trade Archives - Page 4 of 8 - AfricaBusiness.com

1Dec

By Manqoba KhumaloNo Comments

Eswatini gears up to become a private sector-led economy

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 growth and a budget deficit. The advent of the global pandemic further exacerbated an already fragile economic situation and added another dimension to the fiscal crisis, which demanded a differentiated and rapid approach. To save the economy and the livelihoods of the people of Eswatini, we devised a post-COVID-19 recovery plan earmarking the private sector as the new main driver of employment in the country. The logic ...

South Africa on a clear path to benefit from trade in manufactured goods with other African countries

18Oct

By Virusha SubbanNo Comments

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 Product (GDP). Further he said that the rest of Africa currently imported ZAR 2.9 trillion in manufactured goods from outside the continent, and if South Africa could supply 2% of those goods to its African peers, it would add 1.2% to its GDP. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which entered into force on 30 May 2019, will streamline intra-African trade in manufac...

The Impact of COVID-19 on China’s Belt and Road Initiatives in Africa

7Apr

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Main

The Impact of COVID-19 on China’s Belt and Road Initiatives in Africa

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 to an increased interest in digital programmes in BRI countries, as well as a heightened focus on sustainability, including workforce health. The BRI is China’s multi-billion dollar plan to link Asia, Europe and Africa. “The COVID-19 epidemic definitely has a dampening effect on BRI activities as Chinese companies focus their resources and efforts on dealing with the various types of impact caused by such epidemic. However, this effect will likely be r...

How can barcodes help your small business? The Benefits explored:

25Nov

By Nicole FerrarNo Comments

Business, South Africa News

How can barcodes help your small business? The Benefits explored:

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 recently that this technology became a feasible option for businesses on the smaller side. Nowadays it doesn’t matter what the size of your business is, a barcoding system improves precision and makes inventory management systems more efficient and speedier. Buying barcodes in South Africa has never been easier! Here are 5 benefits of introducing a barcode scanning system into your small business and exactly how it can help you thrive. 5 benefits of a barcodin...

How To Get Started Importing Goods Into South Africa

25Oct

By Janice ThompsonNo Comments

South Africa News

How To Get Started Importing Goods Into South Africa

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 want to take advantage of the business possibilities South Africa offers, read this post and learn how to import into South Africa. Review Prohibited Items In order to import into South Africa, you need to review prohibited items. The South African government forbids certain items from being shipped to their country. At the same time, they rely on importers to ensure that the goods coming in meet their standards. Popular it...

20May

By Baker McKenzieNo Comments

Main, South Africa News

Seven Things to Consider When Transacting in Africa

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 African Relationship Firms from across the continent, share their knowledge about what investors should consider when transacting in Africa. Accept the uncertainty and gather knowledge Investors in Africa must consider geo-political and economic uncertainty on the continent as well as a plethora of country and region-specific governance, compliance and regulatory challenges when investing in the region. They must also contend with a critical lac...

10Apr

By Johan BurgerNo Comments

Egypt News, Energy, Eritrea News, Ethiopia News, Ghana News, Green Energy, Kenya News, Main, Namibia News, Nigeria News, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Rwanda News, Somalia News, South Africa News, South Sudan, Togo News, Zimbabwe News

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 of continued trends, but also some new events. The NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies publishes a weekly newsletter. These were studied to pick up on the trends prominent in 2018. Some of these trends are more elaborate than others. Trend 1: Foreign Investment in Africa Africa has been the recipient of foreign investment form a variety of foreign countries. In addition to the normal investors such as China, Japan, India, etc., we are also seeing new entrants or countries...

3Apr

By Johan BurgerNo Comments

Botswana News, Ethiopia News, Kenya News, Main, Mozambique News, Nigeria News, South Africa News

Friday@Noon on Regional Integration in Africa: 2018

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 that Africa must secure its own share of global economic growth and sustain the economic growth of Africa itself. The greatest opportunity for doing this, is Africa’s ability to trade and do business with itself. Improvements to fiscal policies, governance and regulatory frameworks, along with a move to diversify economies away from Africa’s traditional commodities-biased economies, present great opportunities to foreign investors. Africa’s...

The trade of illegal weapons implicates senior government officials in Djibouti – Report

3Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

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, the most significant flows of illegal weapons will continue to be moved in smaller dhows via the fishing communities in the south-east coast and via the Garacad port project. So far, and over the past few years, the DP World operated Doraleh terminal was not used for arms trafficking. However, local intelligence suggests that the terminal, which is now under government control, may in future be leveraged as a processing center for ...

30Dec

By Otavio VerasNo Comments

Burundi News, Kenya News, Main, Rwanda News, Tanzania News, Uganda News

Integration Efforts in the EAC

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 connection between its members, ultimately decreasing the cost of doing business and making the bloc more attractive to trade with foreign countries. Singapore is enjoying this opportunity, with investments in the African continent growing at a compound rate of 12% per year[1]; the city-state has traded more than US$400 million with the EAC alone in 2013. Singapore is currently involved in various businesses in the region, ranging from agri...