Pursuant to the Policy guidelines a country needs to establish a strategy on economic diplomacy that will help it to optimally harness available international market opportunities. A number of countries in Africa are signatories to a number of trade and trade-related agreements and are also beneficiaries of non-reciprocal unilateral trade preferences which provide the country with varying levels of improved market access opportunities into the respective markets. These include the East African Community Customs Union, the COMESA, ECOWAS, SADC, IGAD ACP/EU, EPA Frameowrk Agreements, WTO, and the AU. The non-reciprocal unilateral trade preferences are Everything But Arms (EBA) by the European Union, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) of the United States and offers by Canada, Japan and China under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).
The Economic or Commercial Diplomacy Strategy involves activities designed to influence foreign government policies and regulatory policies that affect global trade and investment (through, multilateral trade negotiations, trade consultations and dispute
Government through the Ministry responsible for Trade in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Economic or Commercial Diplomacy strategy should ensure effective management of the country’s external trade relations with foreign authorities and publics, as well as the process of negotiations and networking. Economic diplomatic activities should take place at both international level (bilateral, regional or multilateral) or within the country by enhancing with government engagements with the diplomatic missions accredited to the home country. Read more on why an African Country needs an Economic or Commercial Diplomacy Strategy
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