Blog
Remittance costs – challenges for intra-Africa transfers
08 Mar 2023 ~ David Christianson
Remittances, from wealthier countries to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), account for far larger financial flows than either Official Development Assistance (ODA) or Foreign Direc...read more
With the SACU tariff offer in the bag, what happens next to AfCFTA trade?
08 Mar 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus, Trudi Hartzenberg
It has been reported that the five member states of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) have recently submitted their joint AfCFTA offer of tariff concessions, and that it meets the ...read more
Customs and border management – Balancing trade with facilitation and public policy objectives
27 Feb 2023 ~ Edna Oduwo
In recent years, the role of customs officers has transitioned from primarily collecting duties and taxes to a broader role that involves facilitating the flow of goods and services across...read more
The scope of the AfCFTA is expanding. What are the implications?
03 Feb 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has a specific design. The relevant information appears, in the first instance, in the AfCFTA founding Agreement. One should start with the...read more
Is the World Trade Organisation coping?
01 Feb 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been in trouble for some time. Disagreement about how its dispute settlement system (once called the jewel in the WTO crown) should function is an ex...read more
WEF 2023. Polycrisis? What Polycrisis?
01 Feb 2023 ~ David Christianson
There are always challenges interpreting the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) winter meeting at Davos in Switzerland. The presence of 2 700 invited speakers in the Swiss ski-resort of Davos ...read more
When Russia, the US and the European Union are in town during the same week
01 Feb 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, visite...read more
Women in Sub-Saharan Africa’s Services Trade: An Overview of Participation and Business Ownership
31 Jan 2023 ~ Gavin van der Nest
Services trade in Sub-Saharan Africa plays a significant role in the region’s economy, yet the participation of women in this sector is limited. Despite comprising 50.2% of the total pop...read more
The AfCFTA and continental Integration: What role for Women?
25 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
African economic integration has been on the agenda for decades and has seen several designs. Under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) there is a new approach. This Blog prov...read more
AfCFTA Institutional Arrangements will impact on the interests of Women
25 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The policies, decisions, and measures adopted within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) institutions and in the State Parties, will impact directly on the position of women t...read more
What protection for Women under the AfCFTA Dispute Settlement Protocol?
25 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The rights of women traders should be recognised and be protected to secure and improve their position under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The proposed AfCFTA Protocol ...read more
What is the implementation of the AfCFTA about and how will Women be affected?
25 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement establishes a rather standard continent-wide preferential trade regime for goods and services. It does not yet contain specific r...read more
Adjusting and expanding the AfCFTA to support Women
25 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus, Trudi Hartzenberg
The decision to adopt a Protocol on Women and the Youth as part of the collection of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) legal instruments is an important development. It also...read more
The AfCFTA Principles and the promotion of the Interests of Women
23 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The AfCFTA legal instruments have been negotiated in terms of founding Principles meant to steer the design and operations of the AfCFTA African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in a p...read more
Are Women traders an AfCFTA Constituency in their own right?
23 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
When the negotiations for the adoption of the legal instruments of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) were launched in 2015, the objective was to boost intra African trade in...read more
Accommodating the needs of Women under AfCFTA and REC Instruments
23 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) wants to boost intra-African trade through a continent-wide preferential trade in goods (and some services) arrangement. It wants to do so ...read more
The AfCFTA Objectives and the furthering of the interests of Women
23 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
What must the AfCFTA deliver and how? A basic answer to this question can be found in Article 3 (General Objectives) and Article 4 (Specific Objectives) of the AfCFTA Agreement. These two ...read more
Protection and promotion of the rights and interests of women under the AfCFTA
23 Jan 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The economic, political, and moral arguments for promoting and securing the interests and rights of women traders are irrefutable. Despite some advances, women still hold fewer jobs, are p...read more
Joined at the hip – An Overview of the Competition Aspects of Public Procurement (A South African Perspective)
26 Dec 2022 ~ Songezo Mabece
For many who might be tempted to think that the terrains of competition law and public procurement are two exclusive of each other, their inherent public interest and benefit features toge...read more
Value Chains Can Drive, and be Driven by, the AfCFTA
24 Dec 2022 ~ John Stuart
Regional Value Chains (RVCs) – a localised form of a global value chain (GVC) – are a form of trade that involves a chain of intermediate products and services value addition from mult...read more
Trade-related Outcomes From the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15)
23 Dec 2022 ~ Gita Briel
Just two weeks after the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) came to a close, the Fifteenth meeting of the Conference o...read more
Why We Need to Promote African Value Chain Industrialisation Now That the AfCFTA Is Here
23 Dec 2022 ~ John Stuart
The ways in which developing countries industrialised post the industrial revolution have drawn attention from scholars for decades. The ‘Asian tigers’ are a group of South-East Asian ...read more
Small-scale Trade and the Simplified Trade Regime
22 Dec 2022 ~ Edina Moyo Mudzingwa
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a central role in the economic development of many countries. They are a major source of entrepreneurial skills, innovation, and its ...read more
Digital Trade Developments in Kenya: Perspective under AfCFTA
22 Dec 2022 ~ Beru Lilako
Digital trade and digitally enabled transactions of trade in goods and services have been increasing globally. In Kenya, the growth of digital trade and digitally enabled transactions has ...read more
United States – Kenya bilateral trade negotiations: From a Free Trade Area to a Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership
22 Dec 2022 ~ Maleehah Khandwalla
Bilateral trade between the United States (U.S.) and Kenya commenced through the enactment of the African Opportunity and Growth Act (AGOA) as Title I of The Trade and Development Act, sig...read more
Redefining the global supply chain through digitalisation: Enhancing cross-border trade facilitation and trade competitiveness through the e-Bill of Lading
22 Dec 2022 ~ Rwatida Mafurutu
A Customs bill of entry and the bill of lading (BOL) are among the critical and determinant documents that are used in the clearance of cargo and services that are internationally traded. ...read more
Anticipation of Trade in Services Under AfCFTA – Malawi’s Determination of Schedule of Commitments Under the Protocol on Trade in Services
22 Dec 2022 ~ Kahaki Jere
Malawi ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on 15 January 2021 and has been participating in the negotiations of trade in services liberalisation under the Protocol on...read more
The Micro and Small Medium Enterprises Development in Kenya
22 Dec 2022 ~ Elizabeth Mulae
Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the economic backbone in Kenya comprising the majority (98%) of all business entities, registered and non-registered, in the country....read more
Consumer Redress as a Precursor to Consumer Trust in the Digital Age
22 Dec 2022 ~ Eunice Phiri
Digital financial services (DFS) are any financial services that are available digitally and they include payments, savings, credit transfers and insurance. They are procured through digit...read more
Regulatory Framework for State-Owned Enterprises in the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area
21 Dec 2022 ~ Legborsi Nwiabu
The governance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is essential for efficient and open markets at both the domestic, continental and international levels. In many countries, SOEs are the mai...read more