Blog
The AfCFTA’s Institutions are vital for effective Implementation
28 Jul 2020 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
When all the outstanding negotiations are complete, implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) obligations will be the responsibility of individual State Parti...read more
May AfCFTA State Parties conclude new Trade Agreements?
28 Jul 2020 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
In order to answer the question posed above one has to study the legal instruments adopted for the purpose of establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). An important fe...read more
Do the Regional Economic Communities protect basic Human Rights?
28 Jul 2020 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have been receiving more than the usual amount of attention lately because eight of them have been identified as the building blocks of the ...read more
The costs of driving smoking underground
24 Jul 2020 ~ David Christianson
It is not surprising that the total ban on cigarette sales in South Africa, under COVID-19 lockdown regulations, has generated a thriving black market. This impact of banning sale of goods...read more
Do African RECs Increase Intra-African Trade? Some Evidence from Uganda
24 Jul 2020 ~ John Stuart
Regional economic communities (RECs) come in various shapes and sizes. From the highly integrated European Union (EU) to the long-lived Southern African Customs Union (SACU), to the pre-FT...read more
The Looming Brexit Cliff – What it means for South Africa and for SACU
21 Jul 2020 ~ Dirk de Vos, Trudi Hartzenberg
On 30 June 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) passed a final threshold. Although the UK formally left the EU on 31 January in terms of the Withdrawal Agreement betwe...read more
Strict lockdown regulations – medical and electronic equipment flown in and cross-border road traffic reduced by two-thirds
14 Jul 2020 ~ Willemien Viljoen
South Africa’s main trading partners are China (imports of electronic components, machinery and parts and motor vehicle components; exports of ores and concentrates), Germany (imports of...read more
South Africa’s trade data update – the May 2020 data reveals the effect of eased lockdown restrictions
14 Jul 2020 ~ Willemien Viljoen
Since the beginning of May 2020 South Africa gradually started to ease lockdown restrictions with a consequent increase in trade reflected in South Africa’s trade data for May which was ...read more
Climate Change in times of COVID-19
13 Jul 2020 ~ Gavin van der Nest
In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may appear that climate change related issues have been temporarily confined on the backburner. The COP26 climate summit scheduled to take place i...read more
Why is it so difficult to start trading under AfCFTA Rules?
06 Jul 2020 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The simple answer to this question is that the task at hand is a daunting one. It should not be underestimated. The modus operandi employed for completing the African Continental Free Trad...read more
Challenges for the youth entrepreneurs in agriculture
03 Jul 2020 ~ Motlatsi Tolo
We need action now for a better future not only for us but for generations to come. That is what sustainable development requires. It is time for future leaders to be mindful of the land, ...read more
Youth in trade and trade governance in Africa
03 Jul 2020 ~ Talkmore Chidede, Obert Bore
Trade supported by improvements in trade governance can contribute to reducing inequalities by distributing benefits more equally across all segments of the society. Meaningful participati...read more
The Wild West is Dead; Long Live Data Protection
02 Jul 2020 ~ Paul Esselaar
Some years ago, a major retailer in the United Kingdom was asked what happened when they introduced the Data Protection Directive of 1995 (an immense shift – almost like a sea change –...read more
COVID-19 to curtail FDI flows to Africa in 2020: How to mitigate the effects in the long-term?
02 Jul 2020 ~ Talkmore Chidede
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will negatively impact foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to Africa and the rest of the world. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development...read more
Youth and post-COVID-19 recovery strategies in Africa and beyond
01 Jul 2020 ~ Trudi Hartzenberg, Talkmore Chidede
It is clear that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will have severe global health, social, and economic impact on people and economies. To date, the science and statistics indicate that ...read more
Digital Solutions for Trade Facilitation
01 Jul 2020 ~ Wilfried Deudjui Mbouwé
Introduction
Since 1947, states of the world have been working to liberalize international trade by reducing tariffs, under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and since 1995 unde...read more
Youth Entrepreneurship in Africa: A beacon of hope for the continent
01 Jul 2020 ~ Maria Immanuel
Leaders are those who connect the dots. Equally, youth entrepreneurship in Africa will be driven by the young minds who have the ability to connect the dots. With so many challenges stemmi...read more
Use of Electronic Certificates of Origin now and beyond COVID-19 in intra-African Trade
29 Jun 2020 ~ Rwatida Mafurutu
As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, it continues to restrain free movement of people, goods and services across African borders to unprecedented levels. Countries find themselves confronted...read more
Beyond SDGs: The role of African youth in reaping demographic dividends
29 Jun 2020 ~ George Lwanda
A good starting point in the discourse on youth is how to define the population group that is considered youth. This is because there exists no globally accepted definition of the youth po...read more
How Should the Covid-19 Pandemic Inform Economic and Trade Policy?
29 Jun 2020 ~ John Stuart
The Covid-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on economic activity globally. The World Trade Organization estimated in April that world trade would fall by between 13 and 32% in 2020, ...read more
Digitalise transport and trade procedures to ease the supply of essential goods during COVID-19 and beyond
29 Jun 2020 ~ Trudi Hartzenberg, Talkmore Chidede
Governments across the world have implemented measures to stem the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Trade-related measures have been implemented particularly to ensure the contin...read more
EU investment governance developments: Implications for African countries
25 Jun 2020 ~ Talkmore Chidede
The European Union (EU) investment policy is a model that many other countries have viewed as a standard or best practice in investment governance and have thus sought to emulate. Most of ...read more
An Agenda for the AfCFTA Protocol on E-Commerce
25 Jun 2020 ~ Ify Ogo
E-commerce has been included in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through a decision of the African Union Heads of State and Government Assembly in February 2020[1] and will...read more
South Africa’s April 2020 trade statistics – reduced exports lead to a significant trade deficit
16 Jun 2020 ~ Willemien Viljoen
South Africa’s March 2020 trade data[1] showed that measures adopted by its global trade partners to curb the spread of COVID-19 mainly impacted South Africa’s imports. Main source mar...read more
Why it may be better not to rush the Implementation of the AfCFTA now
25 May 2020 ~ Trudi Hartzenberg, Gerhard Erasmus
There have been urgent calls for completing the outstanding African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) negotiations and to implement this new continental free trade regime as soon as pos...read more
Some reflections on Africa Day 2020, COVID-19 and the AfCFTA
25 May 2020 ~ Trudi Hartzenberg
We will all remember Africa Day 2020. Africa Day, which we have been celebrating on 25 May each year since the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, and its tra...read more
The Implications of COVID-19 for regional trade
25 May 2020 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
COVID-19 is a global pandemic and will have severe implications for African nations. Inadequate public facilities, wide-spread poverty and crowded living conditions make them particularly ...read more
COVID-19 and its implications for women
25 May 2020 ~ Bineswaree Aruna Bolaky, Darsheenee Ramnauth
In a recent op-ed, Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook drew attention to the “double-double shift” that COVID-19 is imposing on women.[1] Women have multiple roles...read more
EAC Regional response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
25 May 2020 ~ Geoffrey Osoro
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an impact on the East African Community (EAC) economies both directly and indirectly as a result of the measures being taken currently to contain the sprea...read more
The Pandemic and its Aftermath: The Role of Trade Policy
19 May 2020 ~ Patrick Low
Received wisdom from a wide spectrum of commentators is that our post-COVID-19 world is going to be different from the one the virus invaded. Predictions vary considerably as to what is go...read more