International Trade Forum articles from January 2007

International Trade Forum archives from January 2007

Changing "Brand Africa".(From the Editor)
January 1, 2007... In tourist offices, the most frequent images of Africa are those of safari animals, in the news, the tragedy of several conflicts linger. On film screens, conflict diamonds take centre stage in one Hollywood movie, and the latest James Bond...

Changing "Brand Africa".(The Changing Brand)(Cover story)
January 1, 2007... Ask anyone about Africa and the first response you get is a negative picture of conflict, hunger, HIV/AIDS and other health issues. But question a bit more and it's clear that Africa is becoming a promising place for business. Africa has been...

ITC's programme for Africa.(The Changing Brand)
January 1, 2007... Boosting intra-African trade flows In view of the drive towards heightened regional integration in Africa, ITC plans a regional Executive Forum event to produce a blueprint for future ITC activity in this field. The event will address...

The challenges ahead: making investment work for long-term development is a challenge facing both resource-rich and income-poor countries.(Investment in Africa)
January 1, 2007... Foreign direct investment (FDI) has boomed in Africa over the last 12 months--with record-breaking inflows of $38.8 billion in 2006, a 26.5% rise--and this revival looks set to continue. Africa's challenge is to seize this opportunity to help...

A stronger role for women.(In Pictures: Changing "Brand Africa")(briefs)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... New political strength Since coming to power in 2005, Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has led efforts to rebuild the country's war-torn society. She outlined her action plan at Harvard University. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Services, a world of potential.(In Pictures: Changing "Brand Africa")(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Entertaining profits Nigerian films are becoming increasingly popular across Africa, attracting investors from countries in the region. "Nollywood", the booming Nigerian film industry, makes 650 full-length feature films and has a...

Upgrading traditional products.(In Pictures: Changing "Brand Africa")(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Peace diamonds Diamond cutters in Gaborone, Botswana process the stones locally. This means that not only do they earn more, but they are also less sensitive to commodity price fluctuations. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Juicy prospects...

Foundations for prosperity.(In Pictures: Changing "Brand Africa")(briefs)
January 1, 2007... More democratic processes A woman checks electoral rolls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The 17 presidential and legislative elections in sub-Saharan Africa in 2007 reflect a shift towards multi-party political systems. Investment...

Facts & figures: Africa's trade: Sub-Saharan Africa's economic stability, combined with a favourable global growth climate, now offers opportunities that the region has begun to exploit. But further work is needed at the "micro" level to accelerate progress on the Millennium Development Goals.(The Changing Brand)(Reprint)
January 1, 2007... by African Department staff, International Monetary Fund What's looking up... Steady growth Sub-Saharan Africa experienced a third straight year of growth over 5% in 2006, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects growth...

Creating an African business superpower.(Who's Doing Business In Africa?)(dialogue with Mashudu Ramano of Johnnic Communications)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Interview with Mashudu Ramano, Chairman, Johnnic Communications Johnnic Communications, also known as Johncom, is one of Africa's largest media and entertainment groups with interests ranging from bookshops to movie theatres clustering...

New markets for an ancient heritage: an Ethiopian woman entrepreneur links poor weavers with rich traditions to wealthy, culture-seeking buyers.(Who's Doing Business In Africa?)(dialogue with Sara Abera)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Interview with Sara Abera, Founder, Muya Ethiopia PLC Muya Ethiopia PLC makes handwoven home decoration items for discerning consumers. Muya (http://www.designafrica.ca/ designafrica/muyaethiopia.php) now exports to the United States,...

CyberTrackers of the Kalahari: in this award-winning business case, technology opens new job opportunities and allows Bushmen to share their valuable knowledge to conserve the environment.(Who's Doing Business In Africa?)
January 1, 2007... That indispensable electronic tool of every rising young executive, the personal digital assistant (PDA), has been matched to the traditional knowledge of the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert to give Africa a new profession: digital wildlife...

Rwandan coffee goes from ordinary to Star(bucks): Rwandan coffee is featured at Starbucks this year. The path to creating a premium, well-branded coffee from a low-return mass product involved both aid agencies and private firms.(Who's Doing Business In Africa?)(Schluter S.A.)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Interview with Philip Schluter, Schluter S.A. To learn how Rwanda Ordinary transformed itself into a gourmet choice, we spoke to Schluter S.A., "the African coffee people" who have been in business since 1858. Philip Schluter, the...

Tunisia's boom in ICT.(Who's Doing Business in Africa?)(Xtensus Tunisia)(information and communications technology)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Interview with Ferid Baklouti, Founder, Xtensus Tunisia This Tunisian businessman is representative of his country's effort to position itself in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Q How did you come to set up Xtensus...

CSR: a must for big firms in Africa: corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a prerequisite to do business in Africa. Shell's African Vice President explains.(Who's Doing Business in Africa?)(dialogue with Ann Pickard of Shell Exploration and Production Africa)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Interview with Ann Pickard, Shell Exploration and Production Africa Shell's operations in Nigeria have not been without controversy. Its CSR policies, revised in 2003, are starting to bear fruit, says Ann Pickard. Q How does Shell...

In Sierra Leone, ginger trade helps recovery: Sierra Leone's export development authorities are working to revitalize the ginger industry, a route out of poverty after years of war. This story is based on an interview with Abu Bakkar Kebbay, from the export development agency of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.(Aid For Trade Partnerships)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... by Trade Forum team "The civil war between 1990 and 2001 created at least 1 million refugees and largely destroyed our services. The United Nations declared us safe in 2002 but some people still don't know that the war has ended and...

Tanzania, unveiling a hidden gem: Tanzania is working to make itself better known to attract foreign buyers and tourists: interview with Ramadhan Hashimu Khalfan, President, Board of External Trade, Tanzania.(Aid For Trade Partnerships)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... ITC's Natalie Domeisen interviewed Ramadhan Hashimu Khalfan during the World Conference of Trade Promotion Organizations in March 2007. Mr Khalfan, a former member of parliament, is Director General of the Board of External Trade of Tanzania....

FDI goes local, the millennium cities initiative: attracting investment at the city level helps to stimulate economies.(Aid For Trade Partnerships)(foreign direct investment)
January 1, 2007... The role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in economic growth and development is now widely recognized. All countries in Africa are seeking to attract such funds. For that purpose, they have liberalized their FDI regimes, entered into numerous...

Countries bring trade into development projects: countries are putting priority on trade-related assistance in this new model for financing development projects, by the Millennium Challenge Corporation.(Aid For Trade Partnerships)
January 1, 2007... Benin: rehabilitating the port of Cotonou. Ghana: building packing and storage facilities for export crops. Madagascar: identifying international market opportunities for small businesses. Each of these foreign aid projects was conceived...

New aid for trade partnership with the African Union: a new partnership to develop trade in Africa will back up the efforts of businesses and governments at a time when Africa's trade prospects are looking up.(Aid For Trade Partnerships)
January 1, 2007... The African Union's Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Elisabeth Tankeu, signed an agreement in February 2007 with Patricia Francis, Executive Director of ITC, at the African Union's Geneva office. Diplomats from 40 African countries were...

World TPO conference highlights champions for export excellence: from Mongolia to Finland, Mauritius to Zambia, El Salvador to Chile, they are doing a lot about exporting.(ITC News)(trade promotion organizations)(Fundacion Export.ar)(International Trade Commission)
January 1, 2007... by Trade Forum editorial team Five of the best-performing national trade development agencies received global awards for expanding exports and improving their economy at the 6th World Conference of Trade Promotion Organizations held in...

Mobile technology helps African exporters.(ITC News)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Mobile phone use in Africa is growing fast. As computers and the Internet revolutionized business in the West, so mobile technology can help solve business problems for African exporters. ITC's "Trade at Hand" initiative uses mobile phones...

Web portal for organic market.(ITC News)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... ITC has launched a web portal for the organic sector in developing countries. "Organic Link" (http://www.intracen.org/organics) helps exporters, research centres and other stakeholders in developing countries to find information on buyers and...

"Trade justice" network for 16 African countries: civil society can help trade negotiators take more development-oriented positions in trade talks.(ITC News)
January 1, 2007... Civil society, including women's organizations and the media, can help Africa's quest for an equitable world trading system, said participants from these institutions at a workshop of the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP)...

Seminar on Managing Trade Information Services.(ITC News)
January 1, 2007... "Methods and Resources for the Management of Trade Information Services" is the theme of ITC's annual seminar for managers of trade information and market intelligence units in developing and transition economies. At the two-week training...

Meet our readers: learn more about other Trade Forum users, starting with a long-standing reader in Senegal's Ministry for Trade and Consumer Affairs.(ITC Trade Forum Feedback)(Magatte N'doye)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... In this issue, we introduce a new feature that puts the spotlight on individual Trade Forum readers. They reveal how they are using the magazine to get to grips with trade development trends and issues. Magatte N'doye, Coordinator of a trade...

New books and technical papers.(ITC Information Products)(Business Guide to Trade Remedies in the United States: Anti-dumping, Countervailing and Safeguards Legislation, Practices and Procedures)(Finance for Trade)
January 1, 2007... Business Guide to Trade Remedies in the United States: Anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguards legislation, practices and procedures 226 pages, revised edition. Guide to trade remedy procedures (anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard)...