TRADE AND INVESTMENT FACILITATION
The Frontline Group undertakes research and advisory activities on trade & investment in Africa, to facilitate uptake of investment opportunities in the continent. This focus area links to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), the World’s largest Free Trade market with a combined GDP of USD3.4 trillion and a population of 1.3 billion (17% of the global population). We view the AFCFTA as offering a critical opportunity for entrepreneurs interested in the African market, the world over. The UN estimates that in just 20 years (by 2050), Africa will contribute 26% to the global population and, by the close of the century this percentage will rise to 40%. This demographic change and the expanding African middle class provide an ever-growing demand for goods and services of which international businesses can take market entry advantage. In this light, in 2021, The Frontline Group was appointed to provide investment facilitation services to the multi-billion Rand (ZAR) dry port project located at Cato Ridge, KwaZulu-Natal.
We recognise that Trade and Investment is a growing tool for growth and development. Evidence however shows that Trade and Investment (T&I) does not automatically lead to growth. The net growth effects of T&I are guided by responsive (data-driven) policies by the countries involved. Countries that maintain high tariff and non-tariff barriers miss out on the growth benefits of import and export flows. We work within regional communities in Sub-Saharan Africa (ECOWAS, EAC, COMESA, SADC, IGAD, ECCAS and CEMAC) to facilitate export/import flows through generating trade and investment data along with providing advisory services to governments and businesses. We are especially committed to providing support to firms and governments to harness the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area launched in July 2019 during the 12th extraordinary summit of the African Union in Niger. The AfCFTA brings together 54 African countries, making it the biggest trade agreement in the world, measured by the number of member countries. These countries host 1.3 billion people and generate a combined GDP of USD 3.4 Trillion.
We are interested in improving the efficiency of trade agreements within SSA, which will in turn reduce Africa’s trade deficit and generate greater incentives for country-level development. To help in achieving the developmental goals of trade blocs, The Frontline Group provides the following services:
