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Malawi studying the SADC Free Trade Area

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By Nyasa Times Reporter 25 August, 2008 02:50:00
image Mussa: Studying

Malawi is carefully studying the SADC free trade area agreement ((FTA) before it commits itself to sign, Minister of Trade and Industry, Henry Mussa has said.  

Mussa said much as the FTA is a welcome development, Malawi is seriously looking into the matter to avoid loses of revenue.   

The FTA was launched on 17 August this year during the just ended SADC Heads of States ordinary summit in South Africa.  

According to SADC Executive Secretary Tomaz Salomão, TFA would promote trade and industrialisation in the region as over 250 million SADC citizens are expected to benefit from its terms of increased domestic production, higher regional exports and imports and more foreign direct investment, among others.  

The SADC FTA became operational in January this year but its launch signaled the harmony and commitment of all member states in the promotion of regional integration and the realisation of a common destiny. 

But Mussa said Malawi was treating the matter with utmost care because the country needs to have value added on the goods that are export. 

"It is not a simple issue [FTA]. As the President has always been saying Malawi needs to have value added on all goods that we do export, so we are studying it first otherwise we may lose massive revenue," he said. 

Comments (3 posted):

Widzaroh on 25 August, 2008 09:46:51
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It will be suicidal for Malawi government to sign this FTA agreement, taking into consideration also that our tax base is very small to support the 12 million plus daily protruding population, now losing the VAT on exports will be like a man giving out his manhood for ritual purposes while his wife is desperately in need of children in a family. The other thing is that SADC as a region has not yet reached that stage of free trade transactions, looking at the political instability, disregard of rule of law by most SADC leaders and selfishness, hypocrisy and greediness by our political leaders, it will be investing one’* resources on the stone, surely there is no direction as far as politics, economics and social activities are concerned in the region. Zimbabwe’* Mugabe refuses to hand over power after losing elections, Malawi’* Bingu busy breaching his own laws he vowed to defend, Swaziland no democracy, war and corruption in DRC, and we in the SADC region we depend on the azungu, should we deliberately join the sinking Titanic of Harare to share the scanty resources we have just because our economists want to experiment their economic ideologies? NO! to that. And let me remind the Bingu government that some of such decisions need people’* views like referendum. Don’* just call the shots, as if you are the only guys who went to school of Indian economic universities. You are holding the fate of over 12 million souls. Already on the economic status of Malawi, we hear conflicting versions, Bingu and his friends say the economy is at boom, Muluzi and friends say the economy has worsened from 2004. But realistically looking on the ground, * mean practically, there is no sign of life in peoples’ huts, be it in urban or rural areas. The economy on paper is quite good, looking at inflationary figures, at least better than Muluzi’* time, interest rates are even much better now comparing to Muluzi’* time. And there is heavy government subsidy in farm inputs and fuel supported with bloated annual budgets, BUT ON THE GROUND LADIES AND GENTLEMEN people are suffering a lot comparing to Muluzi’* time. Government is desperately regulating the trading of the staple food forcing the traders to hoard the grain, because of presidential threats, PLEASE LEARNED GUYS in Diaspora, is this what we call a boom in economics, * bet the curriculum and theories should change in our colleges. Students should now be taught bingunomics with the theories goodallgondwenesians. Regards Trezzol,Monda, Ganda etc
on 25 August, 2008 10:11:00
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Kusasaina SADC Free Trade Area mwachita bwino. Musasaine mpaka mtsogolo. Izi zingopindulira South Africa basi. Chuma chidzingopita kumeneko. Taonani PEP, Shoprite.

Amalawi ayenera kumanga mashop akulu akulu ngati amenewa. Osamangodalira maokala basi kumakuza bizinesi.

Chinanso a Malawi, kukonda kugula timahiace timeneti titipindulira chiyani? Tikungochita ngozi pa msewu kupha anthu osalakwa. Pitani ku Zambia mukaone mabasi amene akugula a biziness amene akukwera anthu wamba, aja mukuti coachline kwanu kunowa. Mark Katsonga anayeserapo Kampani yake ya AXA. kumeneko ndiye kubwera.
moG on 26 August, 2008 01:56:44
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Give and it shall be given unto you.Let Malawi start giving.

Ma theories tatopa nawo.Let'* go divine.
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