SCIX African Trade Talks

In this episode our guest is Dr Frank Mugyenyi who is the Founder and Chair of the Minerals Africa Development Institution (MADI). Reflecting on how the African continent can best position itself to harness the benefits from increasing demand for strategic minerals, Dr Mugyenyi notes that the sector must firstly invest in geological exploration and data acquisition and secondly establish a framework on how to add value to these minerals, so as to ensure that they feed into the African industrialisation agenda.

In this episode our guest is Dr Magalie Masamba who is a legal specialist under the World Bank's Public Private Partnerships Support Program, based in Tanzania. Magalie dissects the nature of the working relationship between the private and public sectors within the framework of a Public Private Partnership. She emphasizes the need for the public sector to understand and speak the language of the private sector, towards successful PPPs as well as the centrality of sustainability requirements to any project.

In this episode, our guest is Bohani Hlungwane who is the Head of Sales for Trade and Working Capital at the ABSA Group. Bohani offers some insights on some of the leading mistakes that he believes impede entrepreneurs from successfully securing funding, offering in a final analysis, the development of a reliable payment network as being key towards the unlocking of opportunities for SME's under the AfCFTA.

Today is international women's day and our guest is a woman who is a recognised researcher and practitioner in trade negotiation and policy development , Catherine Grant Makokera. After serving as a diplomat for New Zealand for several years, Catherine relocated to South Africa and started the Tutwa Consulting Group, where she is the director. She shares with us some important insights on the potential impacts of the AfCFTA on Africa's external trade relations as well as on the future of the WTO.

In this episode, our guest is Eng. Ahmed Mansur, who is an official ambassador of the Intra-African Trade Fair 2021. Eng. Mansur offers reflections on the efforts that Nigerian Government has made towards improving the ease of doing bussiness in the country. He clarifies the often misunderstood reasons behind Nigeria's late signing of the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA and in a final analysis expresses his optimism towards the capability of the agreement to consolidate African value chains.

The Africa Continental Free Trade Area was launched on the 1st of January 2021. In this episode Chad the host takes us through some of the key insights of the month, this episode is also about feedback and gratitude to all our listeners.

In this episode, our guest is Cham Etienne Bama, a Cameroonian trade policy expert who has been actively involved in the consultation process towards the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Cham shares insights on some of the leading trade facilitation challenges faced by African Regional Economic Communities, noting that the success of the African Continental integration project, hinges on addressing the sub regional impediments to trade.

Africa has been a leading supplier of various raw materials to other markets, it's time to change. We need to grow our manufacturing capacity. We hear from Philippa Rodseth, Executive director of The Manufacturing Circle, an organization formed by South African manufacturers, she shares insights on the South African Manufacturing industry.

Ope Sule shares insights on the function of Capital markets and why African businesses should consider listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Justin Chadwick, shares insights on the Citrus industry in Southern Africa. He has over 30 years industry knowledge. The Citrus industry is one of the few industries that have seen market growth during the pandemic period.