Monthly Highlights from ECDPM's Talking Points Blog, GREAT Insights, Volume 3, Issue 1 (December 2013 - January 2014)

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918 – 2013): Condolences to a Nation. Talking Points, Jan Vanheukelom, 6 December 2013
“Trevor, where are my weights?” At 4 am, those must have been Mandela’s first morning words as a free man on 12 February 1990. Trevor Manuel was one of the Cape leaders of the United Democratic Front, and an organiser of the welcoming committee for Mandela’s release. This anecdote says a lot about Mandela. About his discipline to stay fit. About his fine nose for talent (six years later, President Mandela will ask the ex-political street fighter Trevor to become South Africa’s first black Minister of Finance). Without a masters degree in economics, Trevor would (…)

Crossing the border between Malawi and Zambia. How to convince informal traders to give up the ‘Zalewa’ route? Talking Points, Kathleen van Hove, 4 December 2013
There is still room for improvement to facilitate the trade integration between Malawi and Zambia. We recently took a trip hoping for smooth passage, but it took us two hours to cross the border at Mchinji, even though we had the Permanent Secretary for Trade on board – as well as officers from customs. Besides the normal formalities on both the Malawi and Zambian side of the border, the main delay was linked to an insurance necessary for the Malawian bus to drive on Zambian roads. This is the kind of non-tariff barrier that business (…)

European Development Days: Feeding the 5000 (delegates). Talking Points, Clément Silverman, 29 November 2013
‘The [EU] institutions need to change’, said the Centre for Global Development’s Owen Barder in an interview with ECDPM at the European Development Days this week. There is a feeling that Europe has so much to offer, due to being in a ‘remarkable position’, as Barder puts it, of States that have come together voluntarily, to share that experience to shape policy in developing countries. This is the so-called added-value of the EU. He said that despite this strong position, Europe must be respectful of other nations’ different starting points. It should change its own (…)

Challenges 2014: Family Farming, African Food Security and EU-AU relations, deadlock or turning-point in 2014? Talking Points, Francesco Rampa, 21 November 2013
+++ ECDPM Challenges blog series. Post number six +++ Declared the UN Year of Family Farming and the AU Year of Food Security, 2014 will be particularly interesting. With key challenges in terms of policy directions, international processes, and Europe-Africa relations, conflicts can certainly arise; but next year we could also see some break-through in all these three dimensions. Policy dilemmas The main challenge, in terms of policy choices, is going to be related to the agricultural model that public and private decision-makers promote through their efforts to enhance food security in Africa. Some believe (…) 

 This article was published in GREAT Insights Volume 3, Issue 1