by Pomy Ketema, Counsel, Baker McKenzie, New York The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is one of the largest trading blocs in the world with the majority of African countries now operating under its preferential trade framework. Trading under AfCFTA commenced on January 1, 2021 under a liberalized trade regime that would gradually lead […]
Tag Archives: trade
Ethiopia News, Ghana News, Kenya News, Main, Mauritius News, Mozambique News, Nigeria News, South Africa News
Deal making slows across Africa but post-pandemic opportunities look interesting
Deal making activity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) dropped in the second half of 2020 (H2 2020), when compared to the second half of 2019 (H2 2019) and year-on-year, deals were also down in both volume and value compared to 2019. As the continent gears up for post-pandemic recovery in 2021, the opportunities presented by free […]
Dealmaking activity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) dropped in the second half of 2020 (H2 2020), when compared to the second half of 2019 (H2 2019) and year-on-year, deals were also down in both volume and value when compared to 2019. According to Baker McKenzie’s analysis of Refinitiv data, M&A transactions dropped in SSA in H2 […]
African News, Agriculture, Fintech, Main, Medicine
Five Tech Megatrends that can Transform African economies in 2021 and beyond
The world has been experiencing massive digital disruption with the relentless rollout and adoption of disruptive and innovative technologies. Embracing digital disruption is daunting, since it is extremely unsettling with the rapid change brought about within societies and the severe impact on unskilled labor. Even if the African continent will not be spared by digital […]
The leading wholesaler in the Swiss organic market, Bio Partner, has doubled its output following the implementation of innovative robotic logistics from Swisslog at its facility in Aargau, Switzerland. Bio Partner supplies business customers in the organic specialist trade as well as the rest of the retail and food industry from its location in Seon. […]
By Virusha Subban, Partner specialising in Customs and Trade at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg The United States (US) President Elect Joe Biden and his new administration are expected to take a multilateral approach to foreign policy, easing tensions and increasing engagement with allies. Trade issues are also expected to be a top priority for the Biden administration and under […]
By Manqoba Khumalo, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade in Eswatini The Kingdom of Eswatini is gearing up to becoming a private sector-led economy committed to economic reform and determined to recover from the devastating effects of COVID-19. Before the global pandemic, the Kingdom of Eswatini was already experiencing key economic challenges characterised by sluggish […]
South Africa News
South Africa on a clear path to benefit from trade in manufactured goods with other African countries
By Virusha Subban, Partner Specialising in Customs and Trade, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined the country’s Economic Recovery Plan on Thursday 15 October 202o, during which he explained that South Africa imported goods (excluding oil) are worth around ZAR1.1 trillion annually, and that if just 10% of these were manufactured locally, the country would add 2% to its Gross Domestic […]
A new report by Economist Corporate Network, supported by Baker McKenzie and Silk Road Associates, BRI Beyond 2020 (report), shows that the ripple effects of COVID-19 are affecting the nature, pace and scope of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) activity in Africa, mostly for the short term. The report also explains how the virus has led […]
When you think of barcodes, the first thing that springs to mind is probably shopping at a big supermarket. I bet you didn’t know that barcodes can actually be an invaluable asset to any business, big or small? This is because, while huge warehouse establishments have successfully implemented barcoding systems for years, it was only […]
Many business owners across the world want to import goods into South Africa. Unfortunately, many of these business owners are discouraged by South Africa’s complex import process, rules and regulations. For this reason, new-to-market importers like yourself refrain from bringing goods into South Africa. In turn, you miss out on profitable business opportunities. If you […]
By Morne van der Merwe, Managing Partner, and Wildu du Plessis, Head of Africa at global law firm Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg Ahead of the Baker McKenzie African Transactional Summit taking place in Johannesburg in May 2019, Baker McKenzie lawyers based in Africa, alongside the Firm’s global Africa specialists, as well as lawyers from our […]
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Trends and Events in Africa 2018
by Johan Burger 2018 has been an interesting year for Africa, with various events and trends becoming visible. 2016 saw the effects of the slowdown of China’s economic growth due to its rebalancing of its economy and the end of the commodity price super cycle. 2017 brought some relief. In Africa, 2018 demonstrated a number […]
by Johan Burger The NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies publishes a weekly newsletter on issues relevant to Africa. This paper is based on issues addressed in the newsletter. Regional integration has become a high profile intervention and is seen as the route to economic integration and increasing intra-African trade. Some commentators are of the opinion […]
African News, Djibouti News
The trade of illegal weapons implicates senior government officials in Djibouti – Report
EXX Africa (EXXAfrica.com) published a special report on the arms trade in the Horn of Africa. The trade of illegal weapons implicates senior government officials in Djibouti, which suggests that the Doraleh port terminal, which is now under government control and suffers from porous customs checks, will increasingly be leveraged as an arms trade hub. However, […]
Otavio Veras, Researcher of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Synopsis The East African Community (EAC) is an economic bloc formed by Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The countries have a history of cooperation dating back to the early 20th century. In the recent years, they have started various infrastructure projects to improve the […]
By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa The latest reports on African Connectedness are showing great things for the future. And African countries are showing the largest increases in their global connectedness, according to DHL. While recent announcements from Cape Town, South Africa reveal: • The countries with the largest increases are Mozambique, Togo, Ghana, Guinea and Zambia • […]
NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: African Medical Device Market: Facts and Figures 2012 Why look at Africa? With a population of over a billion people, Africa represents a vast potential market. The political and economic picture is improving in many […]
MITSUMI IT Distribution has concluded its GITEX debut successfully which run from October 14 – 18, 2012 at Dubai World Trade Centre. GITEX is the ICT business gateway to the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. This year, for the very first time, MITSUMI has exhibited its world-class product portfolio from renowned global […]
By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa Around the September month, Dormac’s first group of learner artisans commenced with their institutional training at Saldanha’s West Coast College, Western Cape province. The training forms part of the Accelerated Artisan Training Programme (AATP) in welding and concludes with the National Trade Test which, if successfully completed, will result in a trade […]
Minister Costello leads Enterprise Ireland trade mission to South Africa Over 3000 students will undertake digital marketing training in South Africa next year as Irish organisation, the Digital Marketing Institute, today announces a new partnership with South African Education Institute, Vega School of Brand Leadership. The Digital Marketing Institute forecasts that the South Africa market […]
by Wallace Mawire The African Union Commission (AUC) and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen agricultural policies in Africa, according to a spokesperson. The MoU was signed by the AUC’s Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) Commissioner, Mrs. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, on […]