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Saturday, May 23, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Trade and poverty: Facts beyond theory
IBSA States Do Not Always Have Common Positions on Trade Issues
"IBSA what?" is the question you most often get in Geneva when enquiring about the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) dialogue forum, established in 2003 between these three multicultural democracies and emerging markets "to contribute to the construction of a new international architecture".
Swaziland’s Middle-Income Status Reflects Only King’s Lifestyle
While Swaziland struggles to alleviate its fiscal crisis with foreign aid because of its World Bank classification as a lower middle-income country, the government has increased the budget for King Mswati III, Africa’s last remaining absolute monarch and one of the richest royals in the world.
ZIMBABWE: Farmers Sceptical About “Complicated” Exchange Market
Kindness Paradza has a mission. After he lost his job as a journalist when the ZANU-PF government closed his newspaper in 2004, he ploughed his life savings into a 2,000 ha farm he received as part of Zimbabwe’s controversial "land reform programme".
AGRICULTURE: Malawian Cotton Farmers Ecstatic Over High Prices
An ardent listener to the radio, small-scale cotton farmer Mercy Kaduya from Chikhwawa in Nsanje in southern Malawi has just heard on the international news segment that cotton prices have hit a record high on the international market.CARIBBEAN: Colonies Seek to Redefine Relationship with EU
The newly elected chair of the Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA), Montserrat's Chief Minister Reuben Meade, wants "trade rather than aid" to form the basis of the future relationship between Europe and its colonies around the world.
TRADE: Southern African Rulers Eyeing the Money, Not Development
A new revenue sharing formula in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) could boost development but has met with resistance from the governments of poorer states in the sub-region that are interested in "just getting the money".
INDIA: EU Trade Deal May Curb Affordable Drug Supply
As India prepares to seal a sweeping trade and investment deal with the European Union (EU) in April, civil society groups are campaigning to limit the agreement's repercussions within the local generic drug industry here upon which millions of people around the globe depend.
Questions Abound Over Whether IBSA and BRICS Can be Complementary
The IBSA Dialogue Forum, a South-South alliance of India, Brazil and South Africa, could be better suited to the needs of Southern Africa for South-South cooperation than the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) loose alliance of emerging economies. But Southern Africa will have to beef up its markets to truly benefit.
TRADE: African NGOs Oppose Human Rights Clause in EPAs
Part of the delay in the finalisation of the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) is due to the so-called non-execution clause that gives the EU the power to take steps against its African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) trading partners if they violate human rights, democracy and good governance principles.Manufacturing in Africa Can be Profitable – And Developmental
Investing in adding value to raw materials is crucial for the development of the African continent.
Investment in African Economies Shifting Away from Raw Materials
Local and foreign investment on the African continent is slowly moving away from agriculture and raw materials to manufacturing, services, communication and tourism, despite poor infrastructure and low skills levels.
AFRICA: Responsible Travel Means Not “Haggling Over Wooden Beads”
Tourism as a concern found its way onto the agenda of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro because of its potential for development but also due to its adverse effects on some populations and natural resources, particularly in Africa.
TRADE: Chic Carpets Link Mozambique, Denmark and, Soon, Brazil
In two rooms in a small Mozambican coastal town, 70 women are cutting, weaving and packaging fabric carpets destined for eclectic design and homeware stores in Denmark and, soon, Brazil and South Africa.Caribbean Tourism Officials Seek Concessions from Europe
Caribbean officials gathered in Brussels for the region's annual tourism summit, the first to be held in Europe, are urging their biggest development partner to draft policies supporting the lifeblood sector and ease restrictions such as Britain's Air Passenger Duty (APD), which they say are holding back its growth.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Non-Tariff Trade Barriers Springing Up
Despite regional initiatives that even include the eventual possibility of a ‘‘Cape- to-Cairo’’ free trade area, protectionist impulses have caused non-tariff barriers to spring up across Southern Africa.
AFRICA: World Bank Identifies Five Poor States as “Growth Poles”
Africa faces an unprecedented opportunity to transform itself, says the World Bank. Its new strategy for the continent aims to leverage growing South-South investment to ensure more inclusive development, while identifying five poor states as "Growth Poles".
SOUTHERN AFRICA: A Region of Winners and Losers, Not Partners
As Southern Africa prepares itself for another year of economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiations with the European Union, trade analysts say any deal should be about more than just liberalised trade.
TRADE: South African Imports Filling Zimbabwean Shop Shelves
When the government of national unity (GNU) was formed two years ago, Zimbabweans expected that the days of shop shelves being filled with imported consumer goods would soon be over.
DEVELOPMENT-UGANDA: Better Coffee Brings Better Living Conditions
Producing quality Arabica coffee beans on the slopes of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda is only viable once farmers are assured ready access to the global market. Fair trade has made this possible.
ENERGY-MALAWI: Rise in Paraffin Prices Leaves Traders in the Dark
Increasing energy prices have caused anxiety for many small-scale Malawian traders, especially those in rural areas and peri-urban areas who rely on paraffin for lighting their business premises.
TRADE: South Africa Losing Interest in SADC Customs Union
A schism about the division of revenues in the world’s oldest customs union threatens to derail the process of regional economic integration in Southern Africa.« 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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