SADC SPS Strategy Handed Over in Gaborone

1

On August 4, 2015, senior staff of the SADC Secretariat, government officials from the United States Embassy Botswana, USAID, and the Southern Africa Trade Hub gathered at the SADC Secretariat for a ceremony to celebrate the handover of the recently completed Regional Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Strategies for Food Safety, Plant and Animal Health. The Regional SPS Strategies will strengthen the capacity of SADC’s fifteen Member States to effectively manage sanitary and phytosanitary risks by implementing SPS measures

2

consistent with international standards and best practices. Robust and effective SPS measures and quality controls promote intra-regional trade in plant and animal products, food safety, and the timely management of SPS-related threats. As US Ambassador to Botswana Earl Miller stated during his address at the ceremony, “the US government believes improving SPS strategies will lead to increased trade flows in Southern Africa: promoting economic growth, creating jobs, and increasing the standard of living for hardworking people across our region.”

• AGOA – Celebrating 15 Years of Growth

• USAID/Mozambique Opens National Enquiry Point

• Trade Hub Completes Assistance to Zambia’s Rural Electrification Authority

• Persuasive Communication Training for Women Entrepreneurs in Botswana and Zambia

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

1

“AGOA at 15: Charting a Course for a Sustainable U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment Partnership,” took place in Libreville, Gabon, from August 24-27, 2015. The forum provided an opportunity to celebrate the recent renewal of AGOA, take stock of AGOA’s successes over the last fifteen years, and launch a dialogue on the shared vision for the future of U.S.-Africa trade. AGOA, the centerpiece of the United States government's trade policy with sub-Saharan Africa, was extended by 10 years on June 29, 2015. In his address, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman noted, “Ten years ago, many thought sub-Saharan Africa would become less important to the global economy. Today, sub-Saharan Africa is among the fastest-growing regions in the world. History shows that it’s a mistake to bet against Africa, and the

2

progress we’ve made together through AGOA encourages us to aim even higher.” USAID’s Southern Africa Trade Hub attended the AGOA Forum and made a presentation during the Doing Business Under AGOA portion of the Civil Society and African Women Entrepreneurs Program (AWEP) session. Bilateral meetings with other participants from Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, and Zambia) were held as well as with institutions engaged with AGOA-related initiatives: the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Discussions centered on the trade requirements under AGOA reauthorization and the need for beneficiary countries to each have an AGOA Utilization Strategy filed with the US Trade Representative (USTR).

HUB HAPPENINGS – September 2015 Page 2 of 4 www.satradehub.org

AGOA Forum in Gabon – Celebrating 15 Years of Growth

US Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman addresses the forum

HUB HAPPENINGS – September 2015 Page 3 of 4 www.satradehub.org

2

IT and office equipment, extensive training, development of promotional materials, and a series of public outreach events that have expanded the reach and access of the NEP while reinvigorating its role of this important trade facilitation tool.

1

With the launch of the country’s expanded National Enquiry Point (NEP) on August 13, 2015, Mozambican exporters and importers now have an effective “one-stop shop” where they can receive information necessary for doing business with other World Trade Organization member countries and neighbors in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). The new and improved NEP will benefit trade by identifying standards, technical regulations, and conformity procedures to improve regional and global market access. In partnership with USAID’s Southern Africa Trade Hub, the Instituto Nacional de Normalização e Qualidade (INNOQ) undertook an ambitious collaboration to reinvigorate the NEP over the last 14 months. USAID provided new

Hub Concludes Assistance to Zambia Rural Energy Authority

Over the past two years, USAID’s Southern Africa Trade Hub, in partnership with USAID Zambia, implemented a two-phase capacity building program for the Rural Energy Authority (REA) Board consisting of a technical workshop and a field visit to Namibia to observe rural electrification practices, and trained the technical staff of REA in project management and proposal evaluation. The exchange to Namibia allowed REA to learn low-cost rural electrification methods not currently employed in Zambia. This visit strengthened ties between the REA and the Namibia Ministry of Mines and Energy. REA staff not only benefitted from the new knowledge and experience gained through Trade Hub support, but also by receiving tools to use in their daily work including ten Microsoft Project licenses and RETScreen© software. In addition to the training, the Trade Hub assisted REA in developing Guidelines for Incentives to Implement Rural Electrification Projects.

USAID/Mozambique Opens National Enquiry Point

3

The improvement of the NEP fulfills one requirement under the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, which states that member nations must develop effective enquiry points and strengthen their legal and regulatory framework for standards in order to increase trade.

USAID/Mozambique Mission Director Alex Dickie addresses the NEP Launch in Maputo

 

 

The  views  expressed  in  this  publication  do  not  necessarily  reflect  the  views  of  the  United  States  Agency  for  International  Development  or  the  United  States  Government  

HUB HAPPENINGS – September 2015 Page 4 of 4 www.satradehub.org

 

Upcoming Events and Activities

DATE EVENT LOCATION

September 1 Workshop on Formulation of National Trade Policy Lesotho

September 1-3 Comprehensive Trade Facilitation Programme Workshop South Africa

September 3-4 WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Training on Standards Swaziland

September 16 REFIT Open Stakeholders Workshop Zambia September

17-18 National Quality Awards Swaziland

Persuasive Communication Training for Women Entrepreneurs in Botswana and Zambia USAID’s Southern Africa Trade Hub developed a two-day Persuasive Communication and Negotiation Training for women business owners and entrepreneurs in Southern Africa in collaboration with renowned persuasive communications expert Dr. Barbara Tannenbaum, whose clients include Microsoft, Google, and high profile American politicians. The innovative new training course incorporated results of a Trade Hub gender analysis and was tailored to address the specific constraints, needs, concerns, and opportunities experienced by women business owners and entrepreneurs in Southern Africa. It features modules on impact and delivery styles, visual and verbal presentation, goal and audience, confidence, negotiation, persuasion, credibility, and trust, as well as discussions on how culture and gender influence communication. From August 13-14, 2015, the training was presented to nearly two dozen members of the Women in Business Association (WIBA) in Gaborone, Botswana. The training was then presented to twenty members of the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program- Zambia (AWEP) in Lusaka, Zambia, from August 18-19. Participants represented a variety of business sectors, including agribusiness and farming, textiles, crafts, mining, and machinery. Particular attention was paid during the course to helping participants attract new clients, negotiate deals, and take their businesses to the next level.

Persuasive communications training participants in Lusaka