AGENDA
09:30–09:45 Opening and Welcome: Nadira Bayat (Global Economic Governance Africa)
09:45–10:45 Presentation and discussion of research findings: Border economies
- Border economies at Beitbridge border post, Elisha Tshuma (Zimbabwe Trade Forum) and Christopher Wood (TIPS)
- Border economies at Chirundu border post, Dale Mudenda (University of Zambia) and Anna Ngarachu (Tutwa consulting)
10:45–11:00 Tea break
11:00–11:40 Presentation and discussion of research findings: Border logistics
- A targeted approach in improving logistics efficiency and decreasing transport costs in SADC member states, Sandy Lowitt (TIPS)
11:40–12:00 Comment by respondent (TBC)
12:00–13:00 Panel discussion with presenters, facilitated by Catherine Grant (Tutwa Consulting)
13:00: Lunch
BACKGROUND
Land borders in Southern Africa play a vital role, both as linkage points for the regional economy, and as focal points for growth and economic activity. Efficient movement of goods across borders is essential to the development of regional value chains and an integrated Southern African economy. Economic actors at the border – such as truckers, clearing agents, or small-scale traders – play a vital facilitating role in this integration process, but also risk displacement as efforts to improve logistics change the environment in which they operate. Placing trade facilitation reforms in the context of both border economies and the broader logistics networks in the region is therefore vital to promoting an inclusive and effective integration programme.
This Development Dialogue will analyse the linkages between borders as crossing points and borders as economic nodes, and the tensions between these two imperatives. Researchers will present the results of fieldwork at the Betbridge and Chirundu borders; as well as a large-scale study on logistics in SADC.
PRESENTERS
Christopher Wood is an economist at TIPS focusing on trade and industry policy. He previously worked as a researcher in economic diplomacy at the South African Institute of International Affairs, and has completed consulting work with Oxford Analytica, Executive Research Associates, the Swiss South Africa Joint Research Programme, and a leading South African trade union. His research areas include trade and industrial policy, global economic governance, and financial regulatory reform. He holds a Masters in Development Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a Bachelor of Social Science in Economics and Political Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Dale Mudenda is a lecturer at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in the Department of Economics. He holds PhD from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and an MA from the University of Malawi. He has experience in consultancies, applied research, policy analysis, training and capacity building. He has provided policy consultation services to multilateral, regional and national organisations such as the World Bank, WHO, Ministries of health, commerce trade and industry and national development planning covering areas such as pay reforms, public expenditure tracking, and health care Financing and trade International trade. He has also been a member of the Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry trade working group.
Anna Ngarachu is a Researcher at Tutwa Consulting Group. She holds an Honours degree in Economic Science from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a Core Credentials of Readiness Certificate from the Harvard Business School. At Tutwa, Anna has worked in the areas of sustainability standards focusing on SME and multinational corporation linkages; examined manufacturing capacity utilisation rates in African countries; collaborated on the trade section of the South African Systematic Country Diagnostic and assisted in the EU Transformation project in the wines and spirits sector.
Sandy Lowitt is a TIPS Research Associate. She holds a Master of Commerce from Wits University in Economics. She established the Economics Department in the Gauteng Provincial Government in 1995 and remained at with GPG until 2006. While specialising in economic research and industrial policy and strategy she also created and ran Blue IQ, which delivered projects such as the Gautrain, the Innovation Hub and the automotive supplier park. Since leaving the government, Sandy has remained active in public policy research and strategy development.