tralac recently organised a short course on managing the import tariff in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The course was held on 11-12 September 2006 at the Stellenbosch Lodge in Stellenbosch, South Africa and focused on the economics of managing the Common External Tariff (CET), the applicable legal framework and a broad overview of trade remedies.

The objective of the two-day course was to empower stakeholders in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland (BLNS), in particular, to actively engage in the management of the CET. While the course was introductory in nature, it is envisaged that it will equip participants to apply these principles in making inputs in the process of tariff management, to identify capacity and training needs in developing the requisite skills, and to contribute to the strategies adopted in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations. This is of particular importance because of the 2002 SACU Agreement which requires the active participation of all member states in the management of the common external tariff (CET).

The 19 participants in the course were drawn from government departments and private sector institutions from SACU member countries.