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Monday, August 17, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Trade and poverty: Facts beyond theory
TRADE: 'EU Undermining Agriculture in Africa'
Europe is undermining its own efforts to strengthen African agriculture by foisting free trade on the continent, a Ghanaian farm leader has complained.TRADE-ZIMBABWE: A Balancing Act Between China and the EU
The Zimbabwean government’s isolation from the international economic arena has forced it to turn right while indicating left.TRADE: South Africa Won't ''Roll Over'' on Singapore Issues
The European Union (EU) needs to downscale its ambition to include the so-called ‘‘new generation’’ or Singapore issues in the economic partnership agreement (EPA) with southern African countries before the end of the year, says South Africa’s deputy minister of trade and industry, Dr Rob Davies.
MAURITIUS: ‘‘Exporting Monkeys for Research Helps Conservation’’
Some 10,000 macaque monkeys, considered a nuisance in Mauritius, were exported last year to the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan to be used in medical research.TRADE: Caribbean May Sue to Reinstate EU Sugar Deal
Late last month, the European Union decided that it was no longer willing to wait on the 79-nation African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of former colonies to jointly declare the demise of a special export regime for cane sugar in place since the mid-1970s.TRADE: EU Deals With Africa Could Violate Rights
Opening up trade between the European Union and Africa risks violating basic human rights, according to campaigners.TRADE-AFRICA: COMESA States Urged to Drop Non-Tariff Barriers
Despite the reduction in trade tariffs within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), member states are still grappling with non-tariff barriers which restrict the flow of exports and imports. This is regarded as putting brakes on the improvement of trade volumes in the region.TRADE: Exports Should Be Priority for African States
The ‘‘Mobilising Aid For Trade: Focussing on Africa’’ high level conference ended this week with admonitions from the World Trade Organisation (WTO).AFRICA: Aid For Trade Could Help Producers in Poor Countries
Agricultural exporters in poor nations need funds and technical assistance to comply with food safety norms in order to boost their share of world trade, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) representatives.TRADE-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Non-Tariff Barriers Blocking Flow of Goods
While the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has moved towards liberalising trade to make the flow of goods between countries easier and economically more rewarding, non-tariff barriers continue to be a concern, a recent study found.TRADE: ‘Silicon Ribbon’ Pops Up Across the Maghreb
Poised attractively near to the European market and with an abundance of skilled labour, North Africa may be poised to become an electronics manufacturing hub.EAST AFRICA: Why Women Remain Trapped in Informal Trade
In Malawi up to a quarter of all households are headed by women. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and some 80 percent of Malawians directly depend on this sector. With an average of six children per household, most women embark on small business ventures to supplement their income from agricultural activities.ENERGY-AFRICA: Big Potential and Challenges for Biofuels
Biofuels offer Africa the chance to supply itself with alternative energy sources, and also to become a major supplier of these sources for developed markets. Yet, challenges - from creating the relevant infrastructure to competition for biofuel crops from food markets - remain.TRADE-EU: World Bank Asks For More Time on EPAs
Senior World Bank staff have asked the European Union to consider extending the end-of-year deadline it has set for a series of free trade agreements with Africa.TRADE: North Africa a Launch Pad For Auto Markets
When French car company Renault SA and its Japanese partner, Nissan Motor Co., announced their intention to build a joint assembly plant in Tangier, Morocco at an estimated cost of 1 billion euros, it was a substantial enough investment to make auto industry analysts take notice.TRADE-AFRICA: Improved Regional Integration Still Key For Success
While its economic landscape is brightening, Africa is still bedeviled by some of the same obstacles that has historically served to undermine economic development in the resource and labour-rich region. And many of those woes could be solved through development of further intraregional trade.RUSSIA-AFRICA: Trucks Traded for Cash Crops and Oil
Russia’s truck manufacturers say they’re ready to do more business in Africa but the country’s image problem may be getting in the way.TRADE-EAST AFRICA: ''A Foreigner Cannot Develop Us''
While east Africans still hold reservations about the benefits of the economic partnership agreement (EPA) currently being negotiated with the European Union (EU), both government and civil society representatives seem to be accepting that it is the best option available.TRADE-EAST AFRICA: How to Safeguard Food Security in EPAs
Government leaders and exporters in east Africa are adamant that certain products be excluded from the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) to prevent detrimental effects on the livelihoods of the majority of people in the region.TRADE-AFRICA: Power Struggle Continues with Unbalanced EPA Talks
African nations have been reduced to "begging" in negotiations on their future economic ties with the European Union (EU) in what has turned into exercise "assaulting democracy," according to trade unionists and policy analysts from both north and south.TRADE-KENYA: Flower Industry May Wilt If EPA Deadline Is Missed
Failure to conclude an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) by the end-of-year deadline will have serious implications for Kenyan exporters, including those in the booming horticultural industry.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Trade has historically been a geopolitical tool, creating significant economic imbalances in developing countries. However, many countries in East Asia and Latin America have been able to alleviate poverty due to increasing trade. Tackling poverty has proven to be much harder in low income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America, and their dismal trade performance is one important reason for that. They remain at the margins of world trade and indeed of the world economy. These articles are aimed at informing readers about the complexities of trade and its varying effects on development, with a special focus on the consequences of the global economic crisis, the potential of fair trade and the gender implications of trade policies.
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