Page 85 - Productmag91
P. 85
NATIONAL PRODUCT OF MALAWI SADC
The NSC connects the South African port SADC Region. Removing the high prevalence
of Durban to Lusaka, Zambia, Lubumbashi, and cost of NTBs which continue to create
Democratic Republic of Congo, and to Lilongwe a hurdle to the expansion of trade, with the
and Blantyre in Malawi, through Johannesburg tariff equivalent cost of NTBs estimated at
(South Africa), Botswana, and Zimbabwe, and is 40%, will therefore result in the easing of
a vital corridor for trade and the sustenance of trade across the SADC Region.
SADC regional integration.
NTBs are not financial or duty related
SADC is supporting the implementation of trade taxes at customs in nature but may take
facilitation measures to both the at-the-border the form of import quotas which are
and behind-the-border initiatives. reduced quantities one may import or
export; subsidies which are government
This is with regard to requirements for access to interventions to boost a sector thereby
markets outside the SADC Region. making one’s external product more
expensive than the country one may want to
The measures being implemented are expected export to.
to ease the NTBs to support the smooth flow of
goods. Identifying critical factors affecting trade NTBs may also be customs delays, technical
flows in SADC will help to achieve economies barriers, licences, embargoes, foreign
of scale and build the supply capacity and exchange restrictions, or other systems
competitiveness among SADC Member States preventing or impeding trade.
through targeted regional infrastructure, cross-
border trade, investments and financial flows. Over time, the private sector throughout
the SADC Region has identified NTBs that
Improvement of intra-regional trade of goods restrict trade among Member States. SADC’s
and services is the stepping-stone not only to Protocol on Trade requires Member States to
create potential for production chains and value implement measures eliminating all existing
addition, but also product diversification, and NTBs and to refrain from adding any new
hence improving economic growth within the ones. Quota restrictions are not allowed
85 National Product Magazine 2023
