News

The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPA) of the EU with African countries

Wednesday, 16 February 2022 07:55

Currently, 15 African countries have concluded bilateral agreements called “Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements” (SFPA) with the EU allowing fishing in their respective waters. However, 4 of such agreements (with Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Madagascar and Mozambique) are “dormant” as there is no implementing protocol in force setting out the criteria for fishing in their respective waters, including the modalities for issuing the relevant fishing authorisations. The consequence of this “dormant” status of the above agreements is that that EU vessels are not allowed to fish in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of such countries.

Tanzania denies rumours about imminent signature of the EPA with the EU

Wednesday, 16 February 2022 04:57

A press release issued by the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Tanzania clarifies that rumours about the decision to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) are not true and the position of the country remains unchanged.

Africa in the New Trade Environment? More market diversification needed

Tuesday, 15 February 2022 11:58

A new publication from the World Bank describes the trade dynamics in the various Sub-Saharan Africa’s subregions since 2010. The study shows that except from 2015 to 2019, Sub-Saharan Africa’s trade has, by and large, grown faster than other parts of the world. Specifically, the growth in exports has been particularly high for capital goods than for consumer or intermediate goods. Capital goods are durable goods that are used in producing other goods and services and include machinery, tools and other equipment used to produce goods for consumption. In terms of regional areas, East Africa’s takes the lead, with exports and imports of both goods and services that have grown systematically faster than other regions in Africa. By contrast, Southern Africa’s exports of goods have been growing in line with the world average.

Ethiopia plans to expand its railway network to diversify trade routes

Sunday, 13 February 2022 06:11

As part of its port diversification strategy, Ethiopia is undertaking a series of pre-feasibility studies for evaluating the development of railway links with the Berbera (Somalia), Lamu (Kenya), and Assab and Massawa (Eritrea) ports. Conducted by the Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC), the national railway operator of Ethiopia, these studies are aimed at exploring alternatives to Djibouti ports and corridors, that currently handle over 80 percent of Ethiopian trade, in an attempt to diversify its import and export routes.

The WTO SPS and TBT Information Management Systems

Thursday, 10 February 2022 08:19

Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures are measures adopted by governments to ensure either that food domestically produced or entering into their territory is safe for consumers, or to prevent the spread of pests or diseases among animals and plants. They are regulated by the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), which aims to ensure that these measures are actually introduced to protect human, animal, plant life or health and not for pure protectionist purposes.

News

The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPA) of the EU with African countries

Tanzania denies rumours about imminent signature of the EPA with the EU

Africa in the New Trade Environment? More market diversification needed

Ethiopia plans to expand its railway network to diversify trade routes

The WTO SPS and TBT Information Management Systems

More Articles...

Main Menu