NEWS BRIEFS
Kenya’s Sugar Export Saga
Kenya will push for a further extension of the Common Market
for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)-recommended sugar sector reforms
to prepare local producers for imports from the economic bloc.
The Kenyan Trade and Industry Minister, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi said that the
country's sugar sub-sector is far from efficient and opening it to
competition would be disastrous. According to Mumias Sugar Company,
arguably the region's largest sugar producer, there is no political will
to fast-track the industry's preparedness to face competition, is evident
from the conflicting signals coming from concerned authorities.
(Source: allafrica.com, 10.04.07)
Zambia Benefits from Liberalisation
There is a lot of debate on whether least developed countries (LDCs)
would benefit from trade liberalisation. Dr Aaditya Mattoo, Lead Economist
in the Development Research Group of the World Bank (WB) cited
restrictions to entry certain crucial sectors such as telecommunications,
transport and tourism. He criticised the country’s national
telecommunications company, Zambia Telecommunications Company (ZAMTEL),
for depriving 30,000 households’ access to telephones.
However, as much as internal factors have and are playing a role in
restricting Zambia’s benefits from the liberalisation process, it is
imperative to address the external barriers that the country and many
other least developed and developing countries face in their quest to
fully realise potential benefits from the liberalisation.
(Source: Zambia Daily Mail, 03.04.07)
Regional
Integration Dilemma
The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and COMESA continue on
their path towards regional integration to enhance trade flows within the
sub-regions and, therefore, promote development.
Acting Chairperson of the Cross-Border Traders Association (CBTA) of
Zambia, Celeste Mwanakisi, has noted that trade flows within the
sub-regions have been continuously facing bottlenecks despite the free
trade arrangements (FTAs) agreed upon. With inflation running at over 1000
percent in Zimbabwe, the traders are avoiding Zimbabwe due to losses that
may be incurred as a result of the country’s weak currency.
(Source: www.allafrica.com, 11.04.07)
COMESA to
Launch Framework on Trade in Services
The COMESA has made substantial progress in the establishment of
a regional framework on trade in services that would make it easier for
individuals and business involved in intellectual trade within COMESA and
outside.
Speaking at the opening of an art exhibition in Lusaka, in March 2007,
COMESA Secretary General, Erastus Mwencha, said that the framework would be
ready for consideration during the forthcoming COMESA summit in May 2007. It
is hoped that the framework will help artists and other people involved in
intellectual property trade to be better able to conduct their businesses
not only within the sub-region but also internationally.
(Zambia Daily Mail, 19.03.07)
Zambia Tackle Capacity Constraints
Zambia expects to see the completion of the €3.5mn (US$4.77mn) EU-funded
construction of the laboratory for the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS)
by the end of 2007. The laboratory is expected to have modern testing
equipment for electrical products and general chemistry. Zambia, on the
completion of the project, would be placed in a better position to effectively
and efficiently handle exports and imports.
The laboratory will play a significant role in monitoring the import of
low quality electrical products, and help some Zambian exporters to raise
production standards and export goods to meet internationally accepted
standards.
(Zambia Daily Mail, 15.03.07)
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