Browsing: UK

The UK and European Union are currently in the final stages of negotiation on the terms of their ‘divorce’. The talks have been characterized by a lot of talking, sulking, walk-aways, and renegotiations. It remains to be seen if the process will end in a deal or no deal as to the terms of trade. While the bickering goes on between the ‘parents’, it raises the issue of what will become of the ‘children’ after the break-up.  

The European Union is one of the major trading partners on the African continent. Countries like South Africa are the largest beneficiaries of this trade. Trade arrangements with the UK were initiated within the auspices of the European Union. As the UK sets out on a solo mission, what will become of these deals?  

According to forecasts by the London School of Economics, if the trade deal falls through, the UK would make …

BREXIT trade impacts in Southern Africa

If everything goes according to plan (and that’s a big statement), January 1st shall see the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, its single market and customs agreements.

As much as I would like to, it is becoming increasingly hard to believe that the parties will conclude a trade deal in time for the official divorce date. I am sceptical of a “hard” BREXIT as I believe that some sort of policy extension will remain in place for quite some time; anything else would be economic madness and given the current pandemic no politician would allow that to happen. (I know what you might be thinking but, luckily, that kind of stupid is currently reserved for leaders across the Atlantic).

The EU is South Africa’s largest trade partner while South Africa has long and in-depth trade relations with the United Kingdom. …

Kenya is the major exporter and importer of the East African Community (EAC) accounting for an estimated 46 per cent of exports and 41 per cent of imports in the region…

The British Chamber of Commerce Kenya (BCCK) has unveiled its inaugural Integrity Index showcasing local companies and how they fair on the integrity test. It features a selection of companies based in Kenya, that have a track record in working with integrity with organizations in Kenya and British Chamber of Commerce Kenya (BCCK) members.

These companies which cut across various sectors including horticulture, ICT, real estate, recycling and water and showcases a new trend in Kenya where Integrated has been prioritized. In the past, Kenyan private sector has been labeled as the hub for corrupt under dealings and this list shines a new light Into Kenyan private sector.

The Index is part of the Business Integrity Initiative (BII) pilot programme, which is run by BCCK in partnership with the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) …

The UK will invest up to £20 million in the new ‘African Union Covid19 Response Fund’ to tackle coronavirus and save lives.

This makes the UK the largest national donor to the fund, which was announced by Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and President of the Republic of South Africa last month. It will support African leaders and technical experts to slow the spread of coronavirus and save lives in Africa and worldwide.

The fund will tackle the pandemic by recruiting African health experts and deploying them where they are needed most, strengthening global tracking of the pandemic, combatting potentially harmful misinformation, providing specialist coronavirus training for health workers and making information about the virus more accessible to the public.

Announcing the funding on May 20th, International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

“As the UK faces its biggest peacetime challenge in tackling coronavirus, it’s never been more

The UK left the European Union (EU) in January after a long and tedious process which saw Prime Minister Theresa May quit as the Conservative leader on June 7, 2019.

Following the divorce, the EU and the UK will determine their future trade relations during the transition period which goes on until the end of this year.

With this reorganisation, developing countries could see their exports to the UK increase. The EU could also offer a slightly bigger market for goods coming from these economies. However, this is dependent on whether the UK increases tariffs for third world countries.

Trading with Britain under preferential terms

With this, it is time for Africa as Brexit could create new opportunities for the continent which just became one the largest free trade area in the world with the AfCFTA which will be operational starting in June 2020.

The UNCTAD notes that a no-deal …

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are also included in the plan to deliver affordable housing to Kenyans…