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SADC

The trouble with our Africa trade negotiators
26-Nov-2008 Business Daily Africa
Agricultural and development economies in Sub-Saharan Africa are the flavour of the month. The global credit crisis, wide-scale economic meltdown and financial recession have sparked a wave of interest about the implications for Africa. It is crucial that this discussion happens.
Traders strategise on regional platform
7-Nov-2008
Seven Sadc member countries met in Lilongwe on Tuesday to strategise on creating a regional platform for informal cross border traders who would work to ensure that trade integration in southern Africa benefits poor people at regional level.
Together we are stronger
5-Nov-2008
Twenty six African countries, a single market and open borders that allow persons to move across freely and conduct business. That was the vision of the Tripartite Summit that took place in Kampala last week. President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania called it “a landmark summit for a landmark decision” while President Yoweri Museveni said it was “historic”.
Call for region to embrace free trade agenda
3-Nov-2008
The trade liberalisation agenda in southern Africa and Africa as a whole needed to be strengthened, Tshediso Matona, the director-general of the trade and industry department, said on 30 October.
Afro-trade bloc will draw FDI and reduce costs, SADC boss
2-Nov-2008
The proposed merger of the EAC, SADC and COMESA will help reduce the cost of doing business for companies within the 26 countries and boost foreign direct investment (FDI) to levels never seen before.
EAC states should agree to one trading bloc, says IMF
2-Nov-2008
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has challenged three East African Community (EAC) partner states to agree to one regional trade bloc in order to make the customs union (CU) more effective.
Uganda Summit paves way for Africa’s economic integration
29-Oct-2008
African leaders from three regional economic blocs held a historic joint summit in Kampala, Uganda, last week, a move that adds fresh impetus to the long-term plan of setting up a continental economic community.
African Trade Zone Welcome, But...
28-Oct-2008
Following the recent establishment of the SADC free trade zone in August, just last week, the leaders of three African trading blocs - SADC, EAC, and Comesa - agreed to create a free trade zone of 26 countries.
Kenyan jobs on the line as regional trading blocs warm up to merger
23-Oct-2008
The pact signed on Wednesday could hasten the proposed African Economic Community but may come too soon, especially for Kenyan manufacturers.
Region’s Ministers call for free trade
23-Oct-2008
The first Tripartite Comesa-EAC-SADC Council of Ministers that opened on Monday at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort seeks the summit of heads of state and governments to endorse the creation of a free trade area which will cut across the three Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and institutionalise it by giving it a legal underpinning.
Overlapping membership to top REC’s summit agenda
22-Oct-2008
The issue of overlapping membership will be a major area of focus during the first joint meeting of Heads of Government, of the three Regional Economic Communities (REC)’s, in Eastern and Southern Africa, namely the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Tripartite summit for today
22-Oct-2008
Leaders from 26 African countries meet in Kampala today at a summit called to harmonise and coordinate trade, customs and infrastructure development in the East and Southern African region.
Uganda to host event on Africa trade
19-Oct-2008
The tripartite summit, which starts on Saturday with a meeting of permanent secretaries, will bring together member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Kingi to lead Kenyan delegation to Kampala meeting
16-Oct-2008
The Minister for East African Community, Amason Jeffah Kingi, is scheduled to lead the Kenyan delegation to the 18th meeting of the East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers Meeting slated for October 15-23, 2008 in Kampala, Uganda.
Kampala summit to decide the future of trade blocs
13-Oct-2008
The first ever tripartite summit of the East African Community, the Common Market for East and Southern Africa and the Southern Africa Development Community takes place in Kampala this week.
Comesa agrees to economic merger with Southern Africa
26-Sep-2008 Business Daily Africa
The plan to merge 26 eastern and southern African states into a single trading bloc with a combined gross domestic product of $625 billion is complete and ready for heads of State to sign-off next month.
Botswana agriculture anxious about effect of SADC Free Trade Area
26-Aug-2008 Mmegi
A few days after the Southern African Development Community (SADC) became a free trade area, fears are mounting that the move may spell doom for Botswana’s agricultural industry.
Southern Africa: FTA will ‘‘choke’’ small business
26-Aug-2008 IPS
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that Southern African Development Community (SADC) governments agreed to will boost large South African companies’ reach in the region at the expense of small-scale producers and shops.
FTA launch boost for regional integration
20-Aug-2008
The launch of the Sadc Free Trade Area is a momentous occasion for the region as it makes further strides towards regional integration.
EPAs: The new game of divide and rule
20-Aug-2008 LaRRI
It will be critical in the coming months to mobilise resistance to the implementation of the Interim EPA in its current format and thereby strengthen the Namibian Government’s hand not to sign a final EPA with the EU. Namibia should also link up with African and international campaigns against EPAs, which have emerged in the past few years. The battle is not lost but there is little time left to prevent EPAs from becoming a new and powerful tool to promote EU interests at the expense of Africa’s development needs. A new publication from the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI).