Economic Partnership Agreements And The Export Competitiveness Of Africa

Author : Paul Brenton
Publisher : World Bank Publications
Page : 29 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Commercial policy
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Economic Partnership Agreements and the Export Competitiveness of Africa by Paul Brenton Pdf

Abstract: Trade can be a key driver of growth for African countries, as it has been for those countries, particularly in East Asia, that have experienced high and sustained rates of growth. Economic partnership agreements with the European Union could be instrumental in a competitiveness framework, but to do so they would have to be designed carefully in a way that supports integration into the global economy and is consistent with national development strategies. Interim agreements have focused on reciprocal tariff removal and less restrictive rules of origin. To be fully effective, economic partnership agreements will have to address constraints to regional integration, including both tariff and non-tariff barriers; improve trade facilitation; and define appropriate most favored nation services liberalization. At the same time, African countries will need to reduce external tariff peak barriers on a most favored nation basis to ensure that when preferences for the European Union are implemented after transitional periods, they do not lead to substantial losses from trade diversion. This entails an ambitious agenda of policy reform that must be backed up by development assistance in the form of "aid for trade."

Author : Paul Brenton,Mombert Hoppe,Richard Newfarmer
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:931669157

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Economic Partnership Agreements and the Export Competitiveness of Africa by Paul Brenton,Mombert Hoppe,Richard Newfarmer Pdf

Trade can be a key driver of growth for African countries, as it has been for those countries, particularly in East Asia, that have experienced high and sustained rates of growth. Economic partnership agreements with the European Union could be instrumental in a competitiveness framework, but to do so they would have to be designed carefully in a way that supports integration into the global economy and is consistent with national development strategies. Interim agreements have focused on reciprocal tariff removal and less restrictive rules of origin. To be fully effective, economic partnership agreements will have to address constraints to regional integration, including both tariff and non-tariff barriers; improve trade facilitation; and define appropriate most favored nation services liberalization. At the same time, African countries will need to reduce external tariff peak barriers on a most favored nation basis to ensure that when preferences for the European Union are implemented after transitional periods, they do not lead to substantial losses from trade diversion. This entails an ambitious agenda of policy reform that must be backed up by development assistance in the form of "aid for trade."

Author : Jacques Berthelot
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 146 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2018-09-21
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9782343158402

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Did You Say Free Trade ? by Jacques Berthelot Pdf

The headlong rush of the European Union (EU) in Free Trade Agreements reaches the paroxysm of absurdity when it imposes them on West Africa, whose per capita GDP is 21 times lower than its own. This Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) would make West Africa lose 76% of its customs revenue on its imports from the EU and lead to a sharp rise in unemployment due to the loss of competitiveness of its companies including the informal sectors. The latter will be worsened by the premature signing, with support from the EU, of the Continental Free Trade Area by 13 of 16 West African States, all this based on a number of untruths from the European Commission, as identified in this book.

Author : Gerrit Faber,Jan Orbie
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 405 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2009-06-17
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781134015795

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Beyond Market Access for Economic Development by Gerrit Faber,Jan Orbie Pdf

Starting from the observation that the establishment of free trade as such will substantially impact upon economic development, the different contributions focus on the potential contribution of non-traditional aspects of EPAs.

Author : Moyo, Theresa
Publisher : CODESRIA
Page : 404 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2015-03-02
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9782869785717

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Trade and Industrial Development in Africa by Moyo, Theresa Pdf

This book revisits the perennial challenge that scholars, economists, and politicians have been grappling with since the 1960s. Development, in this book, has been defined in a context that projects it as a multidimensional and complex process which seeks to enhance the human, social, economic and cultural welfare of the people. This book calls for a rethinking of trade and industry for Africa's development. It uses data drawn from national development plans and strategies, and trade and industry issues have been prioritized at the continental level, in key policy documents. On the whole Africa's industry and trade performance have been poor in spite of national, regional, and continental plans. The contributors to this volume propose some alternative strategies and policies which are necessary for trade and industry to grow and to contribute to the well-being of Africa's people. It calls for a developmental trade and industry policy which, fundamentally, must be people-centred. African states should invest time, energy and resources to develop policies which will take into consideration African realities.The different contributors are aware that Africa has experienced strong economic growth in the recent past but this growth has largely been due to a strong demand for Africa's primary commodity exports. It has also been a result of increases in productivity and domestic investment and remittances from Africans living in the Diaspora. It is important to note that despite this unprecedented growth performance, the impact of trade and industry on development has been limited. The book argues that a structural transformation of Africa's economies is inevitable if Africa is to achieve the shift from the dominant paradigm of production and export of primary goods. The various contributors to this book agree that there is need to rethink policy and strategy in order to achieve industrial development in Africa. There is no unique solution or answer that can fit all situations as African countries are not the same. While Africa can draw lessons from other regions which have successfully industrialized, this book argues that policies and strategies will have to be adapted to country-specific situations and circumstances.

Author : David Olusanya Ajakaiye,T. Ademola Oyejide
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 386 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2012-03-12
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781136595752

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Trade Infrastructure and Economic Development by David Olusanya Ajakaiye,T. Ademola Oyejide Pdf

There is growing consensus in the literature that trade and trade policy matter for a pro-poor growth and development strategy. Therefore, policies that are consistent with this strategy feature increasingly in many African countries where poverty is endemic and rapid and where sustainable economic growth is viewed as the major vehicle for poverty reduction. Key elements of these polices include measures that promote the expansion and diversification of production and trade in Africa. This book is aimed at articulating appropriate structural and policy measures for eliminating the constraints that African countries face and thus ensuring that they can derive maximum benefits from all available market access opportunities. There is evidence that most African countries face external market access barriers in their major export destinations which are generally less constraining than those confronting countries in other developing country regions. Yet, they have generally not been able to take full advantage of the special (preferential) market access opportunities available to them. This suggests that improved external market access, whether reciprocal or preferential, would not, by itself, be sufficient for strengthening African export performance. In this collection, export supply response capacity takes external (beyond-the-border) factors as given and concentrates primarily on the internal (behind-the-border) factors that influence production and distribution costs and, thus, competitiveness. The central working hypothesis of this book is that the inability of domestic producers and exporters in Africa to respond quickly, effectively and efficiently to external market access opportunities is caused by various limitations of their internal supply capacity and that this, in turn, is largely responsible for the lacklustre export performance of many African countries. This comprehensive study should be of interest to students and researchers of international trade and development economics as well as African studies.

Author : Yenkong Ngangjoh-Hodu,Francis A.S.T. Matambalya
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 420 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2009-10-16
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781135193492

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Trade Relations Between the EU and Africa by Yenkong Ngangjoh-Hodu,Francis A.S.T. Matambalya Pdf

Trade liberalisation and openness, as linchpins for development have been flagships of conventional economic policy advices to most African countries over the last few decades. Much of the orientation of the focus however has been on the impact of international trade on development rather than the requirements that development should inform the shaping of the international trading system so that African countries may be able to benefit from such trade. This view has permeated both academic debate and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Negotiation between the European Commission and groups of African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States. This timely volume advances an alternative set of inter-related, interdisciplinary perspectives and debates which contribute to overlapping genres and discourses, notably how rules of origins may stifle the development dimension of EPAs, how special agricultural safeguards may be used in balancing the effects of trade liberalisation on small farm holders in Africa. It also discusses the centrality of aid for trade in trade negotiations, and mainstreaming development in the EPAs debate to enhance domestic supply side in Africa and the various regional integration processes in the region. This book focuses on areas of trade that may inform the development dimension of international trade. With this edited volume, a team of specialists provide a comprehensive survey of ACP –EU trade and Africa trade relation in the global context, placing it in its legal, economic and political contexts. The book innovative approach coupled with a stimulating and accessible writing style, allows the reader to engage fully with the content. It will be of most value to students, scholars and related policymakers of international, development and trade economics.

Author : Clair Gammage
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2017-05-26
Category : LAW
ISBN : 9781784719623

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North-South Regional Trade Agreements as Legal Regimes by Clair Gammage Pdf

This book offers a critical reflection of the North-South regional trade agreements (RTAs), known as the Economic Partnership Agreements, negotiated between the EU and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries. Conceiving of regions as legal regimes, Clair Gammage highlights the challenges facing developing countries when negotiating RTAs with developed countries and interrogates the assumption that these agreements will and can promote sustainable development through trade.

Author : Benson O. Ochieng,Elizabeth Mutunga
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 60 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Africa, Eastern
ISBN : STANFORD:36105115191251

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Negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements by Benson O. Ochieng,Elizabeth Mutunga Pdf

Author : Manuel De la Rocha
Publisher : World Bank Publications
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Africa, Eastern
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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The Cotonou Agreement and Its Implications for the Regional Trade Agenda in Eastern and Southern Africa by Manuel De la Rocha Pdf

Subregional trade arrangements (RTAs) in Eastern and Southern Africa have proliferated in the past 10 to 15 years. The small size of most of the countries in the region, some of which are landlocked, and the security needs in the post independence period largely explain the rapid expansion. These arrangements are characterized by multiple and overlapping memberships, complex structures, and eventually, conflicting and confusing commitments. The influence of RTAs has been limited to assisting the region in increasing trade, attracting foreign direct investment, enhancing growth, and achieving convergence among member countries. But despite their limitations, RTAs have the potential, if properly designed and effectively implemented, to be an important instrument in integrating member countries into global markets. In 1998 most of the Southern African countries, as members of the Africa Caribbean Pacific group (ACP), signed the Cotonou Agreement with the European Union, which includes the negotiation of economic partnership agreements (EPAs) between the EU and the ACP. The Cotonou Agreement explicitly leaves to the ACP countries to decide the level and procedures of the EPA trade negotiations, taking into account the regional integration process. This raises the question of how to decide on the groupings in the context of conflicting regional trade agendas. The author argues that the Cotonou Agreement and EPA negotiations could become the external driving force that will push the regional organizations to rationalize and harmonize their regional trade arrangements, thus strengthening the integration process and economies of the region, and assisting the Eastern and Southern Africa region in becoming a more active partner in the global economy.

Author : United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Publisher : United Nations
Page : 140 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2016-04-21
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789213619131

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Assessing Regional Integration in Africa. Issue 7 by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Pdf

The seventh edition of Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA VII) examines how the three elements of regional integration, innovation and competitiveness are interlinked. It explores the prospects for harnessing them within the framework of Africa’s normative regional integration development model oriented to foster structural change. Evidence presented in ARIA VII for a sample of 15 African countries for the period between 1995 and 2010 shows that growth in most of the sample countries has been achieved through factor accumulation rather than through significant improvements with input combinations that are associated with innovation. Based on theoretical and empirical insights, the report makes recommendations as to how further regional integration boost Africa’s capacity for innovation and competitiveness. In addition, the report provides an overview of regional integration trends in Africa, including an analysis of data from the African Regional Integration Index.

Author : Samuel O. Oloruntoba
Publisher : Springer
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2015-11-10
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781137568670

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Regionalism and Integration in Africa by Samuel O. Oloruntoba Pdf

The resurgence of regionalism is borne out of the current political logjams that have characterized the governance and operations of multilateral trading system over the past one decade and a half. Oloruntoba critically examines Euro-Nigeria relations within the context of the Economic Partnership Agreements in terms of the political and economic implications of the agreements on Nigeria’s non-oil exports sub-sectors. Set within one of the main objectives of the Economic Partnership Agreements, he also interrogates the prospects and challenges of regional integration in Africa under the regime of transnational accumulation, which the Economic Partnership Agreements represents.

Author : Gbadebo Odularu,Bamidele Adekunle
Publisher : Springer
Page : 165 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2017-01-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9783319455693

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Negotiating South-South Regional Trade Agreements by Gbadebo Odularu,Bamidele Adekunle Pdf

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of South-South regional trade issues, with a particular focus on sustainably fostering Africa’s regional trade agenda. It examines the extent to which South-South regional trade agreements (RTAs) have contributed toward enhancing regional integration and economic expansion in Africa in particular, and in the South in general. The authors recommend new conceptual frameworks, appropriate initiatives, and workable policy recipes to help South-South RTAs enhance Africa’s economic transformation trajectory. The book underscores the geo-politics, as well as the opportunities and challenges that emerging economies now represent for Africa in the context of South-South regional trade policy. Readers will learn how Africa can strengthen its regional trade game by securing and building on the positive outcomes of South-South RTAs.

Author : Valdete Berisha-Krasniqi, Antoine Bouët, and Simon Mevel
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 84 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Economic Partnership Agreements between the European Union and African, Caribbean, and Pacific Countries: What Is at Stake for Senegal? by Valdete Berisha-Krasniqi, Antoine Bouët, and Simon Mevel Pdf

Author : Mr.Lisandro Abrego,Maria Alejandra Amado,Tunc Gursoy,Garth P. Nicholls,Hector Perez-Saiz
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2019-06-07
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781498314398

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The African Continental Free Trade Agreement: Welfare Gains Estimates from a General Equilibrium Model by Mr.Lisandro Abrego,Maria Alejandra Amado,Tunc Gursoy,Garth P. Nicholls,Hector Perez-Saiz Pdf

In March 2018, representatives of member countries of the African Union signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. This agreement provides a framework for trade liberalization in goods and services and is expected to eventually cover all African countries. Using a multi-country, multi-sector general equilibrium model based on Costinot and Rodriguez-Clare (2014), we estimate the welfare effects of the AfCFTA for 45 countries in Africa. Three different model specifications—comprising both perfect competition and monopolistic competition—are used. Simulations include full elimination of import tariffs and partial but substantial reduction in non-tariff barriers (NTBs). Results reveal significant potential welfare gains from trade liberalization in Africa. As intra-regional import tariffs in the continent are already low, the bulk of these gains come from lowering NTBs. Overall gains for the continent are broadly similar under the three model specifications used, with considerable variation of potential welfare gains across countries in all model structures.