Blog

How can the AfCFTA assist Small Scale Traders?

28 Jul 2021 ~ Kimberley Nyajeka
When thinking about international trade, pictures of cargo ships carrying multi-coloured crates or large haulage trucks cruising along an empty highway are usually evoked. While the large-...read more

The role of profit in vaccine development

23 Jul 2021 ~ David Christianson
There has been much comment on the role of big pharmaceutical companies in developing a vaccine against Covid-19. Opinions generally fall into one of two camps: either that it is wrong to ...read more

Covid vaccine manufacturing in Africa – important, but not the first-line response to this pandemic

06 Jul 2021 ~ David Christianson, Trudi Hartzenberg
Many Africans are, quite justifiably, deeply angered at the inequities in the global distribution of vaccines to combat the Covid-19 epidemic. These replicate existing global inequalities ...read more

Trade Facilitation and institutional arrangements under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement

03 Jul 2021 ~ Rwatida Mafurutu
Various technical committees are established by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), to assist with the implementation of its Protocols and the respective Annexes to the ...read more

The role of institutional arrangements in the compilation of international merchandise trade and related statistics in Africa

22 Jun 2021 ~ Nomfazwe Matimba (intern)
International merchandise trade statistics (IMTS) record the goods crossing a country’s border, either into or out of the country. IMTS measures quantities and values of goods (imports o...read more

The SACUM-UK EPA and TRQs

21 Jun 2021 ~ Taku Fundira
Great Britain has left the European Union’s (EU) single market and customs union. This has meant that the preferential agreement between the EU and the Southern Africa Development Commun...read more

Ramaphosa raises self-generation cap – a promising step in the right direction, but more is needed

21 Jun 2021 ~ David Christianson
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on the 10th June, liberalising a significant part of the electricity supply industry, was as unexpected as it was welcome. Ramaphosa announced th...read more

Update on the Preferential Tariff Rate Quota Utilisation under the EU-SADC EPA

18 Jun 2021 ~ Taku Fundira
EU-SADC EPA a boost from the TDCA for South Africa The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) EPA count...read more

Telecom license auction in Ethiopia

18 Jun 2021 ~ David Christianson
For the last three years, Ethiopia has been talking about its ambition to liberalise its telecommunications market. This has been a part of a wider programme to liberalise the ‘commandin...read more

Covid accelerates Africa’s medical brain drain

18 Jun 2021 ~ David Christianson
Health professionals are among the most mobile categories of workers in the world. The permanent migration of medical skills from less developed to more affluent countries is not a new iss...read more

Leveraging Technology and Innovation for Africa’s Growth

14 Jun 2021 ~ Monica Werimo (intern)
The rise of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3D printing, and blockchain technology all stand to significantly impact trade costs an...read more

The proposed TRIPS Waiver to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic

07 Jun 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
In early October 2020, India and South Africa presented a proposal to the TRIPS Council requesting a temporary waiver from the implementation, application, and enforcement of the Agreement...read more

Making the AfCFTA and the RECs work

03 Jun 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are the official pillars of the African Economic Community (AEC). The AEC Treaty (the Abuja Treaty) came into force in May 1994. It provides for th...read more

Are FTAs making a Comeback? In what Guise and with what Rules?

03 Jun 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
In the 1990s there were major concerns about how preferential trade agreements with specific membership configurations would undermine the multilateral trading system embodied in the WTO. ...read more

Economic Integration is a Challenge: Can Variable Geometry help?

03 Jun 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
Trade Liberalisation and economic integration are a process. When sovereign states embark on the road to form Free Trade Areas (FTAs) and customs unions (CUs) they must agree on the extent...read more

REC Integration Approaches and their Implications

03 Jun 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The traditional approach to economic integration in Africa has become increasingly complex. It lacks focus and feasibility. It might be time to take a hard look at the evidence and revisit...read more

Digital nomads – Remote work visas for SA?

31 May 2021 ~ David Christianson
The recent call by the Western Cape government for South Africa to introduce a one-year remote working visa to boost the tourism industry, has implications which go a long way beyond a sma...read more

Illicit Trade Patterns in East and Southern Africa

25 May 2021 ~ David Christianson
Illicit trading along Africa’s Indian Ocean coastline presents a seemingly intractable set of problems. The sheer range of products, the number of entry points and trade routes, and the ...read more

Commemorating Africa Day – 2021

25 May 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus, Trudi Hartzenberg
Today is Africa Day. How should it be commemorated in the year 2021 and how should this occasion be used to tackle the crises of our times? Africa Day (formerly African Freedom Day and Af...read more

Trade remedies and trade disputes: the case of the US-EU large aircraft dispute, and how these disputes can offer opportunities for South Africa’s wine exports to the United States

26 Apr 2021 ~ Eckart Naumann
One of the primary intentions of WTO laws is to create a more even and fair playing field with respect to trade between WTO member states, and to ensure that trade takes place on a general...read more