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Sunday, August 16, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Trade and poverty: Facts beyond theory
TRADE: Zimbabwe Is the Fly in the New FTA Broth
With an electoral crisis, world-record inflation and a collapsing economy blighted by a brain drain and a generally restive population, Zimbabwe could prove to be southern Africa’s ‘‘problem child’’ as the region seeks to link its economies in a new free trade area (FTA).
TRADE-MALAWI: Turmoil as Tobacco Prices Fluctuate
Malawi’s tobacco industry has been in turmoil after wildly fluctuating prices led protesting farmers to force the closure of the auction floors.TRADE-AFRICA: EU Seeks to Subdue Competitive China
With the ascendance of China as a robust force on Africa’s economic and political scene, plans are afoot in the European Union (EU) to pre-empt the Asian nation’s dominance on the continent by forming a trilateral partnership that places Europe squarely in the centre.TRADE-RUSSIA: Ethiopia Seeks Preferential Treatment for Coffee
After several months of trade negotiations in the joint Russian-Ethiopian economic commission, Russia is considering allowing Ethiopia to bring in its different brands of aromatic coffees on a preferential basis.TRADE: Zimbabwe, ”A Hard Sell”
The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), which ended this past weekend, was once celebrated as a forum to showcase the vast investment opportunities in the then bread basket of the Southern African region. It was established almost five decades ago.KENYA: Relocation of Traders in Nairobi Still Beset With Problems
Jackson Gitonga’s business has suffered during the recent post-election violence. He could not leave his house to sell his wares - second-hand shoes which, he says, are of high quality. He recorded a loss for the first time since he had started working as an informal trader three years ago.TRADE-AFRICA: Conflicting Views Over EPAs in French Government
As it prepares to assume the presidency of the European Union in July one of the main issues on France’s agenda will be the economic partnership agreements (EPAs). But with less than three months to go, France’s official position concerning EPAs is still surprisingly unclear.TRADE: UNCTAD Hears Gender Inequality Becoming Worse – and Better
The only way that the poor, particularly women, will benefit from all the efforts that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has put into improving global trade is to ensure that power inequalities are redressed.TRADE-MALAWI: ”If EPAs Are So Good, Why Force Us to Sign?”
While the European Union (EU) has wanted a conclusion to the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) as soon as possible, the Malawian government has been staving off a deal.DEVELOPMENT: Views Clash at UNCTAD Over What’s Best for Africa
‘‘Africa is not a basket case. The continent is just suffering from the effects of events that it has no hand in and cannot control.’’TRADE: Spain Extending Its Reach Into Africa
Spain has expanded its presence in Africa by recently signing trade agreements with Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The agreement with Egypt includes regular bilateral summits similar to Spain’s annual meetings with Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Both agreements will facilitate the entry of more Spanish companies into Africa.TRADE: Rising Food Prices Could Affect WTO Talks
The rising food and fuel prices, with related social destabilisation, may necessitate a ‘‘course correction’’ in the liberalisation talks on industrial goods and agriculture, the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of nations told World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Pascal Lamy at the end of last week.TRADE: Lamy Pushes Ahead With Services Liberalisation
World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Pascal Lamy announced at the end of last week that there will be a limited ministerial ‘‘signalling’’ conference on services trade chaired by himself.TRADE: UNCTAD Meeting to Address Growth in Emerging Powers
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) meeting currently underway in Accra, Ghana, takes place amid rising global fears that global financial turmoil and economic slowdown in the developed countries would affect economic growth in the developing world.TRADE-AFRICA: EU Embarks on EPA Charm Offensive
After attracting a steady flow of criticism for its handling of trade talks with Africa, the European Commission has gone on something of a charm offensive lately.RIGHTS: Tanzanian Farmers Face Eviction
A Norwegian cement company wants to evict an estimated 3,000 Tanzanian farmers it says are trespassing on its land. The farmers say their families have lived there for generations, and that they were not consulted when the land was sold. After 16 years of conflict Tanzania's highest court is due to reach a verdict soon.Q&A: EU and U.S. Offering Special WTO Deal to Lure South Africa
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has been an active civil society player in South Africa’s decisions during the current World Trade Organisation Doha Round of talks on non-agricultural market access (NAMA).Q&A: ''Rich Countries Should Bear Burden of Doha Round Adjustments''
The World Trade Organisation’s negotiations on the lowering of industrial tariffs - known as non-agricultural market access (NAMA) - have now reached a critical stage. Faizel Ismail, South Africa’s Geneva-based lead negotiator who also coordinates the NAMA 11 coalition of emerging developing economies, talks to IPS's Aileen Kwa about his concerns.TRADE-AFRICA: France to Push For Extension of EU Farm Subsidies
France is expected to push for the further entrenchment of trade-distorting agricultural subsidies when it ascends to the presidency of the European Union (EU) on July 1 this year.
TRADE: ''You Have to Be Rich To Live in This World''
‘‘The globalisation train is moving. It is up to us as developing countries to run fast enough to catch it. Whether we like or not, globalisation is unavoidable. We should accept and adapt to it to be able to benefit from its advantages.’’WEST AFRICA: Check Point ''Friendships'' Hobble Regional Trade
''Give It To God''. These are the words inscribed on the front of the huge truck that goods transporter David Agbalanyo drives between the Ghanaian capital Accra and its northern neighbour, Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou.« 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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