The Brussels Development Briefing n.47 on the subject of “Regional Trade in Africa: Drivers, Trends and Opportunities” took place on 3rd February 2017 in Brussels at the ACP Secretariat (Avenue Georges Henri 451, 1200 Brussels) from 09:00 to 13:00. This Briefing was organised by the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with IFPRI, the European Commission / DEVCO, the ACP Secretariat, and CONCORD .

1. Panel Discussion:
Implementing Regional Trade: Successes
And Opportunities
Investment Opportunities and PPPs
By
Nana Osei–Bonsu, CEO of PEF, Ghana
At the
Brussels Briefings Feb.3, 2017
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2. Introduction
• The share of Intra-African trade (10% AUC) remains low
compared to intraregional trade in other parts of the world (80%
of trade within the EU is intraregional) ; unlocking Africa’s full
economic potential would require economic integration—
globally, regionally, and between rural and urban areas.
• Wide gap between domestic supply and regional market demand.
• Investment in infrastructure for connectivity is important, but
Policy coordination can also facilitate regional trade.
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3. Introduction
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in agriculture
has been shown to be at least twice as effective in
reducing poverty as growth originating in other
sectors(World Bank)
• For African countries, two inter-related challenges are
critical: Diversified the export base, to reduce
vulnerability stemming from commodity price swings,
and to tighten regional integration
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4. Trends in intra-African agricultural trade
• Intra-African trade is 10% of total African trade according to
AUC
• An UNCTAD study noted that between 2007–2011, 37
African countries were net food importers, and 22 were net
importers of agricultural raw materials,
• ONLY 17 per cent of the continent’s world trade in food and
livestock took place within Africa.
• IFPRI Report also indicated that the value of intra –African
agricultural trade has grown from US$2.2 billion in 1998 to
US$ 12.8 billion in 2013 – annual overall growth of 12%.
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5. Trends in intra-African agricultural trade
• Africa remains a net importer of food of about $35 billion annually
according to the AfDB
• Small scale farmers are the main investors in African agriculture
today and produce 70% of the food consumed on the continent FAO
• The World Resources Institute estimate that Post harvest losses in
Sub Saharan Africa has a value of up to US$4billion per year (African
farmers lose 20-40% of their harvest to pests, diseases and spoilage
because of lack of infrastructure. These crops could provide
minimum food requirements for at least 48million people)
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6. Trends in intra-regional agricultural trade in
Africa (1998-2013)
• Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) – US$14 million
-147 million
• Southern African Development Community (SADC)– US$ 871 million –
3.82 billion
• Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)– US$494
million – 2.84 billion
• Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)– US$379 m
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7. Key challenges
• Limited access to regional and international markets:
• Due to absence of standardization and tracking of food
produce (market flow would improve if products were
standardised and highly traceable)
• Technical barriers to trade
• protectionism
• Lack of coherence and absence of coordination between
different national policies and initiatives
• poor infrastructure (power, transport system, ICT, etc.)
• Underdeveloped human and institutional capacities
• Underdeveloped or unexplored markets
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8. Key challenges
Main challenge in addition to above stated constraints is
• UNDIVERSIFIED EXPORTABLE PRODUCTS BASE .
• Majority of countries within each regional block produce
virtually same RAW MATERIALS.
• VITUALLY No VALUE ADDITION OR very little if any
• WHY DO YOU BUY OTHERS RAW MATERIALS THAT IS
AVAILABLE IN YOUR COUNTRY
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9. Key challenges
• small-scale farming not comparatively articulated,
capitalised and mechanised as much as large-scale forms of
production (80% of Africa`s agricultural land is ten hectares
or less, making smallholder farmers the largest private
sector group in African agriculture)
• Not much linkages to innovative practices to ensure
environmental sustainability
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10. Opportunities and Local Interventions Required
• Technical assistance to improve product quality and management
capabilities in the SME sector to meet market specifications both
locally and abroad
• Provision of the right blend of low cost, long term financing
• Provision of basic infrastructure e.g. roads, water, power,
telecommunication etc.
• Create an effective dialogue platform to identify roles and
responsibilities including policy formulation, knowledge sharing,
networking and business opportunities to enhance food and nutrition
security for job and wealth creation to alleviate poverty (23 of the 25
poorest countries in the world are in Africa and 389 million of its
people live in extreme poverty).
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11. Opportunities and Local Interventions Required
• Provide Incentives for Local Value Addition of raw materials
• Include MSMEs in all PPP and Local Content Arrangements
• Research, Academia and Private sector collaboration to
support the development of ;
-new varieties of high yielding crops= hybrids and others
-provide reliable market information
-development and application of new technologies
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12. Some International efforts to boost agriculture
and trade in Africa
• AUC signing up the CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AGGREMENT(CFTA):
• The AU/NEPAD Action Plan for Boosting intra-African trade (BIAT)
• The NAIP UNDER CAADP (This is a shared responsibility of both the
public and private sector, CSOs and development partners)
• The new CAADP Results Framework 2015-2025 places emphasis on
the role of the private sector as a central catalyst and driver of
inclusive agribusiness development
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13. Some International efforts to boost agriculture
and trade in Africa
• The African Union`s decision in 2012 to establish an African
Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) by 2017 in order to create a
single continental market for goods and services, with free
movement of business persons and investments
• The ECOWAS trade liberalisation scheme (ETLS) introduced by
ECOWAS
• NEW ALLIANCE FOR FOOD SECURITY & NUTRITION (NAFSN) was
launched in 2012 under the auspices of the G8 as a large public-
private partnership (PPP) that aims to leverage private
investment in agriculture in order to improve food security and
nutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa. Has not created the expected
agri transformation.
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14. Strategies to facilitate regional & Continental
investments and trade
• AfDB INITIATIVE TO ENCOURAGE COUNTRIES TO ADOPT:
• AGRICULTURE RISK SHARING MECHANISMS== Nigeria &
Ghana to ensure adequate risk mitigating initiatives and
products to reduce the risk of investment in agriculture to
attract more investors into the sector
• Predictable and market oriented investment climate in our
economy through the appropriate policy reforms
• Availability of investment capital for agriculture: that is
sustainable with prioritized access by smallholder farmers,
women and youth, which unlocks potential of domestic and
regional markets so as to benefit family farmers and provide
quality food for consumers at accessible prices.
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15. Opportunities and National strategies to
facilitate regional investments and trade
• Private sector investor focused data & knowledge sharing
resource(s) that can be utilized by both the public and the
domestic private sector to showcase and promote
agriculture investment opportunities to domestic private
investors possibly in partnership with foreign investors in
that sector
• Ensure Good Corporate Governance practices
• Ensure Consumer Safety and Welfare
• Enforce Environmental Sustainability
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16. Opportunities and Local Interventions Required
• DOMESTIC AGRIBIZ CHAMBERS:
• Need for effective and efficient Intermediary Institutions as
the national focal institutions to facilitate, coordinate and
assist in planning i.e. PEF, GIPC etc.
• Develop an inclusive domestic private sector involvement and
engagement in the implementation of CAADP at the national
levels EMPHASIS ON WOMEN, YOUTH & SMALL HOLDER FARM
• Harmonize and Align Investment Laws and Regulations
• Demonstrate the Security of Investments and Establish
Personal Safety Environment
• Harmonise Legal & Land Tenure framework
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17. OPPORTUNITIES FOR Investments & Trade
• With 16 countries, 300 million inhabitants and a GDP of over €613
billion, West Africa has huge potential
• Construction of borderless transportation system across sub-regions
linking markets and people
• Identifying investment opportunities in African agriculture: (sub-
Saharan Africa has 25% of the world`s arable land but generates
only 10% of its agricultural output)
• Development of regional value chains around agricultural
commodities such as cassava, wheat , soya, maize ,rice and other
horticultural products.
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18. Forms of PPP arrangements to consider
• PUBLIC-PRIVATE: SEED FUNDS, IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION, TAX
INCENTIVES
• PRIVATE-PRIVATE: Value chain, Cooperatives, Nucleus -Out-
grower, Contract supplies, PARTNERSHIPS
• PUBLIC-PUBLIC: LOCAL COMMUNITY & NATIONAL
• BOT: build, operate and transfer (BOT) system and other
special arrangements and schemes as deemed appropriate
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19. Opportunities for PPP Investments in Agriculture
(raw material base)
• Production of raw material base to support
industries such as the pharmaceutical industry along
the value chain
• Processing of agricultural produce into semi finished
and finished products such as chocolate, butter,
cooking oil etc.
• Processing of agriculture waste into other useful
purposes and products, compost for organic fertilizer,
methane, electricity
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20. Opportunities for PPP Investments in Agriculture
(raw material base)
• local production of light machinery and tools
for production and harvesting
• production of intermediary & finished food
products for local consumption and for exports
as well
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21. Opportunities for PPP Investments in Agriculture
(infrastructural development)
•Provision of transportation Infrastructure and services
(roads, rail lines, ports, haulage)
•Paucity of refrigerated transport in sub-Sahara Africa-
India 131million cubic meters, Egypt 3 million, Namibia
157,000, Nigeria less than 20,000
•Provision of reliable and affordable power (solar, hydro
etc. low cost power generation mix)
•Building robust ICT and communication systems and
services to boost innovation and transactions.
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22. Opportunities for PPP Investments in Agriculture
(infrastructural development)
• Provision of storage facilities (pack houses, warehouses)
• Provision of Special services – Niche financing
• Education & Capacity building= Technical skills
• Provision of Agricultural services and inputs– machinery
servicing, extension, commodity trading, fertilizer and seed
supply
• Creation of business linkages to facilitate investments in
agriculture by pooled resources
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23. Benefits of PPP arrangements to African trade
•Transfer of technology
•Transfer of technical skills and expertise
•Sustainability of business or industry
•Sustainable jobs and income (330 million young
people will enter the labour market in sub-
Saharan Africa mostly in rural areas)
•Bridging the infrastructural deficit
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24. Benefits of PPP arrangements to African trade
• Wealth creation for locals
• Reverse rural-urban migration (if people are not given the
opportunity to earn a decent income and feed their
families, they will move to urban areas and beyond,
threatening food security and international stability)
• Foreign exchange earnings: Development of exportable
produce
• Inclusive growth of communities (majority of the African
poor living in rural areas and earning an income from small
family farms, investing in agriculture is essential for
combating poverty)
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25. • THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
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