Blog
Infrastructural development under the AfCFTA
14 Feb 2024 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
Apart from Annexes dealing with customs administration and border governance issues, the AfCFTA Agreement does not mention infrastructural development explicitly as one of its objectives. ...read more
Too Much Gloom at Davos
14 Feb 2024 ~ David Christianson
The organizers of the World Economic Forum (WEF) do not always get the selected theme quite right. Some years, the great and the good who attend the annual uber-capitalist event in Switzer...read more
Three’s a Crisis: Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali announce that they will leave ECOWAS
13 Feb 2024 ~ Emily Pender
On 8 February, the foreign ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened to address the potential loss of three member states. At the end of January Niger, M...read more
A messy withdrawal from ECOWAS
12 Feb 2024 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
On 29 January 2024, the military juntas of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Their explanation was that ...read more
The WTO Dispute Settlement Impasse: What is happening?
12 Feb 2024 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The WTO’s Understanding on Dispute Settlement (DSU) provides World Trade Organisation (WTO) members with a legal framework for resolving trade disputes that arise between them when imple...read more
Africa out of the spotlight at the World Economic Forum?
24 Jan 2024 ~ Emily Pender
Last week, the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) took place in Davos, Switzerland. In recent years, Africa was at the forefront of discussions, but this year lacked hig...read more
South Africa’s Draft Integrated Resource Plan Undermines its Climate Ambitions
16 Jan 2024 ~ Gita Briel
South Africa’s renewable energy transition has been a bumpy and unpredictable one where policies and actions often appear misaligned. The government has recognised the need to decarbonis...read more
How will the AfCFTA contribute to better trade governance?
16 Jan 2024 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has the potential to bring about major changes (and benefits) to how trade in goods and services will be conducted on the continent. Africa...read more
What does the AfCFTA Agreement provide for in respect of climate change?
10 Jan 2024 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
Effective policies are urgently needed in Africa to deal with climate-induced disasters. This will require high levels of political commitment, regional and domestic strategies, collective...read more
‘Total’ Transformation or ‘Total’ Chaos? Mozambique’s LNG Saga Continues
10 Jan 2024 ~ Emily Pender
At the recently concluded COP28, states, multinationals, lobbyists and civil society committed to the transfer away from fossil fuels. A month later, TotalEnergies (Total) is set to resume...read more
Cultivating Change at COP28: The Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action
20 Dec 2023 ~ Emily Pender
The global agricultural industry, the second-largest contributing sector to greenhouse gas emissions, must change for the world to meet the Paris Agreement commitments. This was acknowledg...read more
Sustainable Trade: Insights from Trade Day at COP28
20 Dec 2023 ~ Emily Pender
The COP28 Trade Day was the first of its kind for the annual conference. Major trade-related organisations, including the United Nations Conference on Development and Trade (UNCTAD), the W...read more
COP28 Outcomes: the beginning of the end for fossil fuels or a COP-out?
19 Dec 2023 ~ David Christianson
COP climate summits almost inevitably leave some observers and participants disappointed. COP28, held in Dubai in early December, was no exception. Many commentators have expressed disappo...read more
Should farmers in western Kenya still be growing sugarcane?
18 Dec 2023 ~ Deborah Munyekenye
Sugarcane farming and processing has been the primary economic activity in western Kenya, since the 1970s when government started promoting the expansion and commercialisation of the indus...read more
Promoting the Implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement: The Role of Regional Business Councils
17 Dec 2023 ~ Lilian Wairimu
Business communities stand to gain significantly from increased market access, investment opportunities, supply chain optimisation and improved competitiveness from the African Continental...read more
Regional Electricity Market under the AfCFTA: Prospects and Challenges for Ethiopia
16 Dec 2023 ~ Bethelhem Abraham
The African Union (AU) launched the Africa single electricity market (AfSEM) initiative in 2021 to boost the African electricity sector sustainably and promote an integrated continental ma...read more
How ready is Ghana for the AfCFTA?
16 Dec 2023 ~ Daisy Codjoe
More than four years after the operational launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Ghana is participating in the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI), a pilot trading programm...read more
Embracing DigitALL Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality to support achieving the SDGs: the case of Zambia
16 Dec 2023 ~ Zilinde Monjeza
The theme for the 2023 International Women’s Day (8 March) was “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.” It has generally been observed that women and girls still re...read more
First steps taken to address SA’s logistics crisis
14 Dec 2023 ~ David Christianson
In early December 2023, the South African cabinet approved the Freight Logistics Roadmap, jointly drafted by the Presidency and representatives of the private sector. While it is common ca...read more
South Africa’s need to revive mining exploration
14 Dec 2023 ~ David Christianson
According to Minerals Council South Africa CEO, Mzila Mthenjane, in an op-ed published in October, the country’s mining exploration spend in 2023 was 0.8 percent of global spend, down fr...read more
Women Cross-Border Traders and Food Security in Southern Africa: Role of Simplified Trade Regimes – case of Malawi and Zambia
12 Dec 2023 ~ Mary Frances Malunga
A growing food security crisis is looming globally. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food wh...read more
Climate and Health at COP28: Treating the Symptoms or Causes?
11 Dec 2023 ~ Emily Pender
Air pollution causes over 8 million deaths per year. By 2050 extreme heat, diarrhea, dengue, malaria, and malnutrition (stunting) will together cause 21 million more deaths than there woul...read more
Fossil Fables: Reading Between the Lines of the COP28 Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter
07 Dec 2023 ~ Emily Pender
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) is underway in Dubai until the 12 December 2023. According to t...read more
Why Value Chain Development of the Cosmetics & Personal Care Products Sector Could Benefit Female MSME Entrepreneurs in Africa
30 Nov 2023 ~ John Stuart
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The cosmetics and personal care products value chain in Africa is an emerging and rapidly growing sector, reflecting the increasing demand from a burgeoning middle class and...read more
What is the DNA of the AfCFTA?
30 Nov 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
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It has been said that “… the significance of the AfCFTA cannot be overstated. It is the world’s largest free trade area since the establishment of the World Trade Orga...read more
The AfCFTA Protocol on Women and Youth as part of a new trade and integration discourse
30 Nov 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
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When the negotiations to conclude the Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) started in 2015, the initial focus was on boosting intra-Africa...read more
UNCTAD LDC Report shines light on climate funding shortfall ahead of COP28
28 Nov 2023 ~ Emily Pender
The 2023 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) finds that LDCs have not received enough financial assistance t...read more
Supporting women cross-border traders
18 Oct 2023 ~ Edna Oduwo
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Over the past few years, matters on gender equality, gender biases and gender mainstreaming in trade policy have become more prominent in public debates with increased focus...read more
Will investment flows increase under the AfCFTA Investment Protocol?
18 Oct 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
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Africa needs investments to develop and industrialize. The bulk of it comes in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2021 FDI into African countries amounted to $8...read more
How is the AfCFTA’s industrial development agenda shaping up?
18 Oct 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
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Industrialisation is vital for Africa’s long-term development. To achieve its objectives and boost intra-African trade (which stands at very low levels and involves m...read more