Blog
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 moreEconomic 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 moreREC 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 moreDigital 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 moreIllicit 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 moreCommemorating 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 moreTrade 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 moreDesign and Architecture of the AfCFTA Investment Protocol
16 Apr 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The international legal instrument to be adopted as the AfCFTA Protocol on Investment will constitute a binding international agreement for the AU Member States that have ratified this ins...read moreThe International Regulation of Investment is not a recent Phenomenon
16 Apr 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
Investment matters have been on the international agenda for a long time but there is no multilateral investment treaty. Post-World War II discussions included investment issues. The propo...read moreHow will the AfCFTA Investment Protocol work?
16 Apr 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
International investment agreements (IIAs) are international legal instruments that address issues relevant to cross-border investments, usually for the purpose of protecting, promoting, a...read moreRegional Economic Communities and the AfCFTA Investment Protocol
16 Apr 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The legal regimes of the eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs)[1] recognised by the AfCFTA Agreement as building blocks of the African Continental Free Trade Area will not disappear w...read moreCameroon signs an Interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Kingdom
15 Apr 2021 ~ Cham Etienne Bama
On the 9 March 2021 in London, the High Commissioner of Cameroon to the United Kingdom (UK) His Excellency Albert Fotabong Njoteh and the UK International Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena ...read moreExploring Southern Africa’s battery mineral potential
15 Apr 2021 ~ David Christianson
Almost all of the emerging green economy’s high-demand minerals are found in abundance in Southern Africa. Indeed, the region dominates both current supply and known reserves for two of ...read moreThe WTO Secretariat under new Leadership
23 Mar 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
On 1 March 2021, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria took office as the seventh Director-General (DG) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). She is the first woman and the first African to...read moreAn Investment Protocol for the AfCFTA
23 Mar 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The negotiations for the adoption of the Phase II Protocols of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) have started. These legal instruments will cover investment, intellectual pr...read moreThe Relationship between Investment and Mode Three of Trade in Services – implications for the AfCFTA negotiations
23 Mar 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus, Trudi Hartzenberg
The market for investors is an increasingly competitive one. Investors are better informed about conditions in host countries. Companies seeking to expand their global presence will assess...read moreAddressing a key bottleneck to broadband development in South Africa – spectrum auction falls at first hurdle
22 Mar 2021 ~ David Christianson
When the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) announced the spectrum auction in September 2020, it was widely hailed as a critical measure to eliminate the main bot...read moreCitrus Black Spot (CBS) after Brexit
17 Mar 2021 ~ Abrie du Plessis
Citrus black spot (CBS) is a fungal disease that affects the rind of a citrus fruit. This causes lesions but does not result in fruit decay. The causative agent is the fungal pathogen Phyl...read moreGender-Responsiveness in Trade Agreements – how does the AfCFTA fare?
17 Mar 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 moreHow Should the AfCFTA Approach ICT Infrastructure Regulation?
17 Mar 2021 ~ John Stuart
The importance of the digital economy in the 21st Century cannot be overstated. From a means of improving information dissemination, to a vehicle for electronic commerce, to a facilitator ...read moreBlockchain-Driven Trade Technologies and the Potential Benefits for African Trade
21 Feb 2021 ~ John Stuart
Just over two years ago, tralac published a blog about the potential of blockchain (also referred to as distributed ledger technologies (DLT)) for trade in Africa[1]. This blog is an updat...read moreTrade under AfCFTA Rules started on 1 January 2021, but hard work lies ahead
10 Feb 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus, Trudi Hartzenberg
At its 13th Extra Ordinary Session held virtually in Johannesburg on 5 December 2020, the Assembly of the African Union (AU) announced that trade in goods under the AfCFTA will start from ...read moreWill 2021 see African Governments negotiating with External Partners?
10 Feb 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The conclusion of trade agreements between African States and third parties is an important matter. Only 16% of the goods produced in Africa are sold in Africa. This indicates that more th...read moreSpeculating about Phase II of the AfCFTA Negotiations
10 Feb 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus, Trudi Hartzenberg
The negotiations to adopt the AfCFTA’s Phase II Protocols are being launched and Phase III negotiations should be concluded by 31 December 2021[1]. Phase II will cover investment, intell...read moreThe AfCFTA Secretariat: Is the Action now in Accra?
10 Feb 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The Assembly of the African Union (AU) met virtually in Johannesburg on 5 December 2020 and adopted several important decisions about interim trade arrangements, the completion of the AfCF...read moreAfCFTA Phase II and III Negotiations – Update
10 Feb 2021 ~ Talkmore Chidede
The scope of the Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) covers trade in goods, trade in services, investment, intellectual property rights (IPRs) and compe...read moreWho is doing what in the fintech space in Africa?
10 Feb 2021 ~ David Christianson
Digital banking is driving Africa’s recovery
When Vodacom, Africa’s biggest mobile telephony operator (Telco) by revenue, announced late last year that it intended expanding its insur...read morePreferential trade with Mauritius: market access for the UK, China, and state parties of the AfCFTA
10 Feb 2021 ~ Willemien Viljoen
As of 1 January 2021, the Mauritian tariff book has three additional columns for preferential market access to the Mauritian market. These tariffs are for imports from the United Kingdom (...read moreSouth Africa’s implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement: customs arrangements and technicalities
10 Feb 2021 ~ Willemien Viljoen
Trading under the AfCFTA was set to begin on 1 January 2021. South Africa with the rest of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU – Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Namibia) submitte...read moreAfCFTA Parallelism and the Acquis
10 Feb 2021 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
According to the Governing Principles of the AfCFTA, the RECs’ Free Trade Areas (FTAs) are building blocks for the AfCFTA.[1] The AfCFTA shall also be governed by the preservation of the...read more