August 2025

29 August 2025 – There’s a battle brewing over US chicken entering the South African market at dumped prices. American poultry producers and South African chicken importers are fighting to retain an annual quota that allows huge volumes of US chicken to enter the SA market duty-free. Advocacy group FairPlay points out that this transgresses […]

27 August 2025 – The recent announcement by US President Donald Trump of a sweeping new tariff regime that will apply across nearly all imported goods entering the United States described by Trump as a “declaration of economic independence,” the policy introduces a blanket 10% tariff on all imports, along with sharply increased reciprocal tariffs

As the president has been building a wall of tariffs around the U.S. economy, China has been doing the opposite: lowering some trade barriers — in particular for developing countries. That has many of those developing economies around the world turning their attention to China, and China turning to them, not just when it comes

25 August 2025 – The African freight logistics sector is set for steady expansion, driven by regional trade initiatives and urbanisation, according to the latest Africa Freight Logistics Market report. The report points out that the African freight logistics market size was valued at $162.96 million in 2024 and is anticipated to reach $173.42m in 2025 and

21 August 2025 – Africa’s customs and cross-border trade environment is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by modernisation, regional integration and strategic incentives, according to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report. But non-tariff barriers and trade imbalances still persist in some regions on the continent, particularly in the East African Community (EAC). The report, Africa Customs and

20 August 2025 – The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is set to officially expire on 30 September, meaning that African policy-makers face a pivotal decision. Since its inception in 2000, the legislation has been a cornerstone of US-Africa trade relations, granting eligible African countries duty-free access to the US market for thousands of products. However, recent

19 August 2025 – The traditional Western allies were not sparred until a trade deal was concluded. Other countries are falling over themselves to conclude ‘trade deals’ with President Trump. The World Trade Organisation has been reduced to an irrelevant bystander, unable to offer any counter counsel to these so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’, which aren’t reciprocal. However, the

18 August 2025 – A surge of imports in the United States in the first quarter ahead of widely anticipated tariff hikes contributed to the upward revision to the forecast for 2025 issued in the April Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report. Increased tariffs—including those that took effect this week—will dampen trade in the second half of

15 August 2025 – At South Africa’s container terminals, an average of 12 424 TEUs was handled daily, down from 13 933 TEUs the previous week. Port operations were mainly constrained by adverse weather, vacant berths, as well as equipment breakdowns and shortages. Adverse weather and equipment breakdowns led to operational delays at the Port

12 August 2025 – Outlook: The economic outlook highlights the opportunities and risks ahead, helping to anticipate major changes. This analysis is essential for any company seeking to adapt to changes in the business environment. Persistently subdued growth outlook Despite a noticeable improvement in electricity supply since the peak of the energy crisis in 2022-23,