On 3 June, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) issued a media release informing that it and Lesotho’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development have agreed to enhance trade and investment to advance shared interests. This emanated from a meeting held in Pretoria.
The Lesotho Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development is on a week-long Study Mission on Regulatory Framework for Indigenous Plants and mechanisms to leverage trade agreements, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) – European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement. As well as to exchange experiences on how best to leverage trade agreements to promote growth and development.
According to the Deputy Director-General of Trade at the dtic (DDG), the importance of sharing resilience-building strategies amid the seismic shifts in global trade is timely. It can also enhance the buoyancy of the region.
The Mission follows the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Economic Cooperation that has been negotiated and signed by the Trade and Industry Ministers of both sides during the Bi-National Commission (BNC) earlier this year. The MoU offers a good platform to facilitate greater cooperation between the two countries and exchange experiences to promote mutually beneficial trade and investment relations.
The dtic DDG said, “We welcome the commitment between our two countries to work together to diversify production and to leverage trade agreements that the Southern Africa Customs Unions (SACU) is a party to, that provides a good platform to access global markets”.
The two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation on standards and cross-border value chains in identified sectors such as automotive; clothing and textiles; cosmetics and essential oils; cannabis, fruits and vegetables; and leather and meat products.
Furthermore, the two sides agreed to prioritise the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and to work together towards the conclusion of outstanding negotiations, particularly in sectors like clothing, textiles and automobiles that provide potential benefits to grow the economies of both sides.