Africa-Press – Angola. The National director of the Legal and Exchange Office of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Anatolio Domingos, ruled out, in Lubango, the existence of threats to national industry, with Angola’s accession to free trade zones.
The official was speaking during a lecture on the theme “Adherence of Angola to the free trade zones of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), continental Africa and the protection of national industry”, at the III Consultative Council of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce that the Lubango hosted until last Friday.
He justified that it does not constitute a threat because the tariff reduction is gradual and there is the possibility of resorting to cancellations and the use of corrective measures or trade defense.
However, it was important to accelerate the establishment of the National Trade Defense Authority and draw up a strategic plan for its operation, which should include technical training and assistance to the private sector.
He declared that a trade defense instrument cannot be implemented without having institutions, an applicable legal framework and obeying the necessary procedures to conduct a rigorous investigation under the terms of the Trade Agreements legally binding on the State of Angola.
Anatolio Domingos informed that there are SADC countries that have already adopted safeguard measures, with exclusive recourse to the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement on safeguards, such as Madagascar (2019) and Zambia (2015).
“There are also African countries with specific provisions on trade defense instruments contained in customs legislation, like Angola”, he continued.
He highlighted that trade liberalization raises living standards, guarantees full employment and constant growth in real income, as well as an increase in production, trade in goods and the supply of goods and services
He also referred that there may be adverse effects on the domestic industry, giving rise to “unfair” commercial practices with the export of products at dumping prices . subsidized prices, to the point of causing damage to the local industry and even bringing “excessive” competition from imports. .
He made it known that Angola has a 1996 Protocol on Trade with SADC, the 2000 SADC Free Trade Area, the 2020 Angolan Tariff Offer Proposal and the current year’s Negotiations.
In the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) there is the agreement that created the 2018 zone, ratified through resolution number 35/20, of September 23, as well as the protocol on Trade in Goods annexed to the AfCFTA Agreement , between others.
The African Continental Free Trade Area represents an opportunity for African countries to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty and to increase the incomes of another 68 million who live on less than USD 5.50 a day.
The implementation of the AfCFTA would help set in motion the many profound reforms needed to increase long-term growth in African countries.
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