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Africa

African free trade tariff rules should be completed by July-official
12-Jan-2021 Reuters
Members of Africa’s new free trade area should complete their tariff reduction schedules and finalise essential rules of origin by July.
Partnership with a purpose: EU-Africa relations in 2021
8-Jan-2021 Euractiv
The African Union sees the ‘partnership’ process, likely to culminate in a summit in Portugal in May or June, as an opportunity to overhaul the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) .
China-Mauritius FTA goes into effect. But who benefits?
5-Jan-2021 TRT
China’s first FTA with an African country provides a stepping stone into the continent through the geopolitical hotspot Indo-Pacific region.
African free trade bloc opens for business, but challenges remain
4-Jan-2021 Reuters
African countries began officially trading under a new continent-wide free trade area, after months of delays caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.
China-Mauritius free-trade deal creates model for Beijing’s trade with Africa, observers say
4-Jan-2021 South China Morning Post
Deal will ‘vitalise cooperation between our two countries and strengthen China-Africa economic ties’, head of African affairs at Chinese foreign ministry says.
Taiwanese eye Africa as investment destination amid marginalization
14-Dec-2020 Focus Taiwan
Taiwan’s Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association encouraged Taiwanese companies to take advantage of free trade deals in Africa.
In spite of its many sponsors, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) goes into the wall
12-Dec-2020 SOL
The sharp decline in manufactured goods trade and the growing food deficit over the past 25 years call for the African Union to be more modest in its ambitions to become “the next world manufacturing center”, far from the free trade illusion of the AfCFTA.
African ambassadors expect more cooperation with China under new FTA
10-Dec-2020 CGTN
The AfCFTA requires strong infrastructure linkage across the African continent, an area where China can reach out to help.
‘No African nation yet to meet AfCFTA requirements’
9-Dec-2020 TheGuardian.ng
The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) said no nation had met the requirements for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), despite the political will to get the pact ratified in good time.
EAC beats AfCFTA tariff offer deadline
7-Dec-2020 The East African
EAC’s tariff offer now brings the number of countries to 40 that are ready to join the AfCFTA on January 1, when trading under the agreement starts.
AfCFTA: African Customs officials to draft free trade continental guidelines
30-Nov-2020 Nairametrics
Customs officials from around Africa gave a nod to the adoption of continental guidelines to facilitate the free flow of cross-border trade.
EPAs, the height of the European Commission’s foolishness in perpetuating the colonisation of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by shooting itself in the foot
20-Nov-2020 SOL
The imposition of Economic Partnership Agreements to ACP countries, where 94% of the population is concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, is based on a series of 12 lies.
Tensions simmer over EU-Africa trade relations
17-Nov-2020 Euractiv
Trade relations are likely to be at the heart of the delayed EU-Africa ‘strategic partnership’, but only if long-standing tensions can be resolved.
Trade agreements as door-openers
16-Nov-2020 D+C
Bilateral trade agreements often act as door-openers for the manufactured products of multinational food companies. Milk powder with vegetable fat is an example.
Africa free trade agreement must be rolled out by January after pandemic delay - Secretariat
5-Nov-2020 Fin24
The AfCFTA Secretariat is at advances stages of concluding phase one of the agreement which deals with the trading of goods and services, said the Secretary General.
Rules of Origin a key issue for continuing African free trade area talks
29-Oct-2020 Engineering News
African Union Ministers of Trade held their twelfth meeting, undertaken virtually, which was focused on concluding essential elements that remain to be agreed in the AfCFTA talks.
African countries urged to remove non-tariff barriers to realize AfCFTA
5-Oct-2020 The Independent (Uganda)
The African Union Commission called for addressing non-tariff barriers in order to realize the major aspirations of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement.
India can benefit from African Continental trade pact: MEA
31-Aug-2020 The Tribune
Underscoring India’s commitment towards growth in relations with Africa, New Delhi said the country’s businesses could benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement that was gathering pace.
AfCFTA could boost Dubai-Africa trade by 10% over next 5 years
18-Aug-2020 Khaleej Times
The AfCFTA will offer a huge opportunity for UAE investors who will be able to do business on a single set of trade and investment rules across the African continent.
World’s biggest free-trade pact targets first deal in 2021
17-Aug-2020 Bloomberg
The outstanding negotiations will be finalized through a new African virtual trade-diplomacy platform that is being developed as a public-private partnership between the African Union Commission and more than 20 African multinational companies.