THE HUB FOR AFRICAN TRADE
World trade growth is expected to slow this year, dampened by the war in Ukraine, inflation, tighter monetary policies, and financial uncertainty, according to WTO projections released on Wednesday. The outlook for the global economy has improved slightly since the World Trade Organization's most recent trade forecast was released in October, but the pace of trade expansion in 2023 is expected to be "weak".
US Vice-President Kamala Harris heads to Africa to cement the Biden administration's strategy to strengthen the US-Africa relationship and expand private sector investment. But what is Washington's end-game on the continent? Kamala Harris started a weeklong trip to Africa on 26 March in a bid to ramp up US investment on the continent and counter the rising influence of Russia and China.
South African agricultural exports were up for the third consecutive year in 2022, reflecting favourable production conditions and higher commodity prices. The export numbers for the full year have not yet been published. I have calculated the annual data for 2022 using quarterly trade export statistics published by Trade Map, a trade statistics portal developed by the International Trade Centre, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Trade Organisation.