ABOUT NAMIBIA
TRADE Namibia is a member of the following international trade organisations:
AFRICA GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT (AGOA) Namibia qualifies for benefits under the (AGOA), a unilateral and non-reciprocal program that provides African countries with dutyfree access to the US market for more than 6,400 products.
SOUTHERN AFRICAN CUSTOMS UNION (SACU)
Namibia became a member of SACU in 1990. The other members are Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa. In terms of the SACU agreement there is free movement of goods among the members. Article 2 of the agreement prevents members from imposing duties or quantitative restrictions on goods grown, produced or manufactured in the common customs area. Duties are levied on goods upon entry into the common customs area, but once inside it, no further duties are charged. SACU-EFTA Free Trade Agreement This agreement was concluded in 2004. SACU-Mercosur Preferential Trade Agreement This agreement was signed in December 2004 and renewed/revised in 2008 but has not yet been ratified by all the member states. Botswana has ratified, and the PTA has been introduced in Namibian Parliament in late 2011 SACU-USA Trade, Investment and Development Cooperation Agreement This agreement was concluded in 2008.
WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION (WTO)
The WTO serves as a forum for trade negotiations and the settlement of trade disputes among nations. WTO rules on international trade are contained in three main legal instruments: the general agreements on tariffs and trade (GATT), the general agreement on trade in services (GATS) and the agreement on traderelated aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS).
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC)
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) aspires to create an integrated regional economic bloc among member states Namibia, Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SADC has a population of over 190 million people. The SADC FTA was launched by 12 countries out of 14 SADC members in 2008. SADC Protocol on Trade Namibia is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This agreement was concluded in 1999.
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SADC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) In June 2016, six SADC member countries – Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland – signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union. EPA guarantees access to the EU market without any duties or quotas for Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, and Swaziland. The new access includes better trading terms mainly in agriculture and fisheries, including for wine, sugar, fisheries products, flowers and canned fruits. The EU will obtain meaningful new market access into Southern African Customs Union (products include wheat, barley, cheese, meat products and butter), and will have the security of a bilateral agreement with Mozambique, one of the LDCs in the region.
GENERALISED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES (GSP)
Namibia has preferential market access for some of its products to the markets of certain developed countries under various GSP schemes. Mainly manufactured/processed goods and agricultural products are involved. Eligible products can enter these markets duty-free or at reduced rates. GSP schemes are non-contractual, and can be terminated unilaterally by any preference at any time. *(Source: Website of the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development at www.mti.gov.na)
NAMIBIA/ZIMBABWE PREFERENTIAL TRADE AGREEMENT
This agreement, governed by rules of origin, came into force on 17 August 1992. Goods grown, produced or manufactured in Namibia may be imported into Zimbabwe free of customs duty, and vice versa, if they are wholly produced/obtained in the country of origin. For Namibian exports to qualify for such preferential treatment, registration with the Ministry of Finance is required. A certificate of origin must accompany the goods and they must be transported directly without passing through a third country’s commercial zone.
COTONOU AGREEMENT
Namibia forms part of the African, Caribbean and Pacific–European Union (ACP–EU) trade agreement, granting non-reciprocal preferential access to some of the ACP products into the EU market. This includes tariff preferences as well as specific arrangements regarding protocols for beef, veal, rum and bananas, whereby ACP countries are granted preferential treatment based on quotas. From the Namibian perspective, this concerns the export of an annual quota for the export of boneless beef and veal of about 13 000 tones has been granted.
GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES (GSP)
Namibia receives preferential market access for some of its products in markets of certain developed countries under various GSP schemes. Mainly manufactured/processed goods and agricultural products are involved. Eligible products can enter these markets duty free or at reduced rates. GSP schemes are non-contractual, and can be terminated unilaterally by any preference at any time.
