Blog
The Process for Amending or Reviewing the SACU Agreement
Gerhard Erasmus
14 Dec 2018
There are strong indications that the SACU Agreement may be amended – or “reviewed” – during the next year.[1] Why has this become necessary and what would such a process entail? H... read more 
SACU’s operational Challenge
Gerhard Erasmus
14 Dec 2018
What does the 2002 SACU Agreement promise in terms of how the Organization would function? What did the Member States subsequently do in order to ensure that the agreed formula would be im... read more 
Reflections on COP24
Gavin van der Nest
11 Dec 2018
The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP24) is currently taking place in Katowice, Poland from 2-14 December 2018. COP24 is hosted under th... read more 
The Buenos Aires G20 Meeting: Has Rules-based global Trade survived?
Gerhard Erasmus
11 Dec 2018
The communiqué issued at the end of the Group of 20 meeting in Buenos Aires recently (30 November and 1 December 2018) reads like the to-do list for the world’s leading countries. It al... read more 
Investor-state dispute settlement in Africa and the AfCFTA Investment Protocol
Talkmore Chidede
11 Dec 2018
African countries have frequently appeared as respondents before international arbitration tribunals for violating their investment treaty obligations, mostly provisions on expropriation. ... read more 
Where to for Africa’s Silicon Valley?
John Stuart
27 Nov 2018
Approximately a year ago, tralac published a working paper that overviewed South Africa’s software development industry cluster in the Western Cape Province[1]. The Western Cape Software... read more 
Termination of the South Africa-Zimbabwe bilateral trade agreement: What does it mean for South Africa-Zimbabwe trade?
Elisha Tshuma
20 Nov 2018
The Bilateral Trade Agreement between South Africa and Zimbabwe will be terminated on 20 November 2018. The termination of the Agreement will affect certain imports from South Africa ... read more 
Regional Integration as a building block for the Multilateral Trading System
Edwini Kessie
18 Nov 2018
The signing of the Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) by African countries earlier this year was a momentous decision which could potentially alter the economic growth trajectory of... read more 
Assuring Continuation of Effective WTO Dispute Settlement
Alan Wolff
18 Nov 2018
Until the past few years, for many there was widespread complacency over the existence and state of the liberal world trading system. If progress was needed that could not be achieved at t... read more 
WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement: An African perspective
Talkmore Chidede
18 Nov 2018
Trade facilitation discussions at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) began in December 1996, at the Singapore Ministerial Conference, when the member states instructed the WTO Council for ... read more 
Is it time for a new Global Order?
Gerhard Erasmus
18 Nov 2018
The policies of President Trump have brought a new urgency to the debate about the future of the global economic and geopolitical order. American tariffs on Chinese goods[1], the withdrawa... read more 
Modernisation of the multilateral trading system – WTO reforms
Talkmore Chidede
18 Nov 2018
The multilateral trading system and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are today under threat. The system is being shaken by increasing protectionism and the imposition of non-tariff barri... read more 
African Responses to Global Crises
Gerhard Erasmus
18 Nov 2018
How do African governments and Africa collectively respond to the crisis in the global trading system? Are joint policies being developed? By whom? How will such a process be coordinated a... read more 
A WTO multilateral investment facilitation agreement: An African perspective
Talkmore Chidede
18 Nov 2018
Investment at the WTO Investment was introduced onto the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agenda in 1996 at the First WTO Ministerial Conference held in Singapore, when member states propos... read more 
American mid-term Elections: What International Implications?
Gerhard Erasmus
18 Nov 2018
The American mid-term elections took place during the first week of November 2018 and were keenly watched. Many have hoped that control by the Democratic Party of the House of Representati... read more 
The 2018 Global Food Security Index: What does the picture look like?
Obert Bore
18 Nov 2018
Food security is the state in which all people at all times have physical and economic access to adequate, safe and nutritious food that meet their dietary needs and food preferences for a... read more 
The Settlement of Trade Disputes: Where do we stand and what can be done?
Gerhard Erasmus
18 Nov 2018
The crisis in the dispute settlement arrangement of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has a paralysing effect on the multilateral trade system. While the workload of the Dispute Settlemen... read more 
The right kind of disruption... New banks in South Africa
Ashly Hope (Volunteer)
31 Oct 2018
There are a number of start-up banks set to challenge the dominance of the big four in South Africa (Absa, FirstRand Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank) in the coming months, including Bank Z... read more 
Brexit’s sober Lessons
Gerhard Erasmus
24 Oct 2018
Had it not been for the crisp analysis (and ridicule at times[1]) by many reporting on the oversimplifications offered by those who see Brexit as an opportunity to restore national “sove... read more 
South Africa’s much-awaited Investment Conference: What will it tell us?
Gerhard Erasmus
24 Oct 2018
In September this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that an international investor conference will be convened as part of his drive to get $100 billion in new investment into South... read more