insert_link Africa Digital trade protocol for Africa: why it matters, what’s in it and what’s still missing By Franziska Sucker, University of the Witwatersrand In February 2024, African heads of states adopted a draft protocol to regulate digital trade within the continent. This significant yet challenging course for Africa’s digital economy fits into the broader trade agreement, designed to create a single continental market for free movement of goods, services, capital and people. Franziska Sucker explains the protocol, why it matters and what still […] todayApril 2, 2024 6
insert_link Business / Economics Stalemate: WTO talks again fail to end overfishing subsidies A crewmember working the net on a research trawl vessel. Image by Jennifer Gilden/Pacific Fishery Management Council via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed). By Elizabeth Fitt via Mongabay Ambitions to finalize a two-part treaty to equitably stop governments from funding overfishing were dashed again at the World Trade Organization’s 13th ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi, which ended in the early hours of March 2. “This outcome is not just disappointing; it’s a dire blow […] todayMarch 6, 2024 29
insert_link Africa Ghana wants to make importing food like rice and tomatoes more costly: expert explains why it’s a bad idea By Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor, University of Guelph Ghana, like many other developing nations, relies heavily on imports of food and consumer goods to feed its population. For instance, Ghana imports 55% of the rice that is consumed locally. The country’s import dependence is primarily a consequence of the production of low-value primary products without substantial value addition. To forestall over-dependence on foreign goods, the government has proposed a trade […] todayJanuary 23, 2024 8