Announcement

South African President and African Union chairman, Cyril Ramaphosa, called on the continent’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to prepare to start trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)…

The EC launched a public consultation on “Reducing packaging waste – review of the rules”, as the first step to revising the EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste of…

A 2019 report by Ernst & Young found that about 84% of surveyed firms (85% American, 82% Asia-Pacific, and 84% of Europe, Middle East and Africa) were planning to divest at least some of…

Whatever happens in the US Presidential race, which is not yet finalized at the time of writing this Newsletter, it is clear that the AGOA (The African Growth and Opportunity…

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has published Connecting Humanity – Assessing investment needs of connecting humanity to the Internet by 2030, a comprehensive new study that estimates the investment needed to…

The SA Cybercrimes Bill awaits the President’s signature, which is expected soon. The Cybersecurity Bill still needs some revision before it too will be adopted. EFSA will publish a report…

The European Commission, DG TRADE, launched the Access2Markets online portal on 13 Oct. This is a multi-dimensional, user-friendly and multi-language tool with practical information, tips and guidelines for all companies engaged in international trade where…

Research shows that although higher education is usually seen as a way for individuals and families to improve their economic status graduates can remain unemployed for up to a year. In developing…

The WTO forecasts a 9.2% decline in the volume of world merchandise trade for 2020, followed by a 7.2% rise in 2021. These estimates are subject to an unusually high…

Following the resignation of the WTO’s 6th Secretary General in August the search has been on for a replacement. Two candidates faced off in October – both women (a first for…