The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration received a briefing yesterday from the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) on the fund’s state of readiness to implement the two-pot system to its almost 1.3 million public servant members when the new system comes into effect on 1 September 2024.

The committee welcomed the preparations that aim to ensure GEPF members have a user-friendly experience when using the online application system to access their pension fund information. This “app” will give members a dashboard view of their retirement pots and an opportunity to withdraw funds from the savings pot, as per the new rules of the two-pot retirement system.

The committee noted the concerns that some public servants do not understand how the new two-pot system works, but the committee is encouraged by the GEPF’s commitment to continue educating its members.

The committee also welcomes the legislation’s intention to protect South Africans’ retirement savings, as well as the fact that members will be able to access a component of their savings before retirement without having to resign from their job. This is intended to help them in times of unforeseen financial emergencies.

The committee calls upon members of the public service to highlight any frustrations with the implementation of the new system so that the committee can adequately fulfil its oversight responsibilities over the GEPF and its execution within the rules of the new two-pot retirement system.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Informal traders account for a significant share of commerce among West African countries. Better data collection, digital tools and on-the-ground support can help their businesses thrive.

That’s the goal of the latest collaboration between the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the West African Association for Cross-Border Trade (WACTAF). Working together making it easier to trade food products within the region.

The collaboration was cemented on 8 August 2024 with the signing of a new memorandum of understanding. This formalizes the framework for ongoing cooperation, building on their previous work in cross-border trade and logistics.

Under this agreement, ITC and WACTAF will continue to collaborate on advisory services, better use of data, supporting informal traders, and enhancing trade obstacle reporting systems.

This partnership is expected to have a lasting impact on the economic integration of West Africa. Sustainable and inclusive trade development ensures that even the most vulnerable traders have access to the tools and information they need to succeed. 

The two organizations already work to support trade information and border assistance desks across the region. These desks are crucial for providing traders with information to navigate border formalities. That reduces risks for informal traders, whose goods could perish during long border delays.

By leveraging existing trade facilitation measures and digital platforms, we’re making significant progress in addressing the challenges faced by small traders.

The two agencies are also working to find ways to make information on informal trade data available through WACTAF’s database and online application. Better data to inform both business and policy decisions throughout the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

With WACTAF’s expertise, ITC is also looking at how to best report and address obstacle to trade at border crossings, often affecting women traders the most.

Part of the collaboration will leverage existing systems, like the WACTAF ‘Operation Fluidité Routière’ initiative to facilitate the transport of agricultural products across West Africa. That initiative can work with the  Trade Obstacles Alert Mechanism (TOAM), developed by ITC and the ECOWAS Commission, to make cross-border trade more efficient and less burdensome for traders. 

ITC is conducting this work alongside its partners from GIZ, the leading German development agency, and the ECOWAS Commission under the GIZ ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) Programme.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.

On behalf of the President of the Commission, H.E. Omar Alieu TOURAY, The Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission attended the 2024 Ministerial Meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) held in Tokyo on 24th-25th August 2024.The meeting which is a preparatory meeting of the TICAD IX to hold on August 2025 in Yokohama, Japan, commits to accelerate efforts to ensure food security while highlighting the importance of resilience against climate change and natural resources, as well as the enhancement of agricultural productivity.

The meeting outlined a plan to promote digitalization and emphasized the importance of the effective and responsible use of digital technology and artificial intelligence and further stressed the importance of collaborating with the private sector in tackling social issues.

On bilateral level, H.E Damtien TCHINTCHIBIDJA who was accompanied by the Director of External Relations, M. Jerome BOA, and the Adviser to the President, Mr. Mambury NJIE, had a working session with the H.E. TSUJI Kiyoto, State Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The Vice President while briefing the State Minister on the latest development in the ECOWAS region, pointed out the priority areas of ECOWAS, such as infrastructure, agriculture, digitalization, renewable energy, trade, investment and capacity building of the youth and women, as well as peace and security, that need support from its strategic partners which include Japan.

She further stress on the importance of the TICAD mechanism to deal with the Regional Economic Community bearing in mind the principle of subsidiarity and complementarity to yield tangible results and effective impact on the Africa development.

H.E. TSUJI Kiyoto reassured on Japan’s willingness to assist and strengthening its bilateral cooperation with ECOWAS while looking forward to its participation in 2025 for the TICAD IX.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Ambassador Sharon Cromer, on August 20, 2024, accompanied Fatou Baldeh, a 2024 International Women of Courage Award recipient from The Gambia to the State House to officially inform President Adama Barrow about her honor. Fatou was recognized at the White House earlier this year, receiving the Department of State’s International Women of Courage Award from First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for her exceptional courage and leadership in empowering Gambian women and girls and advocating for their rights. President Barrow congratulated Fatou, stating that his government will support her and work with her for the development of the country.

In the same vein, the Ambassador also introduced the senior leadership of Peace Corps Gambia to President Barrow. Along with Siiri Morley, the Country Director of Peace Corps The Gambia, the Ambassador updated the president on the agency’s contributions across various sectors in the country. The discussion highlighted the positive changes facilitated by these efforts, reflecting the Peace Corps’ commitment to supporting local communities. President Barrow expressed his delight in meeting the Peace Corps delegation and acknowledged the organization’s role in supporting the government’s efforts in key sectors such as health, agriculture, and education as outlined in the National Development Plan.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in The Gambia.