TradeMark Southern Africa

Negotiations for an integrated market worth approximately 1 Trillion USD will commence in February next year.  The Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA) will reduce tariffs imposed on goods originating and traded among the 26 countries of COMESA, EAC and SADC.  This will allow countries to take advantage of their own strengths and, along with measures to reduces the cost of cross-border trade, this will help to make the region more competitive and to increase trade amongst the countries belonging to the FTA. 

Negotiations for the FTA were officially launched the Second Tripartite Summit in June this year.  The summit agreed on the principles, processes, scope, roadmap and timelines for establishing the FTA.  It also established an institutional framework for negotiations, namely the Tripartite Trade Negotiation Forum (TTNF), the inaugural meeting of which took place from 7 – 9 December in Nairobi, Kenya.  

In a major step forward, the meeting adopted the draft terms of reference for the TTNF and agreed to the timetable and format of negotiations.  It was agreed that the TTNF would meet at least four times per year during the first phase of negotiations, with more frequent meetings of the technical working groups in the various sub-sectors. 

The first phase of negotiations is set to complete within 36 months, and will address issues like tariff liberalisation, rules of origin, customs cooperation & customs-related matters, non-tariff barriers, sanitary & phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, trade remedies and dispute settlement.  

The second phase of negotiations will focus on negotiating trade in services and trade related issues, including intellectual property rights, competition policy and trade development and competitiveness.  Facilitating movement of business persons within the region will be negotiated in parallel with the first phase.

TMSA continues to provide technical, administrative and financial support to the Tripartite Free Trade Area negotiations.