to infect big and small counties alike. It is indiscriminate in its painful and crippling effects on lives and livelihoods. “The rich and the poor, the young and the old; the haves and the have nots; first worlds and third worlds; men, women and children; Christians, Muslims and worshippers of all religions; combatants on opposing sides of conflicts – all of us, everywhere, are experiencing the agonizing and collapsing effects of Covid- 19.” Sirleaf said the Second World War witnessed a shift in world power and perception, removing Europe from the epicenter as the United States, Russia and now China and Asian nations have all risen to claim important roles and places in economic and political considerations. Madam Sirleaf said the next century will prove to be more challenging for Europe as world powers including those that form the core of European Alliance are driving toward nationalism, populism and isolation with growing consequential threats to freedom, democracy and multilateralism. BREXIT is but one example. (FPA)

Key Words: Africa, Trade, Regional Integration

Fear That Oil Firms Will Dump Plastics In Africa – The oil industry has asked the United States to pressure Kenya to change its world-leading stance against the plastic waste that litters Africa, according to environmentalists who fear the continent will be used as a dumping ground. The request from the American Chemistry Council, whose members include major oil companies, to the Office of the United States Trade Representative came as the US and Kenya negotiate what would be the first US bilateral trade deal with a country in sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya three years ago imposed what was praised as the world's strictest ban on the use, manufacturing and import of plastic bags, part of growing efforts around the world to limit a major source of plastic waste. Environmentalists fear Kenya is now under pressure not only to weaken its resolve, but to become a key transit point for plastic waste to other African countries. "This deal will have dire consequences in terms of the environmental pollution because plastics have been touted as the major polluters of our water bodies," said Fredick Njehu, senior political advisor at Greenpeace Africa. "African countries are looking upon Kenya to actually reject the deal and also reject the fact that they (would) be used as an entry point to access the African markets," he added. The April 28 letter from the American Chemistry Council's director for international trade, Ed Brzytwa, seen by The Associated Press, urges the US and Kenya to prohibit the imposition of domestic limits on "production or consumption of chemicals and plastic" and on their cross-border trade. (Republic World)

Key Words: Africa, Trade, Regional Integration

EAST AFRICA

Ports, Railways And Pipeline Agencies Commit To Joint Operations Framework- The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) and Kenya Railway have formally signed a framework for joint operations under the Kenya Transport and Logistics Network to be overseen by the National Treasury (KTLN). The framework signed on Tuesday followed the establishment of KTLN on August 7 through an Executive Order by President Uhuru Kenyatta. In the new agreement, the three State agencies will work together under the coordination of Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC). The ICDC will work under the coordination of the National Treasury. National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani oversaw the signing of the ceremony at the KPA headquarters in Mombasa. Yatani said the framework was part of an agenda for the transformation of government-owned companies.“The signing of this Framework Agreement reaffirms the president’s commitment to reforming the Kenyan economy and more particularly the state corporations through which much of the Government’s growth and transformation agenda is directly implemented,’ the CS remarked. He said the agreement is aimed at improving efficiency at KPA, Pipeline and Railways. “We expect that through this new integrated and seamless approach of operational integration, the country will reap the benefits of created synergies through increased efficiency, lower cost of doing business and hence competitiveness of our products and services, and generally higher returns on the infrastructural investment,” CS Yatani stated. (Capital News)

Key Words: EAC, Regional Integration, Trade

New Seychelles airline to launch as cargo carrier, due to pandemic - Private-sector startup airline Seychelles International Airways (SIA) has announced that it will commence operations on September 10 as a cargo-only carrier, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will initiate its services with a four-engined Airbus A340-600, it announced in a press conference, the Seychelles News Agency reported. The airline also revealed its logo: a stylised Seychelles blue pigeon (a species indigenous to the archipelagic country). “We are not focusing on passenger flights at the moment unless there is a demand or a chartered flight, which will follow all procedures of the health department,” said SIA CE Robert Marie. “We are focusing on bringing cargo into the country as we feel and have evidence that Seychelles needs cargo.” The new airline is backed by $20-million to $50-million in funding from unnamed local and international investors. In the long-term, it desires to develop intercontinental passenger operations from Mahe (the Seychelles’ capital). Such operations were, in fact, its original intent. “[S]ince Air Seychelles is not doing long-haul, I don’t see any competition with regards to that apart from other carriers coming in,” he pointed out. (Engineering News)

Key Words: East Africa, Regional Integration, Trade

Ethiopia to make, export Covid-19 test kits with China's help – As Covid-19 cases continued to climb sharply, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health on Sunday announced that the country will start manufacturing its own test kits with China’s help. The announcement came as the Horn of Africa nation passed the mark of one million tests, the third highest in the continent after South Africa and Morocco. The ministry said preparations for the collaboration with China were going well. Deputy State Health Minister, Dr Dereje Duguma said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is advising the Chinese government on the matter and that manufacturing will begin in September. He did not give details of the production capacity but said Ethiopia will completely stop importing test kits. The country is also planning to export the product to other African nations. (The EastAfrican)

Key Words: East Africa, Regional Integration, Trade

EAC rolls out Regional Electronic Cargo and Driver Tracking System – The RECDTS App is designed to stop Corona in its tracks along EAC key transport corridors. The East Africa Community (EAC) Secretariat and its Partner States today held a virtual roll out event to mark the technical completion and development of the Regional Electronic Cargo and Driver Tracking System (RECDTS). RECDTS is designed as a mobile phone application and will enable the issuance of the EAC COVID-19 digital certificates that are mutually recognised by Partner States, thus eliminating need for multiple testing as well as contributing to alleviating ongoing congestion at East Africa border crossing points. The roll out was witnessed by the Chair of the EAC Council of Minister, Hon Prof Nshuti Manasseh, Ministers of Health from Kenya and Uganda as well as the EU Ambassador to Kenya, H.E Simon Mordue. RECDTS provides a surveillance system to monitor long distance truckers crew health and enables contact tracing. It allows Partner States to electronically share truck drivers’ COVID-19 test results; therefore, minimising need for multiple COVID-19 tests in a single trip. The reliance on manual certificates and delayed test results at the borders has been reported as one of the main reasons of long delays at border points, such as those witnessed in Busia, Malaba, Nimule and Elegu. Some of the delays have caused tail backs of trucks measuring tens of kilometres in some cases. (tralac)

Key Words: East Africa, Regional Integration, Trade

WEST AFRICA

Ecobank Nigeria Set to Host Virtual Africa Trade Conference – Ecobank Nigeria, a member of the pan African banking Group has concluded plans to host its first Regional Trade Conference. The virtual forum with the theme "Facilitating Regional Trade in the emerging AFCFTA era" is slated for the 22nd of September. The conference, which will feature presentations and panel discussions by highly experienced subject matter experts and thought leaders in relevant industries, will provide an opportunity for exporters and importers within Africa to engage, creating a marketplace experience. The Ecobank Nigeria 'Africa Trade Conference 2020' earlier slated for March was postponed due to the lockdown restrictions following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Announcing the new date and movement of the conference to an online platform in line with current realities, Sunday Abah, Head, Trade Finance, Ecobank Nigeria stated that due to its unrivalled footprint across Africa, Ecobank is uniquely positioned to facilitate cross border trade within the region leveraging its comprehensive trade solutions and various payment methods available across its network within Africa. According to him, "Ecobank's unique intra-Africa trade solutions enable settlements of international transactions and mitigation of payment risk while providing regional solutions such as issuance of payment guarantees to exporters without the need for a letter of credit and its related costs to the importer. Ecobank works closely with clients in structuring transactions, settlements, financing and risk mitigation" he noted. (Proshare)

Key Words: Nigeria, Regional Integration, Trade
‘AfCFTA will resolve trade conflicts on the continent’ – Ghana’s Amb. to China - Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Edward Boateng believes that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will present numerous opportunities to the continent and resolve petty trade disagreements amongst countries. With the AfCFTA bringing a lot countries together, he is of the view that intra-trading amongst countries will increase trade and present the continent with a large part of the agricultural profitability cake. There has been an existing trade feud between Nigerian traders in Ghana and Ghanaian traders following concerns raised by Ghanaian traders that foreigners have taken over the retail business which has been designated to Ghanaians under the GIPC Act 2013 (Act 865).

This has led to the forceful closure of Nigerian owned shops by the Ghana Union of Traders Association. Reacting to the above and the recent visit to Ghana by Nigeria’s speaker to resolve trade issues posed to him by Happy 98.9 FM’s Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, he said; “I think if we can resolve the issue of production, some of these issues will resolve themselves. Why do we have our people engage a lot in petty trading? I believe it is because we lack opportunities that is why we face these problems. But the AfCFTA will help us get lots of these opportunities.” He noted that Africa is spending billions to import rice and other products but if the continent starts producing in large quantities and trading amongst each other by the truck loads, there will not be petty squabbles. He noted with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a predicted increase in food prices and with Africa readily positioned, it will benefit largely. “The AfCFTA presents huge advantages and we need to position ourselves to enjoy them,” he stated. Revealing that the European Union (EU) has its own problems, H.E Boateng furthered that the AfCFTA will also have its own problems but “we will resolve it”. “The EU has its challenges but because of their number, they always have a sit down and resolve their differences.”(Ghana Web)

Key Words: WA, Regional Integration, AfCFTA

We’ve eliminated over 95% of trade barriers along borders for member states ― ECOWAS – The Economic and Community of West African States, ECOWAS on Monday said it has eliminated over 95% of trade barriers along borders for member states under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, ETLS. This was as it said that Nigeria alone accounts for 60 to 70 per cent of products under the scheme. Head of ECOWAS National Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Joseph Oyi disclosed this during a consultative workshop organized by the ECOWAS Post 2020 vision held in Kano State. Mr. Oyi represented by Tajuddeen Epo further reeled out other achievements by the commission to include facilitation of peaceful and democratic change of government in seven countries including Nigeria. According to him, “positive developments in several West African Countries, including continued efforts being made to carry out political, constitutional and security sector reforms to improve good governance and democracy. The region facilitated peaceful and democratic change of government in Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mali, Togo and Senegal. “Under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, ETLS, the region has eliminated over 95% of trade barriers along borders of member states. Presently, Nigeria has over 2,400 companies with over 6,900 products under the scheme. Nigeria alone accounts for 60 to 70 per cent of products under the scheme. “Accordingly, the goal of this workshop is to articulate the views of various stakeholders on impact of ECOWAS Vision n 2020, as well as the expectations of the people of Nigeria, with regards to the formulations of the ECOWAS Vision 2050 document. “The objective of this workshop is to collectively assess the ECOWAS Vision 2020 and to ensure that the ECOWAS Post 2020 vision reflects Nigeria’s national interest as well as regional aspiration. (Vanguard)

Key Words: WA, Regional Integration, AfCFTA

SOUTHERN AFRICA

Remarks by Minister Ebrahim Patel at the Global Industrial and Manufacturing Summit, Video Recording, 4 September 2020 – Extract: African countries are learning the hard lesson that we cannot remain simply exporters of raw materials and importers of finished goods like medical supplies and processed food products. We must confront uncomfortable facts and deal with Africa’s position in the global economy. Africa has 17% of the world’s population, yet only 3% of the world’s GDP, 2% of the global manufacturing output and 1% of global steel production. There is an urgent need to grow the manufacturing base and shift from a provider simply of raw materials and unprocessed agricultural products to the rest of the world; and an importer of consumer goods. Dear friends, it is said that Africa does not produce what it consumes; and Africa does not consume what it produces. This is highlighted in trade, where less than 13% of goods imported by African countries in 2019 were supplied by other African countries. Developing a manufacturing base in a competitive, globalized world is necessary but will take hard work, drawing in business, government and communities in deep partnerships to create conditions to enable industrialization on scale. A dynamic manufacturing base increases the economic multiplier in an economy and helps to expand the technological base, creating many more service-sector jobs. It is a key transformer of agricultural and mining output into higher value consumer goods, creating jobs in the process. There are necessary steps we need to take as Africans; and there are valuable things that can be done by partners and friends outside the continent. From our side in Africa, we recognise we need to integrate economies to create scale and size can help to foster greater competitiveness. To do this, we have a concluded a treaty setting up an African Continental Free Trade Area, which we call the AfCFTA, covering potentially more than a billion consumers. (the dtic)

Key Words: SA, AfCFTA, COVID-19

SADC convenes Webinar to showcase the African Medical Supplies Platform – On 4th September, 2020, SADC Secretariat, in partnership with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Afrexim bank, African Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and African Union Special Envoy, Mr Strive Masiyiwa, convened a virtual meeting, to discuss the opportunities offered by the African Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) to SADC Member States. These include opportunities to procure items at reduced costs through pooled procurement mechanisms and by growing local manufacturing through procurement of locally produced goods. The meeting provided insights about the structure and workings of the platform for SADC Member States Pharmaceutical Procurement Agencies, national medical products regulatory authorities, national bureau of standards agencies, private sector operators and other key stakeholders to access and leverage the benefits of the platform, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The African Medicine Supply Platform (AMSP) is a joint initiative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, African Centre for Disease Control, Afrexim bank and AU Special Envoy, Strive Masiyiwa. It was created to deal with the challenges and opportunities as result of COVID-19, with a view to promote access to safe and affordable quality medicines in Africa, through pooled procurement, as well as capacitating local production for improved health outcomes, in line with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The platform was officially launched by His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union on June 18, 2020. Delivering remarks on behalf of SADC Executive Secretary, Deputy Executive Secretary, Corporate Affairs, Ambassador Joseph Nourrice highlighted that the initiative came at the right time for SADC to propel the efforts towards pharmaceutical manufacturing; to provide an efficient, innovative and cutting edge system to eliminate procurement bottlenecks, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. (SADC)

Key Words: Regional Integration, SADC, Economic Growth

Centre africain pour la politique commerciale

ATPC DAILY DIGEST 9 SEPTEMBER 2020

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