Very few African States are active users of trade remedies and safeguards as part of their trade governance and trade policy implementation. Only four African countries – Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia – have properly designed domestic trade remedy and safeguard arrangements and regularly use these measures to defend their domestic producers. They are also the more industrialised African countries; trade remedies are part of their trade governance toolkit. They use these measures primarily in the global trade context, not in respect of intra-African trade.

Does this mean that trade remedies and safeguards are not essential for countries in Africa with low levels of industrialisation? What will these countries do as they become more industrialised, which is one of the requirements for achieving the ambitions behind the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement? And how will the State Parties protect sectors such as agriculture and services providers? How is trade policy made and executed in these countries?

This Trade Brief argues that trade remedies and safeguards are important trade governance tools for African States; for better domestic and regional integration policies and for achieving the goals of the AfCFTA Agreement.

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