Latest content: Trade and economy

Five Commonwealth countries in Africa and the Indian Ocean are putting final touches on an agreement that will make it easier for professionals to move and work across their borders.

Were you aware of the trading advantage that businesses in Commonwealth countries enjoy? Very simply, if you trade within the Commonwealth, exporting from one member to another, it is approximately 19% cheaper to do so than it would be outside. 

In response to the risks to growth presented by rising protectionism, leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) today expressed their strong support for the multilateral trading system and adopted a six-point connectivity agenda to boost trade and investment links across the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Business Forum at Guildhall in London concluded this afternoon after three days of lively speeches, panel discussions, presentations and round table consultations.

UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, today renewed his country’s support for the Commonwealth’s Small States Office in Geneva.

Brexit, free trade, tariffs, the Blue Charter, sustainable development goals (SDGs) and next week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) were all discussed at the official launch of the 2018 Commonwealth Trade Review last night.

Intra-Commonwealth trade and productive greenfield investment is expected to reach US$1.6 trillion by 2020, in spite of the global trade slowdown caused by the 2008 financial crisis.

A deal which allows Commonwealth citizens better access to trade across Africa is good for member states. That’s according to Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, who was speaking with Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta during her first official visit to the country.

In November 2017, Edmund Paul Kalekyezi, the National Trade Adviser to Guyana, presented a paper discussing why the country’s international trade treaties have not always brought about the desired results.

The three-day workshop enhanced participants’ understanding of the use of analytical tools in assessing international trade dynamics. The knowledge acquired from the workshop will assist their involvement in trade policy analysis and in determining foreign trade positions and strategies, especially regarding preferential trade agreements.  This will also be crucial for the development and implementation of effective and evidence-based trade policies and strategies.

Staged in partnership with the OECS and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the workshop was held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from 14 -16 November 2017.

The Hub and Spokes Programme provides trade experts to national ministries and regional trade organisations to enhance trade capacity in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states.

Deputy Secretary-General Josephine Ojiambo delivered compelling insights into the Commonwealth’s work on e-commerce to business leaders, policy makers and students at the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Global Debate, entitled Moving Forward on Digital Trade.