Can the EU Economic Partnership Agreements Help Develop Africa?

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The Paper examines the origins, structure and potential impacts of the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) policy on the Southern African Development Community and Eastern and Southern Africa.

China and the US in Africa by the Executive Director of the African Economic Research Consortium, Dr William Lyakurwa

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In assessing Africa’s relationships with the US and China, the paper pays particular attention to the energy sector, as it represents a large chunk of both US and Chinese interests in the continent. Trade, foreign policy and foreign aid are other issues that are reviewed. Capsule descriptions of a selection of countries illustrate the motivations and impact of Chinese activities. The paper closes with a detailed catalogue of areas that African governments should consider as they assess their relationships with these two world powers.

Public Works Programmes Post Conflict by Frank Rusagara

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General Rusagara’s paper concludes that:

Conflict to a great extent entails destruction of socio-economic infrastructure, including the displacement of millions of people. Therefore, most of the countries affected by conflict or in post-conflict situations have comparatively low rates of economic growth, and high poverty, unemployment and underemployment rates. If there is to be recovery and stability as peace takes hold, there is an urgent need to raise the socioeconomic capacities of conflict-affected populations. This paper suggests public works programmes (PWPs) may not only offer sustainable employment and strengthen the vocational skills of many workers, but also encourage social cohesion between local residents and people displaced by conflict.

For such programmes to be successful, however, the paper argues that: the government must be involved and take ownership of PWPs in the peace-building process in order to ensure their continuity. The national government should actively promote these programmes, which should be located within government planning cycles. Donors can only play a facilitative role, the reason being the high cost of reconstruction, which governments in post-conflict situations are often unable to bear.

Wings over Africa? Trends and Models for African Air Travel

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Air routes and traffic are essential components of development, especially for land-locked nations. The factors that go into devising an air-traffic growth strategy are not fundamentally about reforming loss-making national airlines. Indeed, the national airline should be a secondary consideration in this process. A number of much more important and central factors have to be considered in developing a strategy: The first is the overall economic environment that the air sector will service and into which it will integrate. The second factor is that making countries a good place for people and things to fly in and out of is far more important than having a healthy national airline or airport. In this there are many things than can be done more easily than others, which demands setting priorities. This includes everything from developing adventure tourism experiences to easing the visa restrictions on visitors and opening the skies to competition. Indeed, the critical first consideration in reforming (and growing) air traffic is liberalisation: nothing much can be achieved without opening the skies, and not just rhetorically.

Tswalu Dialogue: Towards Conflict Resolution Best Practice

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The Tswalu Dialogue was established in 2002 as a premier African forum to discuss issues of concern to continental development and security. It is hosted Jonathan and Jennifer Oppenheimer and was, in 2008, organised by The Brenthurst Foundation in conjunction with the Commission of the African Union (AU), Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), African Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), S Rajaratnam School for International Studies (RSIS), Dayan Centre for Middle Eastern and African Studies at the University of Tel Aviv, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Institute for Security Studies (ISS), and Business Leadership South Africa. It is supported by the Government of Denmark. The 2008 Dialogue examined a range of topical and relevant international case-studies in aiming to develop current best practice towards conflict resolution and management.

Capitalising on Natural Potential

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Tourism in Costa Rica and Colombia: Lessons for Africa
Examining two key Latin American tourism stories – Costa Rica and Colombia -- and in particular the applicability of their coffee-trail tourism experience. The paper finds:

• Firstly, safety and security … is a crucial prerequisite for any form of tourism, but especially for foreign and upper-end visitors.
• Secondly, a cohesive national strategy is required.
• Thirdly, education and language competence help ensure better services and open the tourism sector to a broader range of people.
• Fourthly, a country should build a national brand and healthy image of the country abroad.
• Fifthly, foreign tourists appreciate and often demand good service and a friendly reception.
• Finally, visa requirements, legislation and investment policy should make it easy to visit and invest in a country.

Zimbabwe after the election

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A Path to Economic Stabilisation, Recovery and Growth
Presuming the installation of a legitimate government, critical post-election steps on Zimbabwe’s path to stabilisation and recovery include the need for forward-looking, investor-friendly policies on:

• land settlement;
• economic management and transformation; and
• human security and rights.