HARARE, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Southern African Development Community (SADC) should reassess its trade partnerships to maximize benefits in the face of rising U.S. trade tariffs and the withdrawal of traditional development support, a senior official said Thursday.
Speaking at the 34th Meeting of the Committee of Ministers of Trade and the 24th Meeting of the Ministerial Task Force on Regional Economic Integration in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi said the changing global tariff landscape had redefined trade dynamics, prompting the region to adopt pragmatic and strategic responses.
"We must shape and determine our destiny going forward and swiftly attain robust negotiation skills that enable us to define trade and related aspects on our terms and for our benefit," Magosi said.
He noted that most SADC member states that previously benefited from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a U.S. trade program granting duty-free access to African countries, stand to lose significantly following the blanket 10 percent tariff the United States is considering imposing on all imported goods.
"Further, the uncertainty over whether AGOA will be renewed this September compounds the existing challenge. I firmly believe that these recent geopolitical developments should serve as a powerful wake-up call for our region, a call for us to unite, cooperate, and integrate more," he said.
Magosi expressed deep concern over low inter-regional trade within SADC, which stands at 18 percent, despite the establishment of the SADC Free Trade Area (FTA) in 2008.
"The full implementation of the SADC FTA by all SADC member states remains critical in ensuring enhanced market access, leveraging on the gains from trade to grow our economies," Magosi said.
The SADC is a 16-member regional bloc, comprising Angola, Botswana, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. ■