Africa-Press – Namibia. Minister of international relations and trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi has raised concerns over what she calls a lack of transparency and consultation by the Donald Trump-led government in the United States (US) before imposing a 21% tariff regime on Namibian exports to that country.
Ashipala-Musavyi on Tuesday told parliament: “We are deeply concerned about many aspects of the newly imposed US tariffs, including the lack of transparency and consultations with affected countries prior to their implementation.”
She said this unilateral action contradicts the principles of the multilateral trading system, which emphasises transparency and prior engagements before members enact decisions that may impact other World Trade Organisation members.
“The ministry will continue to monitor the evolving dynamics of the “America First Trade Policy”, as well as its implications for non-reciprocal trade agreements,” she said.
She said the general reciprocal tariffs on Namibia’s exports could result in unfair market conditions for Namibian products to compete fairly within the US market.
Ashipala-Musavyi said unless indicated otherwise by the US government, they can only assume that the tariffs will apply to all Namibian products entering the US market.
The products affected by this measure (tariffs) include beef, fish and a number of minerals. Tariffs are a tax placed on imports, and can raise the price for consumers in the importing country, leading to a decline in imports.
She said due to the price increases as a result of the general and reciprocal tariffs, a reduction in Namibian exports to the United States is very likely.
Ashipala-Musavyi added that the ministry will continue to engage Namibian stakeholders, through the Namibia Trade Forum to obtain more statistics on Namibian exports to the US in terms of commodities, value and volumes over the years.
This, she said, will help to ensure that any response by the government is evidence-based and grounded in reliable data and facts to determine the implication thereof.
“The Ministry of International Relations and Trade has initiated and will continue discussions with the US embassy in Windhoek on the matter,” she said.
Her views come after the US slapped a raft of tariffs on mostly African countries in an ongoing trade war that has seen the same country threatening to slap China with 50% tariffs in the future.
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