Southern African Development Community (Sadc) says the current turmoil in global trade due to geopolitical developments driven by United States of America imposed tariffs on imports and aid- withdrawal is negatively impacting Africa economy.
Speaking on Monday in Port Louis, Mauritius during the opening of Trade Negotiating Forum (TNF), Sadc industrial development and trade director Dunraj Kassee said the Donald Trump adminstration tarrifs as well the impact of the wars in the Middle East and the Russia/Ukraine conflict have taken a toll on Africa trade and economies.
He said: “The Sadc Council of Ministers meeting in March 2025 discussed the impact of these geopolitical developments on our continent and requested submission of a report for consideration by a further extraordinary meeting of Council of Ministers in June 2025.
“This work is currently being led by Ministers of Finance and Central Bank Governors, who will be meeting in mid-June to consider the detailed assessment of the impact of global geopolitical developments on Kassee different sectors of the region.”
He further said another key issue is to present an analysis of Sadc’s top ten import and export products to identify challenges and recommend strategic policy interventions to increase the regional production of goods and boost intra-Sadc trade.
In an interview at the forum, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs Principal Secretary (Administration) Hetherwick Njati said the meeting is an important structure in Sadc, whose mandate includes reviewing the implementation of commitments by member States under the Protocol on Trade.
“We are looking forward to discussing the improvement of the regional trade and investment climate, the resolution of non-tariff barriers, critical instruments on conformity, quality standards and transit issues,” he said.
Njati further said countries should also consider embracing technological changes by implementing instruments such as the electronic certificate of origin to enhance the trading environments.
