Uganda last week announced it was withdrawing its membership from the International Coffee Organisation (ICO). The move came after failure to have its concerns properly addressed. The withdrawal was followed by a memo from the ICO to its members stating that the Uganda Coffee Development Association will no longer be permitted to issue Certificates of Origin from the ICO starting February 1.
Up until February Uganda has been trading its coffee under the 2007 ICO agreement. However several coffee producing countries criticize the agreement as not being in favour of farmers and other players and instead only favours consuming countries.
Authorities in Uganda argue that suspending the country’s membership for two years will give Uganda a chance to use the resources to further enhance its coffee sector and focus on the aspirations of Coffee Roadmap to increase production to 20 million bags by 2025/30. Uganda has been engaging with other African countries to develop strategies to enhance production and also start a campaign to boost domestic coffee consumption in Africa.
Civil unrest not withstanding Ethiopia last week launched power generation from the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD), the largest dam on the continent, indicating intent to provide electricity to the unserved 60 percent of its population. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the electricity production, this comes six months after Ethiopia filled the dam for the second time amidst protests from Egypt. Construction of the GERD since 2011 has been a subject of controversy as Ethiopia, the largest source of the Nile waters, bickered with Egypt, the largest consumer of the Nile waters. The bickering also drew in Sudan.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir is up on his feet and on the hunt for investors. The world’s youngest nation celebrated its National Day at the Dubai Expo 2020 last weekend, with a visit by President Salva, who wooed investors from the Arab world.
“The richness of our country’s cultural heritage and its biodiversity is known in very limited circles. Along with our vast agricultural land and abundant minerals, it is clear that we are a country of enormous potential,” President Salva is quoted as stating, adding: “Showcasing South Sudan here in Dubai is just the tip of the iceberg. We have a lot to share with the world in both cultural and economic areas. The message I bring to the UAE is that South Sudan is ready for investment, in sectors of agriculture and tourism.”
The army in Mali says eight of its soldiers have been killed and five are missing after an attack by rebels in the north-eastern Archam region. The fighting comes days after France and its allies said they were withdrawing their forces from Mali. The BBC quotes an army statement saying that in response to this latest attack, the Malian air force killed 57 militants.
It said the soldiers were searching for rebel hideouts when they came under fire from “unidentified armed men”.
There has been regional and international concern for Mali’s security following the exit of French troops, as well as the foothold gained by Russian mercenaries in the region.
