Discussions

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 Af...

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, intelle...

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 wil...

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 ...

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 patho...

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 faci...

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 implemen...

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 ...

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 sta...

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...

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 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...

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) a...

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 preservatio...

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) ...

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 K...

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 i...

Introduction The East African Community (EAC) has several avenues to use to address/eliminate non-tariff barriers (NTBs) – including the East African Court of Justice. Despite t...

On 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom (UK) voted to leave the European Union (EU). The parties then started negotiations on a Withdrawal Agreement,[1] followed by a new trade deal. B...

The new EU-UK trade relationship will be very different from when the UK was a Member State. Major governance challenges lie ahead. Concluding a trade agreement is one thing, imple...