Topics publications: Global trade governance
Trade Briefs
LDCs in Africa – case study of Angola
Angola is a resource-rich (predominantly oil, precious gems, and metals) sub-Saharan African country located on the west coast of Africa. It is one of the largest oil producers in Africa and the largest African country by land area south of the equator (roughly twice the size of Texas or continental France).
Angola is currently recognised by the United Nations (UN) as a least developed country (LDC). LDC status is an indication to the international community of the necessity for special concessions to support. According to the UN, such concessions cover benefits in the areas of development financing (grants and loans from donors and financial institutions), the multilateral trading system (including preferential market access and special treatments), and technical assistance (towards trade mainstreaming through the Enhanced Integrated Framework). Graduation from LDC status is an important milestone in a country’s development path. However, graduation is not without its challenges given the loss of international support measures at a critical time in the process of integration into the global economy. Changes specific to Angola will be discussed in this Trade Brief.
Readers are encouraged to quote and reproduce this material for educational, non-profit purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. All views and opinions expressed remain solely those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of tralac.
Trade Reports
Are WTO Members Misinterpreting or Abandoning the Mandate of S&DT in the WTO?
It is a long-held view of developing countries in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that some restrict-ions imposed by WTO trade rules and trade related agreements tend to hinder the adoption of local development policies that could lead to economic development. Flexibilities in the form of Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) provisions in the implementation of WTO rules were proposed for developing countries. This flexibility is meant to provide policy space to pursue development policies. However, it is the view of developing countries that the application of S&DT provisions in the implementation of WTO rules is not practical. As a result, a WTO mandate to review S&DT provisions with a view to strengthening them and making them more precise, effective and operational was adopted by all WTO members.
This paper provides background on the S&DT mandate that is accorded to developing countries for implementing WTO Agreements. Furthermore, the paper analyses what some members may view as a misinterpretation and possibly the abandoning of the S&DT mandate broadly between developing and developed members. Discussions that evolved over the years resulted in a confusion that caused a stalemate in negotiations and led some members of the WTO to attempt to abandon the S&DT mandate. These members have proposed alternative approaches and a new agenda; however, this is without agreement by all WTO members.
The paper reflects the established positions of WTO members in the S&DT negotiations and provides an analysis of the views including the new agenda and approach on development envisaged by developed members. The study suggests an approach that calls for buy-in from all WTO members to ensure an inclusive outcome in S&DT negotiations that would lead to sustainable economic development for developing countries.
Readers are encouraged to quote and reproduce this material for educational, non-profit purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. All views and opinions expressed remain solely those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of tralac.
Trade Reports
Can the AfCFTA evolve into a New Generation Partnership for Africa?
Agreements to establish so-called new generation Free Trade Areas (FTAs) have become frequent. They are “new” because they liberalise not only trade in goods but also services, and they include other related disciplines. They liberalise trade among the relevant Parties in a WTO-plus manner. They typically deal with matters such as competition, investment, sustainable development, and intellectual property rights and aim to serve as platforms for preferential trade and market integration under 21st century conditions. These agreements also develop new approaches for reaping the benefits of technological developments (e.g. e-commerce and digitalisation) in regulating trade and managing customs administration and trade facilitation.
This Trade Report examines aspects of these new FTAs against the background of the negotiations to establish the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Are there lessons to be learned from developments elsewhere, or are Africa’s problems unique to the extent that home-grown solutions must be found? What exactly is the AfCFTA in terms of multilateral trade rules? The relevant World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules are briefly discussed.
Readers are encouraged to quote and reproduce this material for educational, non-profit purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. All views and opinions expressed remain solely those of the author and do not purport to reflect the views of