- Main question/s addressed
What are the research and capacity building interventions needed to foster access to EU and other international markets?
- Potentials in the international market for agricultural food products produced by selected African countries
- Technical barriers to access EU and other international markets
- Products quality and accreditation standards
- Sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS)
- Rules of origin, EU and other international trade policy requirements
- Enhanced agri-food value chain efficiency
- Required technologies for processing agri-food products to add value
What are the most important WTO and EU rules and regulations regarding market access?
- WTO market access rules – GATT and Doha agreements
- WTO special and differential treatment provisions for LDCs
- EU rules and regulations on market access for LDCs
- EU standards to foster greening
- Short description
The ESRF undertakes a case study titled: Priority Intervention Requirements to Enhance the Capacity of Sub Saharan African (SSA) Countries to Improve the Volume and Quality of Agri-food Exports -The cases of Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Ghana. This assignment falls under the EU-funded project namely Making Agriculture and Trade Sustainable (MATS) aiming to explore more improvement in trade at private sector, national, European Union, African and global levels. Under MATS project, a total of 15 case studies are carried out by different consortium members.
This case study is aiming to identify the key interventions needed in SSA countries in order to foster access of agri-food products to the EU and other international markets. The aforementioned four countries have been selected for that purpose. Some capacity needs assessments (CNAs) will be carried out in each country, which will provide a database of infor-mation of what is needed to address the identified challenges and gaps in general and for some specified agri-food commodities. Specific areas of inquiry will include challenges and gaps related to quality/standards to meet rules and regulations to access the EU and other international mar-kets. The case study will also identify institutional frameworks, policies and regulations impacting on international trade. Additional considera-tions will include aspects such as sustainability of the production and pro-cessing metrics, benefits accruing to youth and women. Some of the cross-cutting issues for consideration will be environmental conservation, including minimal pollution of water bodies and preservation of forests. Another important aspect not to be left out is the adherence to labour regulations such as those safeguarding the welfare of children. The case study is expected to contribute to SDG1, 2, 3, 15 and 13. Cross-cutting issues such as gender and the environment will also be considered. The prepared database/reports from the case study will be assembled such that it can be used (a) to prepare policy briefs and articles for publica-tions; and (b) by other agencies to prepare capacity building materials for different stakeholders in the four study countries of Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Ghana. The aspects to be considered in this case study are further elaborated below
- Key governance / legal / institutional frameworks that play a role
Statutory institutions in Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Ghana that oversee standards relating to food quality (e.g., Bureau of standards, en-vironmental sustainability agencies, labour safety bureau, consumer safe-ty protection, plant sanitary and phytosanitary departments, as well as policy and institutional framework related to food and nutrition security.
- Key policy frameworks that play a role
The trade policies and product regulations that affect participation of SSA countries, as represented by Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Ghana, in the EU and other international markets will be key. Additionally, the case study will look at African Regional Trade Agreements and Intra-African Trade in relation to access to EU and other international markets. Food security matters are also guided by African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) under the Comprehensive Africa Agricul-ture Development Programme (CAADP) as customized by each country.
- Issues related to competitiveness in markets that will be explored
- Planned methodological approach
There will be close collaboration with local partners in each of the selected SSA country (Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Ghana) who are knowl-edgeable and involved in agri-food value chains development internation-al trade policies, rules, and regulations. The same partners will contribute to the research agenda by providing on the ground support in the (i) identification of stakeholders and arranging for logistics to allow conduct virtual interviews; (ii) identification and gathering of sources of secondary data collection from official sources that can be used in the analysis by ESRF team; (iii) peer reviewing of the draft reports to be prepared by ESRF; (iv) inviting workshop participants for virtual presentation and dis-cussions of the prepared reports that will have identified key information of main interventions needed to address the challenges and gaps. In the needs assessment a mixed study approach will be used to capture both qualitative and quantitative data. Collaborating partners in each country will participate in the dissemination webinars and workshops for the purpose of collective understanding and dissemination of the findings from the study as well as dissemination of the assembled materials.
- Planned data collection
The following data
will be collected from the above-mentioned four case study countries:
Sources to provide the data and information
Obtained mostly from secondary sources such as country and sector specific reports
Role of Country-Research Associates
To identify most recent reports on the subjects based on in country and international institutions
Sources to provide the data and information
Mostly from both (i) secondary sources such as country and sector specific reports; and (ii) primary sources through inter-view questionnaires involving key stakeholders
Role of Country-Research Associates
To identify (i) most recent reports on the subjects, and (ii) arrange for stakeholders to participate in virtual interviews or workshops facilitated by ESRF to get opinion and views on productivity weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities for each commodity
Sources to provide the data and information
Mostly from both (i) secondary sources such as country and sector specific reports; and (ii) primary sources through inter-view questionnaires involving key stakeholders
Role of Country-Research Associates
To identify (i) most recent reports on the subjects, and (ii) arrange for stakeholders to participate in virtual interviews or workshops facilitated by ESRF to get opinion and views on policy and institutional frameworks: challenges and solutions
Sources to provide the data and information
Mostly from both (i) secondary sources such as country and sector specific reports; and (ii) primary sources through inter-view questionnaires involving key in-country stakeholders
Role of Country-Research Associates
To identify (i) most re-cent reports on the sub-jects, and, (ii) arrange for stakeholders to participate in virtual interviews or workshops facilitated by ESRF to get their opinion and views on policy/legal/regulator gaps and challenges faced by the country to access international markets
Sources to provide the data and information
Mostly from both (i) secondary sources such as country and sector specific reports; and, (ii) primary sources through interview questionnaires involving key in-country stakeholders
Role of Country-Research Associates
To identify (i) most recent reports on the subjects, and, (ii) arrange for stakeholders to participate in virtual interviews or workshops facilitated by ESRF to get their opinion and views on cross-cutting issues such as effects of land and water use on environment and social considerations in the value chain: e.g. women and children rights
Sources to provide the data and information
Through validation meetings where study results are presented and discussed to validate as priority challenges and their recommended interventions
Role of Country-Research Associates
To help in the identification of stakeholders for involvement in validation of results through virtual workshops to be facilitated by ESRF staff
- Expected impact
Case Study Leader
The Economic and Social Research Foundation
Lοcal Partner(s)
University of Dar-es-Salaam, Business School / School of Economics
SDG's Addressed
Geographical Focus and Scale
Tanzania
Uganda
Ethiopia
GhanaProduct and market focus
The agri-food products covered in the case study are (tentative):
- Horticultural crops (fruits, e.g. avocado): Tanzania, Uganda, and Ghana
- Root/tuber crops (e.g. cassava): Tanzania and Ghana
- Beverages (coffee and cocoa): Uganda (coffee), Ghana (cocoa), Ethiopia (coffee)
- Meat/Beef: Ethiopia and Tanzania
Key stakeholders
- Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (including Bureau of Statistics)
- Research and Capacity Building Institutions
- Development Partners
- Private sector associations and NGOs
- Agri-food value-chain actors: small and medium businesses enterprises (SMEs)