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Tuesday, August 18, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Trade and poverty: Facts beyond theory
AFRICA: EU Official ‘Creating Rift’
A top European Union official has been seeking to create divisions between South Africa and its neighbours in talks aimed at establishing a free trade deal, African diplomats have alleged.
TRADE: Rwanda Leading Africa in ICT Revolution
Less than fifteen years after the genocide that destroyed much of Rwanda's human capital, infrastructure, and socio-economic fabric, the country is set to become sub-Saharan Africa's hub for information and communications technology (ICT).POLITICS: "Take The Bull By the Horns And Move Towards a New Country – Africa"
Positions are being staked out concerning the establishment of a pan-African government, this at the annual summit of the African Union (AU), underway in Accra. Heads of state and government from around the continent began meeting in the Ghanaian capital Sunday; they will wrap up talks Tuesday.ECONOMY-TANZANIA: Tourists vs Traders – Who Will Make a Killing?
On display among the bold African patterns and chunky jewellery, a carved giraffe flashes a price tag of 20,000 Tanzanian shillings (15 US dollars).AFRICA: Food for 12 Billion. So Why Did 854 Million Go Without?
"As you are suffering from over-consumption, I am suffering from under-consumption. We need to strike a balance," said Mary Wahu Kaara from the Kenya Debt Relief Network with reference to the North and the South.TRADE: EU Pesticide Rules May Force Out Small African Farmers
African farmers could soon find themselves forced out of the lucrative European market for agricultural products as retailers and government move towards a zero tolerance policy on chemical residues in food.DEVELOPMENT: When Education Is Not So Sweet
A major Belgian retail firm has been accused of misleading its customers by implying that its sales of Malawian sugar will benefit education projects in that country.FRANCE: Diaspora Trade Strengthens Communities
In the northern Paris neighbourhood of Chateau Rouge, a casual visitor could be forgiven for a moment for feeling that one had gotten off the city's storied metro and ended up in Dakar or Abidjan.TRADE-AFRICA: Kenya and South Africa Growing Their Links
Strolling through the aisles of one of the shops of the biggest supermarket chain in Kenya, it is easy for a South African to spot familiar brands. There are boxes and bottles full of cereal, instant coffee, fruit, soup, toiletries and other products imported from South Africa. And then there are the well-known clothing retailers.DEVELOPMENT: New Plans for Niger Basin
New plans are being developed for the 4,100 km Niger River that passes through several West African countries.TRADE-AFRICA: Libya to Supply Kenya with Cheaper Oil
Kenya is set to receive oil from Libya at preferential rates according to a bilateral agreement signed earlier this month between the leaders of the two countries.TRADE-MALAWI: Clothing and Textiles Become Unstitched
Following the liberalization of the global trade in textiles and clothing between 1994 and 2005, Malawi has seen an influx of second-hand clothing on the local market. But while consumers have been happily buying cheap items on almost every street corner, the country's textile industry has been steadily collapsing.TRADE-MAURITIUS: Meeting EU Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Norms
Mauritian producers and exporters are slowly adapting to the sanitary and phyto-sanitary norms imposed by the European Union (EU) on fruit, vegetables and fish.TRADE-EU: Africans Speak Out Against EPAs as Unwelcome
When European campaigners suggest that a free trade deal could harm the poor, they typically encounter a frosty reaction from civil servants in Brussels. Still, no one tries to muzzle them.ECONOMY-KENYA: Branson Flying More and Cutting Carbon Emissions
With the introduction of Virgin Atlantic flights on the London/Nairobi route company chief Sir Richard Branson is not only tapping into a lucrative tourism market, he is also offering export opportunities to local farmers.G8: Poverty Reduction and Climate Change Inextricably Linked, Say Activists
In the final hours before this week's Group of Eight (G8) summit gets underway in Germany, activists have underscored the need for progress with both climate change and poverty alleviation - key items on the meeting's agenda - for there to be real improvement in Africa's living conditions.RUSSIA-AFRICA: Debt Write-Off Boosts Closer Trade Ties
Long seen as funding the continent's wars and doing little other than seeking out petroleum and mineral resources, Russia is now looking to kick-start better trade relations with Africa, and has made its first move by writing off the majority of the continent's debt.CENTRAL AFRICA: Not Ready to Negotiate Trade with Europe
Central Africa seems an unlikely candidate for a free trade deal with the European Union.TRADE-AFRICA: Europe Looks to Encourage Diaspora Investment
Africa's robust diaspora in Europe will soon have an investment facility to help people make direct investments to better develop their home countries thanks to a new study by the Brussels-based Africa Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Business Climate (BizClim) facility.WEST AFRICA: Currency Integration Still A Few Years Off
Gone are the days when the scowling face of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko gazed out from the face of Zaire's paper currency, a denomination that inflation and corruption eventually made so worthless it was issued in notes of 5 million.TRADE-AFRICA: Electricity Producers Get Ready to Power Up
European investment in Africa's electricity markets may soon get the boost it needs, from infrastructure to integration.« 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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