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AfCFTA

AfCFTA: concern over dumping mounts as trade deficit widens
14-Apr-2021 Vanguard News Nigeria
The fears that Nigeria might become a dumping ground for manufactured goods, especially with the advent of the AfCFTA, has heightened as Nigeria’s Trade in Goods Statistics show rising deficit in manufactured goods trade.
Northern gatemen and geopolitics of AfCFTA
14-Apr-2021 Benjamin Watch
AfCFTA has materialized at a time when globalization is being used to hide all sorts of ambitions including the second empire and colonialism. AfCFTA is not just about the economy and markets, it is also a political setup from the African Union and African Development Bank.
ATPC embarks on first ever environmental assessment of the AfCFTA to usher in green-friendly trade on the continent
14-Apr-2021 UNECA
The African Trade Policy Centre is preparing the first ever Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the AfCFTA to guide on how environmental considerations can be effectively incorporated into the agreement.
Why we need to talk about the African free trade area
9-Apr-2021 Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung
The AfCFTA will give the African Union the chance to become a strong, independent player in the world economy – at least that is the optimistic forecast. But there are good reasons to cast doubt on the high hopes pinned on the African free trade area.
Encouraging competition in AfCFTA: Govt waives import duties
7-Apr-2021 Graphic Online
Ghana government has waived import duties on imported equipment, machines and raw materials for local manufacturing companies to enable them to become competitive in the global marketplace.
SADC urges Member States to sign and ratify AfCFTA and TFTA
5-Apr-2021 SADC
The Council of Ministers of the Southern African Development Community has urged Member States that have not yet signed and ratified the AfCFTA and the TFTA to do so to allow for the implementation of the agreements.
AfCFTA and UNDP announce new partnership to support largest trade area towards inclusive growth in Africa
1-Apr-2021 UNDP Africa
The AfCFTA Secretariat and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) today have signed a strategic partnership to promote trade as a stimulus for Africa’s socioeconomic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Govt to reopen negotiations on Bilateral Investment Treaty with Japan
1-Apr-2021 Ghana Web
The government of Ghana has expressed its interest in concluding the negotiations with Japan on the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), which has been pending since April 2014.
AfCFTA programme to enslave Africans if challenges not addressed
24-Mar-2021 Joy Online
The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) may enslave Africans to the rest of the world if the challenges associated with the programme are not fixed, the Citizen Watch, a think tank group has revealed.
To what extent will the AfCFTA impact the number of ISDS cases involving African States?
17-Mar-2021 Kluwer Arbitration Blog
Only 21% of cases administered by ICSID involve African investors, however, this may change with the introduction of AfCFTA, and we may begin to see more disputes involving African investors and African states.
‘African Continental FTA signals opportunity for Indian businesses’
3-Mar-2021 The Hindu
African countries want India to help in mechanising agriculture, build social and physical infrastructure and provide more vaccines
Private sector firms join push for AfCFTA agenda
24-Feb-2021 The East African
Private sector lobbies in Africa’s six regional trading blocs have formed the African Business Council, a continental umbrella body to spearhead the business agenda for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
New deadline set for ratification of Tripartite Free Trade Area
24-Feb-2021 COMESA
Ministers from the tripartite group of regional economic communities in eastern and southern Africa have set June 2021 as the deadline to achieve the threshold of 14 ratifications required to enable the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) enter into force.
India, Mauritius sign economic partnership deal
23-Feb-2021 The Telegraph (India)
The trade deal would provide a gateway to the markets of the African continent as Mauritius has several pacts with them
Biden faces South African push to extend trade concessions
22-Feb-2021 Bloomberg
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.
AfCFTA states terms for members in other pacts
16-Feb-2021 The East African
African countries negotiating free trade agreements with parties from other parts of the world will be required to grant the same preferences or better terms to African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) member states.
Will China help or hurt the AfCFTA?
7-Feb-2021 The Africa Report
African countries want to trade more with their partners on the continent – through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement that launched operations on 1 January – but will that hurt big trading partners like China?
Beijing expands Indian Ocean FTAs westward with Mauritius
2-Feb-2021 Nikkei Asia
China’s free trade agreement with the small island-nation of Mauritius came into effect in January, increasing the Asian powerhouse’s presence in the Indian Ocean where its regional rival India has long dominated.
AfCFTA and the economic emergence of Africa
1-Feb-2021 Enquête+
Economists deconstruct the myth surrounding the trade agreement
Africa trade pact gets $1 billion to offset revenue losses
26-Jan-2021 Bloomberg
The African Export-Import Bank has mobilized $1 billion for an adjustment facility to offset revenue losses for countries that lower cross-border tariffs as part of an Africa-wide free-trade area.