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South Africa


Africa will fail to reach free-trade goals without new rules and infrastructure
Policy changes are needed to facilitate the faster and seamless flow of goods and services across borders.
African Continental Free Trade Area: A pipe dream or silver bullet?
Current realities are likely to counter the expectations that the AfCFTA is some kind of silver bullet that will transform Africa, sweeping away decades of embedded dysfunction and challenges.
Mustaqeem de Gama, South African Mission in Geneva: “It is a bad idea for any African country to consider signing the Energy Charter Treaty”
Joining the Energy Charter Treaty is not in the public interest, according to South Africa’s government. It has also cancelled other agreements that allowed foreign investors to sue their state. This has not stopped investors from coming, says Mustaqeem de Gama.
Biden faces South African push to extend trade concessions
South Africa’s preferential market access to the U.S. is under review, however, the country is apprehensive about striking a new trade deal with the U.S. and would rather maintain existing relations with the world’s largest economy.
Can SA trust the EU’s commitment to fair trade?
All too often SA is condemned by the EU, Brazil and others for implementing necessary trade defence measures against unfair competition. But it is interesting to observe how the EU, a culprit of dumping in SA, fights to protect itself against dumping at all costs.
African Continental Free Trade Agreement: Red tape delays start of trading under new pact
All SACU members need to ratify the AfCFTA before any of its members can start trading under it. ECOWAS States were facing the same problem.
New SA trade agreements now effective
Friday marked the start of trade for South African firms under two new trade agreements, the trade and industry and competition department (dtic) said.
South Africa raises poultry-import tariffs, drawing US ire
The announcement immediately drew criticism from the US government, which previously threatened to exclude South Africa from a preferential trade agreement after a disagreement over the levies in 2015.
South Africa could lose $4.5bn under new African trade deal
The country’s tariff income is at risk under the deal, which requires African member countries to lower or cut tariffs.
S.Africa plans summit to finalise continental free trade agreement
South Africa will in May hold an extraordinary summit of the African Union to finalise a continental free trade agreement.
SA’s trades with the UK continues unchanged as the UK leaves the EU
The SACUM-UK EPA effectively retains the terms of trade present in the existing SADC-EU EPA.
African Continental Free Trade Agreement: Will the SA beef industry benefit?
The agreement will have positive spin-offs for the SA beef industry, said one of South Africa’s leading beef producers.
Vietnam et Afrique du Sud discutent d’un accord de libre-échange
Les deux parties ont échangé des solutions pour augmenter la valeur d’échanges commerciaux bilatéraux dans les temps à venir dont la diversification des produits à l’export, la possibilité pour élaborer un accord de libre-échange bilatéral.
Will Africa’s free-trade area live up to the hype?
Africa is moving towards a more integrated, rules-based trade regime, but this is unlikely to transform the continent’s economic prospects
Africa-wide free-trade deal will help SA’s economy, says Ebrahim Patel
In 2018, SA and other African nations signed the CFTA agreement, which aims to create a single continental market for goods and services
SACU, Mozambique make progress on impending Brexit
Substantial progress has made to conclude a Roll-Over Economic Partnership Agreement between SACU, Mozambique and the UK.
Post-Brexit: What’s holding up a trade arrangement between SA and the UK?
The SA government has been working in the background to ensure that trade arrangements with the UK and EU are uninterrupted while the UK exits from the EU.
SA-UK post-Brexit deal just about finalised
SA’s negotiations with the UK to ensure that a trade agreement is in place in the event that it exits the EU without a deal is 99% complete, trade and industry director-general Lionel October said.
What the US-Africa strategy means for SA and the continent
The US-Africa Strategy seeks to re-position the US and bring it to par with China and Russia.
Brexit will not disrupt trade relations between UK and SA, says Davies
The Southern African Customs Union is close to finalising a deal with the UK to replicate the existing economic partnership agreement which the customs union has with the EU, says South African trade and industry minister.