Editor’s Corner

AU Seeks Mandate to Fast Track Trade in Services
Regional trade bodies in Africa and the continent at large are not oblivious to the benefits of trade in services. With this in mind, the African Union (AU) held a two day workshop in Zambia in a bid to enhancing the focus of trade in services across the continent.
CUTS conducted a review of the last DTIS and found several gaps in the document including the fact that under trade in services, only tourism was highlighted. This positive momentum is further improved by the view taken by the Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry (Zambia) to use the DTIS as the main platform of feeding trade policy into the national development plans which is in tandem with CUTS’ viewpoint.
In addition to the efforts being made at the regional level, the AU can play a large role in pushing the services trade agenda forward at the continental level. Considering the contribution of services trade to gross domestic product, enhancing intercontinental and intra-African trade in commercial services can contribute towards poverty reduction significantly.