Germany has handed over maritime security equipment to the Multi-national Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) in Accra, Ghana to assist ECOWAS maritime security measures. The equipment donated to the Centre is one of the efforts of Germany in consolidating its maritime safety support for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The equipment, worth 1.2 million Euros, consist of 18 items-a Barrett long range telecommunications device including nautical and marine radio facilities, satellite communication radio, computers, monitors and voltage regulators, a Mast as well as minibus and their accessories.
EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel says Europe is dedicated to helping Africa build a single digital market, so that e-commerce can pave the way to better jobs and greater equality on the continent. Mindful of its own experience in building a single digital market, the European Union is dedicated to helping Africa do likewise and help unleash the transformative power of e-commerce on the continent, the EU’s digital economy and society commissioner, Mariya Gabriel, has said on the opening day of UNCTAD’s E-Commerce Week in Geneva.
The capacity of Mombasa, East Africa’s principal port, will soon increase after an investment of €1,46 billion by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to cut time lost in traffic jams and congested ports. The funding announced in Luxembourg on Thursday will also improve sustainable local transport.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, is wooing Czech investors to the agricultural sector in Ghana. He has told Czech investors that Ghana has some of the best policies for foreign investors and urged them to take advantage of the opportunity to invest in the country’s agricultural sector. Dr Akoto was addressing a Czech Republic-Ghana agro-food business forum at the ongoing TECHAGRO 2018 exhibition in Brno in the Czech Republic.
Mr Tetteh Hormeku, Head of Programmes at the Third World Network, has advised governments in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to use lessons from the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) for the post-Cotonou possible framework. He said the ACP countries would get “the same rotten deal we got from the EPA” if they failed to apply the experiences gained from the EPA. Mr Hormeku was speaking at the opening of a two-day Civil Society Consultative Seminar on the Post-Cotonou Agreement in Accra.
Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica is visiting South Africa, where he is meeting, the Minister of Finance Mr Nhlanhla Nene, and the Minister for Small Business Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu. Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica is visiting South Africa, where he is meeting the Minister of Finance, Mr Nhlanhla Nene, and the Minister for Small Business Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu.
While the UK prepares to leave one of the world's largest trading blocs, Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, is declining to join one in the first place. Nigerian President Buhari is yet to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which aims to establish a free trade area between 16 West African countries (and Mauritania) and the European Union.
A total of more than 10 companies in Belgium have shown interest in coming to The Gambia for investment and trade, two Belgian firms have confirmed. “About 10 to 20 companies in Belgium have shown interest in coming to The Gambia for investment and trade,” said Thomas De Beule, chief executive officer of C&M, a corporate and management firm in Belgium. Delegates from these companies are due in The Gambia from 4 to 8 November, this year, to have direct discussions with the relevant government ministries and with the businesses they may want to enter into joint ventures and corporation with.
There is a long held debate about the volume of intra-African trade. Some say it is 10 per cent, others say it is underestimated because it could be more than that, and put it at 12 per cent. It is about 3 per cent of global trade. According to the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), global trade (in current prices) increased from $13 trillion in 2000 to an estimated $30 trillion in 2010, but Africa’s share in world trade has been in decline since 1980 and currently stands at about three per cent. According to the 2010 International Trade Statistics of the World Trade Organization compared to other regions, intra-African trade is low.
The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Michel Arrion, said Nigeria can play a more active role in West Africa integration process. Arrion who compared Nigeria to Germany, one of Europe’s engines of integration, says Nigeria could play a similar role in the region. Speaking to Leadership correspondent in Kaduna, the ambassador who will complete his tenure in a few days said the EU enjoys a wide spectrum of relationship with Nigeria, in particular with the business, civil societies sectors, activists, the media and the creative community. Arrion further said the EU maintains an excellent relationship with the ECOWAS, having worked with the organ at the commission level.