Effect of Trade Facilitation on Economic Complexity in selected African countries

Recent research on international trade suggests that economic development and growth occur as countries gain knowledge and learn to produce and export more sophisticated products. This study examines the effect of trade facilitation on economic complexity in selected African countries over the period 2004–2017. It uses four indicators of trade facilitation capturing physical infrastructure, information, and communication technology (ICT), business, and regulatory environment as well as border, and transport efficiency.

Workshop on Regional Economic Integration and Trade Facilitation

Prof. Manfred Kouty, Co-Chair attended the Workshop On Regional Economic Integration And Trade Facilitationorganized by ESAMI-trapca, Tanzania from 12th August to 16th August 2024.

Trade facilitation in global value chains: Assessing the role of maritime connectivity and trading across borders

This paper examines the impact of trade facilitation factors on trade flows, with a particular focus on Global Value Chains (GVCs) in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Using the structural gravity model of international and intra-national trade and data covering the period from 2006 to 2018, we analyze the influence of maritime connectivity and cross-border trade-facilitation factors on trade in final and intermediate goods. Our findings indicate that both factors play pivotal roles in both agricultural and manufacturing subsectors’ trade.

Seminars, Round Tables and Policy Panels

DEFI Unit with the WTO Chair at ESSECT University of Tunis in Tunisia organize on a frequent basis seminars, panels and round tables on various economic topics where senior and junior researchers as well as policy makers present. Follow our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chaire.omc.tunis/

SDGS & TRADE POLICY BRIEF SERIES: Investment Promotion and Facilitation for Financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Caribbean

Trade and sustainable development share a complex relationship. The economic benefits of trade make it easy to see how it can assist with the achievement of the economic-based SDGs. But beyond that, trade also impacts the social and environmental pillars of the other SDGs. When assessing trade within the context of sustainable development, trade becomes a double-edged sword. Absent supporting frameworks and policies, trade when pursued unsustainably can actually hinder the achievement of the 17 SDGs.

Global value chains in the age of internet: what opportunities for Africa?

This chapter analyses the impact of the internet on global value chains (GVCs) in Africa. We investigate the effect of internet adoption on forward participation and backward participation of African countries in GVCs. We conduct the estimations using country-level data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Eora GVC database and firm-level data from the World Bank’s Enterprise Survey. We test whether internet adoption facilitates the participation of Africa in GVCs at the country level and the firm level.

Trade policy without trade facilitation: Lessons from tariff pass-through in Tunisia

This chapter evaluates the extent to which changes in tariffs and in international prices were transmitted into consumer prices in Tunisia over the period 2000– 2008. A pass-through equation is estimated using sectoral panel data at the retail product level and controlling for unobserved sectoral heterogeneity. The main results show that, on average, tariff pass-through (TPT) is 10 per cent and it varies across sectors. In particular, agricultural products seem to be driving the results.

Guedidi I., Baghdadi L., Martinez-Zarzoso I., "Trade facilitation and participation in global value chains"

Guedidi I., Baghdadi L., Martinez-Zarzoso I., "Trade facilitation and participation in global value chains", in progress, presented on January 21st, 2021 at the Trade Policy Research Forum
https://www.tprforum.org/previous-webinars

‘Trade Advisory and NWU-TRADE WTO Chair User Group Webinar (15 October 2020)’

As COVID-19 wreaked havoc on global trade, Martin Cameron (Managing Director of Trade Research Advisory, a spin-out company of the North-West University) and Prof Wilma Viviers (Research professor) in the TRADE (Trade and Development) research entity and holder of the WTO Chair at the North-West University, South Africa hosted the 8th TRADE-DSM User Group Webinar under the auspices of the WTO Chairs programme.

TRADE-DSM User Group Conference Media Release

Within a few short weeks, the coronavirus (Covid-19) has spread across the world and become a global phenomenon. All countries are deeply concerned about it and all countries will almost certainly be seriously affected by it, with some governments resorting to extreme measures to try and limit its potentially devastating impact ‒ from locking down entire cities or regions to suspending air travel. While the world has experienced many shocks over the years Covid-19 has pushed global instability and uncertainty to a new level.

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