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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published
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Southern Africa: Development News
Southern Africa: Development News
Date distributed (ymd): 971019
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Southern Africa
Issue Areas: +economy/development+
Summary Contents: This posting contains Southern Africa development news
excerpted from two recent issues of e-PRODDER-mail. It includes reports
on World Bank, European Union, Southern African Development Community,
and United Nations activities affecting the region.
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
e-PRODDER-mail (excerpts)
Edited and compiled by David Barnard and Yzette Ferreira
Programme for Development Research (PRODDER)
Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
P O Box 32410
2017 Braamfontein
SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: (+27) (11) 482-6150
Fax: (+27) (11) 482-4739
Enquiries/subscriptions: YOF@zeus.hsrc.ac.za
[APIC note: This posting contains only excerpts of the Development News
section of two recent issues. For a full listing of the topics typically
covered in each issue, please see the PRODDER information at the end of
this posting.]
6 October 1997, Number 33
A. GENERAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS
SOUTHERN AFRICA
WORLD BANK MAKES REGIONAL INTEGRATION A PRIORITY
The World Bank's agenda in Southern Africa over the next year would
be heavily geared towards promoting regional integration with maximum private-sector
involvement, officials of the Washington-based institution said on 30 September
1997. South Africa country director Pamela Cox said after a meeting of
country directors and resident representatives for 12 Southern African
countries, that regional integration was less advanced in Africa than in
most other parts of the world. She pointed out that economic and social
issues, such as water, communications and diseases, increasingly transcended
national boundaries. The meeting identified four priority projects for
the bank designed to further regional integration, namely a study on regional
trade flows, encouraging private sector participation in cross-border transport
links, such as the Maputo corridor, setting up a payments clearance system
among banks in the region as a means of stimulating trade and water issues.
One of the bank's top challenges in Africa is to facilitate a bigger
role for the private sector. Vincent Rague, resident representative of
the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the bank affiliate that provides
loan and equity funding to private business, said "a strong private
sector is important if you're going to attract foreign investment".
Robert Calderisi, the bank's external affairs manager for Africa, pointed
out that the average growth in gross domestic product (GDP) for sub-Saharan
Africa was about 5 percent in 1996, with more than half of the continent's
48 countries growing at rates higher than population growth, which was
about 3 percent.
This meeting in South Africa followed on the heels of a sweeping internal
shake-up launched by bank president James Wolfensohn. The reforms seek,
among other things, to give country directors greater authority, and to
move more staff into the field.
ENQUIRIES: World Bank
Tel: (+27) (12) 342-3111
Fax: (+27) (12) 342-5151
E-mail: fzulu@worldbank.org
WORLD BANK COMMITS TO MOZAMBIQUE REFORM
The World Bank has made a serious commitment to Mozambique, investing
about $1 billion in 18 projects which range from rehabilitating the entire
health sector to upgrading infrastructure. World Bank country director
for Mozambique Phyllis Pomerants said last week that these projects were
over and above the bank's balance of payments operations to support critical
economic reforms, and its involvement in trade, tariff and customs reform.
She said the Mozambique government had made significant progress on the
economic, social and political fronts, but one of its most impressive achievements
involved slashing inflation from 70% to less than 1-% within three years.
It was also visibly committed to channelling money towards social projects
as borne out by the huge scale of its school rehabilitation programme.
The key problem facing Mozambique was its $5,6 billion debt burden, 75%
of which was owned to Paris Club members. About 40% of the Paris Club debt
was owed to Russia, much of which had been in the form of past military
lending. The bank expected as much as 80% of the debt to be forgiven but
negotiations to reconcile debt, particularly with Russia, would be complex.
LOME CONVENTION AND SOUTH AFRICAN COMPANIES
South Africa's partial accession to the Lome Convention would open R45
billion worth of tender and contract opportunities for South African companies,
Erwan Fouere, the European Union (EU) ambassador to South Africa, said
on 30 September 1997. Fouere said South African firms would only be able
to tap these opportunities after the ratification of the accession, which
is expected early next year. Fouere said South African firms were educating
themselves about the tendering procedures as the European Development Fund
projects were new to them. Trade aspects of the Lome Convention would be
addressed by a separate bilateral agreement now under negotiation.
ENQUIRIES: European Union
Tel: (+27) (12) 46-4319
Fax: (+27) (12) 46-9923
E-mail eusafd@wn.apc.org
29 September 1997, Number 32
A. GENERAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS
SOUTHERN AFRICA
SADC WOMEN'S EXPO
The SADC Women's Expo will be held from 19-26 November 1997 in Harare,
Zimbabwe. It is organised by the United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM) under its CIDA funded SADC Gender Programme in partnership with
United Nations Volunteers/Participatory Development Resource Centre for
Africa (UNV/PDRCA) and its community-oriented Domestic Development Services
(DDS) programme.
The Expo is a subregional Trade Fair for community-based producer groups
managed by women. The main purpose for hosting the Expo is to break the
isolation of small-scale producers, so as to give them and their products
commercial exposure. It will also provide a forum for discussing the specific
constraints and opportunities faced by informal sector enterprises in developing
their enterprises.
A three-day trade fair will give the participants an opportunity to
display their goods to an international audience with the aim of both direct
selling and making business contacts for export trade. In additional business
management workshops will be held which will consist of lectures, group
discussions and plenaries on aspects of business management, marketing
and sales. The three areas will be discussed from a gender perspective
and workshop sessions will be spread throughout the event. One day will
be devoted to practical demonstrations of the production of selected products.
The aim is to share uncommon and potentially replicable skills among the
participants and discuss the business potential of these activities in
more detail.
Special emphasis will be put on ensuring that effective contacts are
made among the participants in view of future collaboration, sharing of
information useful for trade or skills development purposes and forming
a producer-based lobby in support of women in small-scale business.
ENQUIRIES: Nomcebo Manzini, UNIFEM
Tel: (+263) (4) 72-0091
Fax: (+263) (4) 72-8695
EUROPEAN UNION PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR SOUTH AFRICAN NGOs
The European Union (EU) has renewed its commitment to involve civil
society in its development aid programme in South Africa at the launch
of NGO Week 1997 in Bloemfontein on 19 September 1997. NGO Week saw hundreds
of representatives from NGOs, the Government, the labour sector and public
stakeholders meeting the central theme of "Uniting to Fight Against
Poverty". EU ambassador Erwan Fouere pledged R200 million worth of
grants a year to NGOs until 1999. This figure represents about 25% of the
EU's aid package for South Africa. He told the function that community-based
organisations had a vital role to play in ensuring the implementation of
government's development strategies. "Being the eyes and ears of these
communities, and situated in areas where government does not yet have the
capacity to deliver, it is the NGOs ... that are best placed to ensure
the implementation of a growth strategy based on equity and social justice."
The EU's relationship with civil society goes back to the 1980s when
the EU channelled almost R2 billion between 1986 and 1994 to South Africa's
apartheid victims via the Kagiso Trust, South African Council of Churches
and trade unions. Deputy President Thabo Mbeki told Parliament recently
that between 40% and 50% of aid to South Africa was allocated to NGOs.
He said government had a policy of supporting a strong and independent
civil society. The EU is also supporting the Transitional National Development
Trust (TNDT), forerunner to the National Development Agency, with R80 million.
Fouere said the EU would support the agency when its modus operandi had
been clarified.
The conference ended on a challenging note when it called on the Government
to increase its funding to the sector from its current R90 million to R1,5
billion. Jacqui Boulle, National Programmes Director of the South African
National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO), said "the international donor community
contributed more to building South Africa's civil society than this country's
government did."
UNITED NATIONS REFLECTS ON THE ROLE SOUTH AFRICA MUST PLAY IN
AFRICA
South Africa should act as a springboard for the development of Africa
by attracting more foreign investment inflows and reducing trade barriers
to its neighbours, urged a report released last week by the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The report said after a spell
of disinvestment during the apartheid era, South Africa had received more
than $300 million of the over $5 billion foreign direct investment into
Africa last year. South Africa should open up its markets to the exports
of foreign affiliates that have an interest in neighbouring states and
provide investment capital, technology transfers and development of human
resources, it said. The report said despite sterling efforts to reduce
import tariffs to comply with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules,
South Africa's tariff regime was still an obstacle to most of its neighbours.
It said South Africa could establish an "intraregional division of
labour in the framework of which production at home is upgraded to capital
and technology-intensive activities.
The UNCTAD report said Southern Africa only met one condition out of
the six that spurred the domino effect in Asia. These conditions were different
levels of development, the ability to restructure, sufficient demand and
markets, restructuring industries through internationally competitive exports,
enabling framework for the transmission of transnational corporations and
a favourable investment climate.
NEW INTERDEPARTMENTAL STRUCTURE FOR YOUTH
An interdepartmental government structure, which would draw together
the efforts of various government departments and help assess and service
youth needs and issues, was announced by the National Youth Commission
(NYC) on 25 September 1997. Nine representatives from nine government departments
- which include health, labour, education and environment, and the deputy
president's office - make up the committee.
National Youth Commission chairperson, Mahlengi Bhengu, said the initiative
was in line with the legislated task of the commission to promote a uniform
approach by all state organs to matters relating to the youth. Bhengu said
the committee had been specifically established to draw all existing and
planned government services, programmes, research and other initiatives
affecting the youth in a range of ministries and departments into a comprehensive,
coordinated national framework.
ENQUIRIES: Mahlengi Bhengu, National Youth Commission (NYC) Tel: (+27)
(12) 325-3702
PRODDER ADDRESS DETAIL
David Barnard - Coordinator
Yzette Ferreira - Development Information Officer
P O Box 32410
2017 Braamfontein
SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: (+27) (11) 482-6150
Fax: (+27) (11) 482-4739
E-mail: DBB@zeus.hsrc.ac.za or
YOF@zeus.hsrc.ac.za WWW:
http://www.hsrc.ac.za/prodder/
Welcome to e-PRODDER-mail - a weekly e-mail development information
service compiled by the Programme for Development Research (PRODDER) at
the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), in partnership with the South
African National NGO Coalition.
PRODDER is a Southern African development information medium which collects
and disseminates information on all Southern African development issues
and roleplayers. It is PRODDER's mission to provide an appropriate, comprehensive
and dynamic development information service to people and organisations.
To this end PRODDER utilises various mediums in collecting and disseminating
development information.
The South African National NGO Coalition is working for people-centred
development, participatory democracy and a strong voluntary sector. It
seeks to foster an enabling environment for NGOs in interactions with government,
business and donors, to provide a forum for information sharing and advocacy,
to facilitate international networking, to ensure that members observe
the obligations laid down by the Coalition, to create an enabling legislative
and structural environment for NGOs, to rebuild the human resources of
the NGO sector and to reduce operating costs and develop the financial
sustainability of the NGO sector.
The main objective of the e-PRODDER-mail service is to inform the Southern
African development community of important and interesting events and initiatives
in the development field. This service is provided free of charge every
Monday to any interested individual or organisation with an e mail number.
Those interested in becoming e-PRODDER-mail subscribers will be added to
the list on request.
The e-PRODDER-mail service covers the following categories of information:
General development news
Conferences/workshops/meetings
Exhibitions and fairs
Training courses
Vacancies in the development field
New publications
Internet news and websites
Research
PRODDER activities
Subscribers are welcome to submit information and comments based on
these categories for inclusion in future editions. This information must
reach PRODDER by Friday every week.
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the Africa
Policy Information Center (APIC), the educational affiliate of the Washington
Office on Africa. APIC's primary objective is to widen the policy debate
in the United States around African issues and the U.S. role in Africa,
by concentrating on providing accessible policy-relevant information and
analysis usable by a wide range of groups and individuals.
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