Blog
How investment disputes in Zimbabwe will be resolved under the ZIDA Act
Talkmore Chidede
13 Mar 2020
The recently enacted Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (ZIDA) Act [CHAPTER 14:37] guarantees local and foreign investors legal protection against discriminatory treatment, exprop... read more 
The ZIDA Act: An overhaul of the investment policy regime and impetus for investment in Zimbabwe?
Talkmore Chidede
09 Mar 2020
On 6 February 2020, the President of Zimbabwe signed into law the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency Act [Chapter 14:37] (ZIDA Act). ZIDA Act deals with the promotion, entry, facilitat... read more 
Mining Indaba 2020: Vague Promises leave South Africa’s Mining Industry Insecure
David Christianson
12 Feb 2020
An article published online by the conference organisers sums up the limitations of events like the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba (‘the mining indaba’) held in Cape Town from 3-6 F... read more 
Angela Merkel’s state visit to South Africa: its significance amid the current Germany-South Africa trade relationship
Eckart Naumann
12 Feb 2020
On Thursday 6 February 2020, German Chancellor Angela Merkel landed in South Africa as part of a brief visit to Southern Africa, which also includes a visit to Angola. This is her second o... read more 
Brexit: The Milestone of 31 January 2020 and the Challenges ahead
Gerhard Erasmus
12 Feb 2020
On 1 January 1973, Prime Minister Edward Heath signed the EEC Treaty of Accession in terms of which the UK joined the EU. The same two parties have now finalized the formalities to end thi... read more 
New Border Management for South Africa amidst unresolved systemic Issues
Gerhard Erasmus
12 Feb 2020
In December 2019, after many years of deliberation[1], the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), which is the second chamber of the South African Parliament, passed and returned the Border... read more 
China and the United States conclude their first ad hoc Trade Deal
Gerhard Erasmus
12 Feb 2020
On 15 January 2020, US President Donald Trump signed a partial trade agreement with China. It is designed to contain the fallout of a more than 18-month long trade war between Washington a... read more 
An interim Dispute Settlement Arrangement for some WTO Members
Gerhard Erasmus
12 Feb 2020
Since the end of 2019, the dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organization (WTO) can no longer function as designed. This system was created as part of the WTO Agreement during t... read more 
How viable are auto component regional value chains in Africa?
John Stuart
21 Jan 2020
Automotive components are the building blocks of automobiles and hence are a key part of the one of the world’s largest manufacturing industries. Within Africa the automotive components ... read more 
What if Africa were to liberalise the intra-Africa automotive components trade?
John Stuart
21 Jan 2020
What if Africa were to liberalise the intra-Africa automotive components trade? A forthcoming tralac working paper (by this author) presents the results of a simulation of the complete lib... read more 
South Africa’s Role in the Automotive Components Trade in Africa
John Stuart
21 Jan 2020
Africa is a continent that is, in general, dependent on the rest of the world (ROW) for manufactured imports. There are some exceptions to this, one of them being the automotive components... read more 
Outcomes of COP25
Talkmore Chidede
19 Dec 2019
The 25th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) was held in Madrid, Spain from 2nd to 13th December 2019. COP25 was intended to be the l... read more 
Finding African Solutions for the Taxation of Digital Trade
Ashly Hope (Volunteer), John Stuart
19 Dec 2019
The development of the digital economy has brought many public policy and administrative challenges to governments worldwide. Among these is how an international taxation system that was d... read more 
How, according to the Founders, will the AfCFTA Agreement be implemented and the Continental Free Trade Area come about?
Gerhard Erasmus
17 Dec 2019
The objectives behind the AfCFTA are ambitious and wide-ranging. A careful reading of the texts of the founding instruments is necessary to understand the nature and sequencing of the vari... read more 
Where is the AfCFTA’s Engine Room?
Gerhard Erasmus
17 Dec 2019
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) might not be designed to have one single “engine room,” but the scope of the underlying ambition seems to require one. The creation of ... read more 
Observer status for the African Union at the WTO
Gerhard Erasmus
17 Dec 2019
On 17 November 2019, Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chair of the African Union Commission (AUC), sent a letter to Ms Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, Chair of the General Council of the World Trade Organiz... read more 
Dealing with Non-Tariff Barriers under the AfCFTA: What are the Prospects?
Gerhard Erasmus
17 Dec 2019
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has been designed as the answer to the low levels of intra-African trade.[1] It should boost intra-African trade by reducing the tariffs on... read more 
Services Are the New Economy
John Stuart
26 Oct 2019
As the digitalisation of the global economy progresses, the value size of the services economy relative to the ‘real’ economy is steadily rising. Before computers and the internet, ser... read more 
Africa’s Digital Connectivity Dividend in Waiting
John Stuart
26 Oct 2019
“We have to be able to provide infrastructure and digital connectivity to the lowest common denominator at the most affordable price if we really want digital transformation to transform... read more 
Creating a Single African Market on Trade in Services: Negotiating the Schedules of Specific Commitments under the Protocol on Trade in Services
Beatrice Chaytor
26 Oct 2019
Introduction The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is an economic game-changer for Africa. A major aim of this ambitious effort is the expansion of intra-African trade by lower... read more