Blog
The Gender Dimension of Tariff Preferences Utilisation
28 Jun 2023 ~ Gita Briel
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Tariff preference utilisation rates indicate the extent to which businesses or entities take advantage of tariff preferences granted under trade agreements or preferential t...read more
The East African Court of Justice delivers a landmark judgement on Kenya’s bilateral negotiation with the United States without involving EAC Partner States
26 Apr 2023 ~ Maleehah Khandwalla
The United States (U.S.) and Kenya commenced bilateral trade through the enactment of the African Opportunity and Growth Act (AGOA), signed in the year 2000.
Kenya is the second-largest b...read more
Can the private sector save South Africa’s Transnet?
05 Apr 2023 ~ David Christianson
South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, met with board members of state logistics company, Transnet, in late March. According to a press release from his office, the president ‘has dir...read more
Water Cooperation Essential as Africa’s Water Crisis Intensifies
05 Apr 2023 ~ Gita Briel
There is a growing global water crisis, driven by climate change, population growth, increased water-intensive production, and the neglect of water infrastructure. The latest edition of th...read more
A Closer look at Trade in Environmental Services as SADC Prepares for Negotiations
05 Apr 2023 ~ Gita Briel
The global drive towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the increased availability of green finance, and the associated ambitions of firms and governments to improve their environmenta...read more
Is the national electricity state of disaster the answer for South Africa?
29 Mar 2023 ~ Dawid van Wyk
Introduction
On 1 March 2023, South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom reached the 100-year mark. Instead of celebrations, the day passed under the dark cloud of measures publishe...read more
Can reducing Non-Tariff Trade Costs in Africa be the gamechanger for the African Continental Free Trade Area
28 Mar 2023 ~ Taku Fundira
The AfCFTA – an opportunity to boost intra-Africa trade
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is set to be the largest free trade area (FTA) in the world with 54 of the...read more
African States should keep track of the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism as implementation advances
08 Mar 2023 ~ Gita Briel
On December 13, 2022, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the implementation of an EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (...read more
The Windsor Framework: The Brexit deal clarified for Northern Ireland
08 Mar 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The United Kingdom (UK) was a member of the European Union (EU) from 1973. In a referendum held on 23 June 2016, the people of the UK voted to leave the EU. One of the reasons was their un...read more
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in trade and integration arrangements
08 Mar 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
The Government of the United States has recently concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the AfCFTA Secretariat. It has also concluded one with Zambia and the Democratic Republi...read more
Botswana and Namibia concluded an agreement on the movement of persons
08 Mar 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus, Trudi Hartzenberg
On 24 February 2023, Botswana and Namibia concluded a bilateral agreement on the movement of persons.[1] This is an important regional development. What is the context and what are the imp...read more
How will historians and economists one day look back at the AfCFTA?
08 Mar 2023 ~ Gerhard Erasmus
Right from its inception there have been high expectations, here and abroad, about how the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would unlock Africa’s potential to increase intra-...read more
Is the Future of Africa’s Trade Corridors Green?
08 Mar 2023 ~ Gita Briel
Trade corridors are transportation routes that connect major centres of economic activity, such as cities, ports, and industrial areas, to facilitate the movement of goods and services. Th...read more
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