Blog
Making the AfCFTA work: Some additional Requirements
01 Nov 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
States have jurisdiction over their territories. They control the movement of goods, services, capital, and persons across borders. But no country can prosper in isolation. Trade agreement...read more
International Court rules on the Maritime Boundary between Kenya and Somalia
01 Nov 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
In 1829, the English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh wrote:
“For whosoever commands the sea commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of ...read more
Regional Economic Communities have unique Features and different Functions
01 Nov 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is generating a new awareness of and an interest in the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). They are expected to play a role in achieving...read more
The AfCFTA Dispute Settlement Mechanism as part of a continental Trade Regime
05 Oct 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
Article 20 of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Founding Agreement provides for a Dispute Settlement Mechanism as part of the overall AfCFTA design. It reads:
A Dispute...read more
The Institutions of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism of the AfCFTA
05 Oct 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The implementation of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is governed by a dedicated Protocol, the Protocol on Rules and Procedures on the ...read more
How will Rulings regarding AfCFTA Disputes be implemented?
05 Oct 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
Disputes declared in terms of the AfCFTA Dispute Settlement Protocol can be settled during the consultation phase, which comes first and is compulsory. Article 7 of the AfCFTA Dispute Sett...read more
WTO fisheries negotiations – A few but tough issues to resolve ahead of November 2021 Ministerial Conference (MC12)
28 Sep 2021 ~ Kedibone Machiu, Mpho Leseka, Noncedo Vutula, Thembekile Mlangeni
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) held a ministerial meeting on 15 July 2021 to discuss the progress of the fisheries subsidies negotiations. The discussions emphasised that the current n...read more
Improving the Business and Investment Climate in Africa – Why and How?
24 Sep 2021 ~ John Stuart
The ‘cost of capital’ refers to the rate of return required by lenders of capital or investors, in order to incentivise them to provide capital to business ventures. Developing economi...read more
The benefits of trade facilitation measures: the Kazungula bridge project
07 Sep 2021 ~ Edina Moyo Mudzingwa
The Kazungula Bridge, located on Zambezi River where Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia borders interconnect, was identified as a significant connector on a strategic road network for ...read more
The WTO is getting ready for the 12th Ministerial Conference
02 Sep 2021 ~ Kedibone Machiu, Mpho Leseka, Noncedo Vutula, Thembekile Mlangeni
The World Trading System is back on the agenda. Trade ministers from around the world met in Geneva, Switzerland, in July, to review the progress in fisheries negotiations in preparation f...read more
Transforming African Trade Corridors for the Future: What Are the Key Priority Areas?
24 Aug 2021 ~ Etiyel Chibira
Africa must prioritise the transformation of key trade corridors which connect the Regional Economic Communities (REC) if indeed the continent is to reap the full potential of the African ...read more
Leveraging Technology to Improve Regulatory Compliance and Trade Efficiency: A Focus on Road Transport
24 Aug 2021 ~ Etiyel Chibira
Road transport is an important mode for Africa’s trade, carrying over 90% of intra-regional and regional trade (Afreximbank: 2019). This is likely to continue into the future in the abse...read more
Improving Customs Efficiency: What are the Gains and For Whom?
24 Aug 2021 ~ Etiyel Chibira
It is imperative for Africa to transform its customs environment through fast-tracking implementation of interventions geared towards eliminating inefficiencies, if the continent is to mak...read more
Improving Border Efficiency in sub-Saharan Africa: The Need to Look at ‘Beyond the Border’ Operations
24 Aug 2021 ~ Etiyel Chibira
Border posts are one of the most important nodes whose performance has a significant bearing on corridor performance, efficiency of supply chains and trade competitiveness. In sub-Saharan ...read more
Harnessing the potential of the AfCFTA
05 Aug 2021 ~ Miracle Okoro
Introduction: The Potential of the AfCFTA
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement has been described as the continent’s most ambitious regional integration initi...read more
Unrest in South Africa: food security and supply chain responses
05 Aug 2021 ~ David Christianson
When South Africa’s most recent spate of civil unrest, triggered when former President Jacob Zuma handed himself over to the Correctional Services facility in Estcourt in KwaZulu Natal, ...read more
Gender-Responsiveness in Trade Agreements – how does the AfCFTA fare?
30 Jul 2021 ~ Lolita Laperle-Forget
Gender mainstreaming in free trade agreements is becoming an increasingly common practice.[1] This involves including provisions to address the specific needs of women and implementing agr...read more
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
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
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