ECOWAS Business News

Accra, 22 August, 2021 * ACCESS TO FINANCE *: CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE NEED TO ENGAGE RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS  FOR AFRICAN TRADE INSURANCE (ATI) Ahead of the two-day roundtable on "Single Currency and Fintech to Boost Intra-African Trade and Enhance AfCFTA Implementation" scheduled to be held in Dakar, Senegal from 23-24 August, think-tank Africa Private Sector Summit (APSS) wants to take the opportunity to remind stakeholders about the importance of the African Trade Insurance (ATI) in the conversation on AfCFTA and financing. APSS believes that ATI is not sufficiently-engaged by Chambers of Commerce (the business community at St large), and that the Chambers of Commerce need to engage their respective governments to become members of ATI. If all 55 countries were members of ATI, this would help celebrate the Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT), as it would enable them access direct financing for the business community backed by ATI through insurance risk. If access to finance is...

#FreedomOfMovement #freemovementinAfrica on @apniom by E K Bensah Jr Deputy Executive Director -- AfCFTA Policy Network / Country Champion -- Agenda 2063 Media Network     Proposed tweets will be referring to articles 2, 3, 5 and 6 in a THREAD over two tweets for coming week.   Acc 2 Article 2 of AU FMP, Objective of Protocol is to facilitate implementation of African Economic Community (AEC) by providing for progressive implementation of free movement of persons, right of residence and right of establishment in Africa. As per article 3, it shall be guided by principles guiding AU provided in article 4 of AU's Constitutive Act. It shall be guided by non-discrimination; transparency. Acc 2 Article 5 of AU FMP, Free Movement of Persons, right of residence and right of establishment shall be achieved progressively through 3 phases:  @NicholeEsparon @IOMatAU @UNmigration @_AfricanUnion @AU_HHS @AmiraDSA @mashanubian @KojoAbroba @afcftapolicyGH   phase 1: during which State Parties sha...

(Still in the business of making history)...in a *CONTINENTAL EXCLUSIVE*, Agenda 2063 TV Show is the ONLY media programme to interview key staff working on * African Medecines Agency * to help unpack the AMA after reaching its proverbial 15 ratifications. In an age of *vaccine nationalism*, and a public health pandemic in covid-19, what future portends for the AMA to disrupt Africa's health narrative?  I shall be speaking to Dr Ndomondo from NEPAD- * AU Development Agency * for way  forward. #AfricanHealthWeWant #AfricaWeWant #Agenda2063 AAU TV is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Agenda 2063 TV Show Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87514673646?pwd=WnNtVmRmUXcrMkZNamhhNHQyNHVKQT09 Meeting ID: 875 1467 3646 Passcode: 578044 One tap mobile +12532158782,,87514673646# US (Tacoma) +13017158592,,87514673646# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location         +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)         +1 301 715 8592 US (Wash...

In next edition of * Agenda 2063 TV Show *, I will be interviewing * Doreen Nawa *, who was nominated by her peers in the official NEPAD-AUDA *Agenda 2063 Media Network* as one of the most hard-working journalists promoting Agenda 2063 from Zambia. I am doing two things with this interview -- helping celebrate hard-working reporters promoting Agenda 2063, and giving visibility to the Agenda 2063 Media Network , which was established in 2018 by NEPAD-AU Development Agency to bring together journalists across the Continent to champion Agenda 2063.  Ghana's country Champion is the host of the Show and is also a proud member of the Network.  This is *dedicated to all reporters* doing their best to unpack Agenda 2063 narratives: the space is here!😁🔥 AAU TV is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Agenda 2063 TV Show Time: Aug 11, 2021 02:30 PM Africa/Accra Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87050633631?pwd=TGRsbEwycWJjdWNESk1hYTZQZFJjZz09 Meeting ID: 870 5063 3631...

Accra, 7 August, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  TENDER FOR PREPARATION OF A PRIVATE SECTOR BILL OF RIGHTS TO ENHANCE IMPLEMENTATION OF AFCFTA We are pleased to announce a consultancy for the preparation of a Private Sector Bill of Rights to Enhance Implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This tender is one of the three outcomes of an MoU that was signed between Association of African Universities (AAU) and Pan-African Chamber of Commerce (PACCI) in March 2021.  The second is for the establishment of an Educational Trust Fund; and a corresponding working relationship between private sector and academia. The AAU in collaboration with PACCI, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the European Union (EU) and the private sector, organized an African Private Sector Summit on, "Righting the Wrongs of Doing Business in Africa " in March 2021. This summit brought together stakeholders from industry, governments, academia, and civil society....

*MAIDEN REPORT OF #WAMKELESPEAKS* by _E.K.Bensah Jr_ *August 2021* *Introduction* On 24 June, 2021, Secretary-General of Afcfta made a 26-minute presentation at a "Summit", which was organised by regional integration think-tank, AfCFTA Policy Network, to assess the "State of AfCFTA Trading Six Months On".  As part of continuous monitoring of Agenda 2063 and its seven aspirations, Deputy Executive Director of APN, E K Bensah Jr, undertook to examine his speech and identify the extent to which his speech reflected 7 aspirations of Agenda 2063. To this end, Bensah put his speech through an "APN-ometer". *Methodology* The 26-minute video was divided into five videos of around 4.5 minutes each to make it easier to pay greater attention to the rhythm of the speech and how closely Mene was sticking to Agenda 2063 aspirations. The 7 aspirations were tabulated against the videos and we measured which aspiration Mene was referring to in each video. *Results* In vide...