Business
U.S. – Africa Trade: Much Progress has been made; but we haven’t tried everything yet.
THN: What do you, then, have to say about current process of regional economic integration?
KK: Having worked on African trade issues for some time, it is really exciting to see regional integration gather momentum from the African side. In particular, regional economic communities like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have made considerable progress.
Regional trade efforts can create much greater benefit for many more people, contributing to larger, more efficient markets, economies of scale, and harmonization of rules and regulations. This is very important, particularly when looking at a continent of many countries that have their own separate rules, laws and standards. A greater degree of harmonization will have a tremendous impact on many stakeholders, from African producers to U.S. businesses trying to invest in the region.
The United States should, under the circumstances, do everything we can to support this momentum. While this bears further discussion, AGOA could
be used to support regional integration more. This was a frequent topic of discussion at the AGOA 2013 Ministerial in Addis Ababa this past August. For example, AGOA could be reinforced to act as a catalyst for implementing some of the harmonization efforts that are underway and are going to be so
important for making the markets work.
In particular, greater focus on the non-tariff measures is called for. These include rules around transport and distribution, inconsistently applied sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules and other standards.
THN: Perhaps we should delve into what sorts of roles and responsibilities all parties ought to have in the U.S. – Africa partnership.
KK: As a lawyer, I think about how to make sure that what is agreed to in words or on paper becomes a reality. This is one of the aspects of regional integration that will be most critical. While high-level regional trade agreements are promising, it is very important to see how they translate into real changes on the ground. There is an obligation for all involved to work together to implement these agreements, and we need better mechanisms for doing so.
First, this can only work through partnership, both between nations and between the public and private sectors on an ongoing, day-to-day basis.
