DevDispatch Podcast: Recent Episodes
DevDispatch Podcast
The DevDispatch Podcast is your gateway into the latest and most relevant knowledge and information in the global development and social change sector. With each podcast, DevDispatch aspires to deliver to its listeners carefully curated information and important insight from development publications to advance social change on the continent.
This edition of the DevDispatch AfCFTA Podcast is centred on the publication "Making the AfCFTA Work for Women in the Agri-food Sector." The AfCFTA aims to boost economic growth and development by creating a single market for goods and services across Africa. However, for success to be realised, the Agreement must be inclusive and responsive to the needs of all, including women and youth.
Our host Rumbidzai Venge is joined by Customs and International Trade Expert Edna Mudzingwa, and co-author of the publication and an expert in trade and gender issues, Asmita Parshotam to break down:
- Trade facilitation provisions under the AfCFTA and how they can support and improve trade regimes for women in the Agri-food sector.
- Policy recommendations to promote and strengthen gender-responsive negotiation and implementation of trade facilitation under the AfCFTA, to meet the needs of and boost opportunities for African women in the agri-food sector.
The featured report was produced by International Trade Centre, and the Food and Agriculture Organization and can be downloaded at the link below:
https://www.fao.org/3/cc5866en/cc5866en.pdf
In this podcast episode, our guests Dr. Bruce Byiers (a development economist working with ECDPM) and Prachi Agarwal (Senior Research Officer at the International Economic Development Group, ODI) discuss the global business and investment landscape in Africa, under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Broadcaster and Lawyer Rumbidzai Venge serves as the moderator for the episode.
The discussion draws from the publication 'AfCFTA: A New Era for Global Business and Investment in Africa.' by the AfCFTA Secretariat and the World Economic Forum.
The publication is available for download at the link below:
https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Friends_of_the_Africa_Continental_Free_Trade_Area_2023.pdf
This episode is centered on a discussion on the Guidelines for developing AfCFTA national strategies with a focus on Malawi's AfCFTA implementation strategy. Featured guests include Entrepreneur, Strategist and Business analyst Charles Henry Nyekanyeka, and Batanai Chikwene who is a Programme Management Officer at the African Trade Policy Center, with Tanatsiwa Dambuza from the DevDispatch serving as the host.
The discussion draws from the publication "AfCFTA National Implementation Committees: scoping options and support mechanisms," by the AfCFTA Secretariat and ODI.
You can access the report here: https://media.odi.org/documents/ODI-AfCFTA-Report-18Apr23-FINAL.pdf
We invited Director of ODI's International Economic Development Group Dr Dirk Willem te Velde to share his insights on UK trade investment in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area ( AfCFTA) with our host Rumbidzai Venge. The discussion is centered on the ODI publication titled Africa’s economic integration and prospects for UK investors, which he co-authored.
You can access the publication here
We hope you enjoy this episode!
In this episode, Cynthia Nyam from the DevDispatch hosts Trade Policy, Regional Integration and Digital Economy expert Beru Lilako, and Trade Law and Policy Advisor for GIZ Ethiopia and Djibouti, Biruh Gemeda Gage, to break down the report titled Conditions for Success in the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement by AUDA-NEPAD.
On Success Conditions for AfCFTA Implementation, they discuss:
- Political Leadership
- Tariffs under the AfCFTA
- Harmonizing with RECs and the WTO
- Monitoring and Measuring the AfCFTA for Successful Implementation.
You can access the full report here
In this episode, SADC trade facilitation expertTshengi Ndlovu, Country Engagement Specialist for Anglophone-Africa at the NDC-Partnership John Kasiita Ssemulema and International trade analyst and Development Economist, Eugene Schneider Ornella Jernigan -episode moderator- discuss UNCTAD's Trade and Environment Review 2021 focusing on Trade-climate readiness for developing countries.
You can access the report at: https://bit.ly/3JULaGx
On 1 January 2021, trading under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) took effect. The Protocol on the Trade in Goods is aimed at creating a liberalised single market for the free flow of goods within the African continent but SMEs have are struggling to understand what the Agreement means to them.
In this episode, Ivan Ojakol, a legal consultant at LECTRAD-Africa (Uganda) and Juliet Aigbe, owner, creative head, T. V Chef, Bakery and Sugarcraft Coach at Cakeflair (Nigeria), breakdown the Articles in the #AfCFTA's Protocol on Trade in Goods and discuss how each of them relates to African SMEs. Listen if you are an SME owner with questions about the AfCFTA's Protocol on Trade in Goods, how it affects you and how you can position yourself to take advantage of the trade agreement. This episode was recorded on 13 March 2021.
In this episode, Violette Uwamutara, Regional Advisor Africa for Digital Opportunity Trust Rwanda and Emmanuel Ametepey, Executive Director of Youth Advocates Ghana, reviewed and contextualised the 2020 World Youth Report on Youth Social Entrepreneurship and the 2030 Agenda to youth development in Africa.
Taking from the content of the report, discussions centered around the role of the youth in achieving the SDGs, the opportunities and barriers faced by young social entrepreneurs and the role of technology in fostering innovation and creating a favorable environment for the youth to operate in.
You can access the report at: https://bit.ly/33wtdKG
Show Notes
For this episode, we invited African CSO stakeholders to review and discuss the just released report " Impact of COVID-19 on African CSOs". This report is the result of a survey of over 1,000 CSOs across 44 countries on the continent and is produced by EpicAfrica and AfricanNGOs. The report is accessible at https://bit.ly/3axNrFW
The guest reviewers on this episode are:
- Philip Mbithi,Program Development Manager, HIVO
- Lorenzo Davids, CEO Community Chest
- Sarah Mukasa, Deputy Director OSIEA
- David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns Lead, CIVICUS
- Nqobile Q Moyo, Head of Programmes, AU - Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) Zimbabwe Chapter
Our guest reviewers analysed and contextualised the content of the report drawing from the statistics around CSO challenges as well as opportunities emanating from the survey.
If you enjoyed this session, do subscribe to our podcast and check out our previous episodes. Our other work are available on https://developmentdispatch.com/ as well as on our social media pages.
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On this episode of the DevDispatch podcast, we review the Synthesis reports of the Voluntary National Reviews for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. This episode will focus entirely on highlighting the progress and challenges at country level for each SDG as submitted by the 35 African countries that have participated in the VNRs since 2016.
Links:
VNR Synthesis Report 2016 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/127761701030E_2016_VNR_Synthesis_Report_ver3.pdf
VNR Synthesis Report 2017
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/17109Synthesis_Report_VNRs_2017.pdf
VNR Synthesis Report 2018
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/210732018_VNRs_Synthesis_compilation_11118_FS_BB_Format_FINAL_cover.pdf VNR Synthesis Report 2018
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/252302019_VNR_Synthesis_Report_DESA.pdf
Author: Division for Sustainable Development (DSD), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations
Publication Year: 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019
Questions for consideration
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At the turn of the decade we are dubbing "the decade of action for the SDGs", how much of this planned action has taken stock of the progress, successes and challenges of the last four years?
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How much of the content of the VNRs influence program development, communication, advocacy and decision making around the SDGs?
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How can social innovators turn the challenges reported during the VNRs into opportunities to contribute to achieving the SDGs in the next 10 years?