Trade and Investment Training: Programming for Greater Impact in Pretoria, South Africa
In March 2010, USAID/EGAT held a week-long training in Pretoria, South Africa, on trade and investment. Participants included USAID economic growth officers and other interested USAID employees, with the majority from USAID Missions in Africa.
The purpose of the training was to provide practical instruction for understanding trade and investment issues in order to program resources more effectively. The course covered trade capacity building in the areas of trade facilitation and trade policy issues, as well as business enabling environment reform through commercial law and regulation.
Training participants listen to a presentation in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by BizCLIR Team)
The two days of training focusing on trade were conducted by the Worldwide Support for Trade Capacity Building project (TCBoost), and the BizCLIR project conducted the two days of training on the business enabling environment. One day of the course was devoted to the USAID's experience with the African Global Competitiveness Initiative (AGCI) and lessons learned from its five years of work. Throughout the week, the relationship between trade, the business environment, and food security was also addressed both in discussion and in small group interactive exercises. During the interactive sessions, participants were placed on teams and given a case study of a fictional African country challenged by a variety of trade and business enabling environment issues. In each interactive session, participants were tasked with identifying issues and outlining projects or reforms to address prioritized concerns.
Presentations and other materials from the training are available on BizCLIR's events page.
Identifying and Addressing Risks in Mobile Payment Systems
Mobile Financial Services offer significant opportunities for improving the efficiency of financial services by expanding access and lowering transaction costs. The rapid public acceptance of these services in countries such as the Philippines, Brazil, India, and Kenya has demonstrated that the technology is mature and brings real benefits to people who previously could not access financial products or services.
The United States Agency for International Development felt that it could contribute to the discussion on the legal and regulatory environments for mobile financial services by undertaking a detailed analysis of the various risks involved in the different models of mobile financial services, as viewed from each of the key stakeholders involved in these transactions. The research was undertaken in collaboration with the Kenya School of Monetary Studies, the policy research and training arm of the Central Bank of Kenya, and involved discussions with stakeholders in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia as well as with CGAP, the U.S. Treasury, the U.S. Federal Reserve in Atlanta, and the GSM Association.
The analysis produced consists of three parts: 1) the Mobile Financial Services Risk Matrix, 2) transaction flow mapping of some of the key transactions to show where these risks occur, and how these may differ depending on the service model, and 3) an analysis of how various jurisdictions have already responded to these risks, based on analysis provided by CGAP. This analysis is not intended to be all inclusive or prescriptive. Indeed, this would not have been possible since the topic of mobile banking is a rapidly evolving issue. (For access to the full deliverable, please click here.)
USAID sees this matrix as a living document that will undergo modification as our collective understanding of the risk factors and responses to these risk factors continues to develop. We invite you to participate in this process by reviewing this document and providing us with any material feedback that you believe would improve its contribution to the development of a sound, balanced regulatory framework for mobile financial services. Comments/suggestions should be sent to Mr. Jeffrey Jackson, Senior Private Sector Advisor, USAID at jejackson@usaid.gov.
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Tanzania AgCLIR
The Tanzania Agriculture-Commercial Legal and Institutional Reform (AgCLIR) report addresses the conditions and opportunities for doing business in Tanzania’s agricultural sector, as well as key issues pertaining to the country’s limitations in food security, particularly its infrastructure. Through close examination of the relevant laws, institutions, and social dynamics, this report aims to inform assistance decisions by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other donors in the area of agricultural development in Tanzania. It also provides insight and recommendations for consideration by government officials, private sector representatives, and other stakeholders who are directly involved with the agricultural sector.
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Do Legislatures Matter for Economic Growth?
Scholars have recently demonstrated that political institutions are an important determinant of long-run rates of economic growth, arguing that countries with "broad-based" political institutions that foster a strong business enabling environment are more likely to adopt good economic institutions, which in turn contribute to higher levels of national income. However, scholars have yet to examine the effect of specific political institutions on economic performance. This working paper provides a new perspective on the effect of political institutions on economic growth by examining the power of specific offices. In particular, it focuses on the strength of the national legislature and its effect on economic development, arguing that countries with more powerful national legislatures enjoy higher long-run rates of economic growth.
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Crop Bioengineering: Enormous Potential for Catalyzing International Development
Bioengineering provides unique and dramatic opportunities for crop improvement. It can be used to develop crop varieties that would otherwise be unavailable and helps to increase yields and reliability, reducing food costs for the consumer while helping to control input costs for farmers. This article explores ways for farmers, local scientists, regulators, and other stakeholders to take full advantage of the opportunities that bioengineering presents for development.
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