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Desiderio Consultants Ltd. è una think tank ed una rete di consulenti internazionali per lo sviluppo indipendenti costituita per promuovere ed influenzare politiche doganali e commerciali nei Paesi Africani, al fine di raggiungere riforme di facilitazione del commercio che favoriscano la crescita degli scambi commerciali a livello internazionale e regionale
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The development paradox: when environmental sustainability widens the divide between resource-rich and emerging nations

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A recent academic paper, "Building a New Reputation: The Impact of Adopting Voluntary Standards", traces a positive correlation between the voluntary adoption of environmental standards by firms and their export performance, particularly in markets where consumers are more willing to pay an extra premium for environmentally sustainable goods. These findings offer a new contribution to the field of economics. If the thesis holds true, it suggests a potential "reverse Robin Hood" effect, as it could inadvertently create economic disadvantages for developing countries engaged in the supply of raw materials essential for the production of these environmentally sustainable goods. Here is how it would work: developed countries set stricter rules to protect the environment. These rules increase the costs of developing countries that supply commodities used as inputs for manufacturing environmentally friendly products in developed countries. Due to limited bargaining power with respect to buyers, importers and distributors in developed economies, producers and suppliers within developing countries experience a contraction of their profit margins. In contrast, finished products that incorporate environment standards create opportunities for businesses in developed countries to export higher-value, processed products to rapidly expanding economies.

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The AfCFTA maze: why Customs holds the compass to continental trade

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The grand vision of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), officially launched on January 1, 2021, has seen a rocky start. While AfCFTA trade commenced “on paper” on 1th January 2021, it’s only the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) that kick-started the process, in October 2022. This pilot program, initially encompassing eight states representing the continent's five key regions (North, South, East, West, and Central) and a focused selection of commodities, aims to catalyze the implementation of the agreement. The program's objective is to expedite the operationalization of the AfCFTA agreement through the establishment of a centralized coordination mechanism designed to facilitate initial AfCFTA preferential trade transactions. Despite the GTI has significantly expanded its reach since its launch, it remains a limited and temporary mechanism, designed to be phased out as full-fledged AfCFTA preferential trade will gain momentum. But the critical determinant for this transition and indeed, the ultimate efficacy of the AfCFTA - a recent note from the International Monetary Fund warns - resides in the capacity of the continent's customs administrations to rapidly adapt to the new trade framework.

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Africa's untapped potential to "remake" key European supply chains

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A recent paper published by three researchers of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy titled “Diversifying European Supply Chains: Can Africa Play a Role?”, examines the prospective role that African nations could play in the European Union's strategic objective of reducing reliance on specific supply chains, particularly those linked to China. The study assesses Africa's potential as a sourcing alternative, with a focus on critical minerals and the textile and clothing sector.

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Africa's resource mirage: not a golden ticket to prosperity

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The idea that Africa’s natural resources are a guarantee for its rise is frequently encountered in the common discourse about the continent’s future economic trajectory. Yet the equation: “abundant resources = automatic development” easily collapses under the weight of evidence. Far from being a golden ticket, the continent’s enormous wealth has often turned in the past into a “resource curse,” a pathological condition in which wealth breeds stagnation, instead of widespread prosperity.

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Tanzania-Malawi-SA trade fight: AfCFTA dispute system's test or breaking point?

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A recent trade dispute involving Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa has ignited debate about the crucial need for a strong dispute resolution system to underpin the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). An analysis in the Business Daily highlights that this these kind of disputes serve as a stark reminder of the potential for trade disagreements  among African States to derail the ambitious AfCFTA project. However, questions linger over whether African nations will actually utilize the formal mechanisms designed to settle such disputes, given their historical preference for other means.

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