The revision process that was carried out on the 2006 Southern African trade data has been completed. The 2006 data (for most of the SADC member states) are back online - please visit the database at http://www.sadctrade.org/tradedata. If you have questions around the Southern African trade database, please contact Mmatlou Kalaba.

SADRN's broad objectives are to:

• Increase the supply of policy-relevant research in the SADC region by creating a pool of suitably-skilled researchers based in institutions in SADC,
• Improve the policy-relevance of research through growing the capacity of policy-makers to be discerning research 'users'.
• Develop an appreciation for evidence-based policy making by engaging policy-makers in the design, specification, implementation and review of research projects.
• Build institutional capacity in key organisations in SADC via the creation of 'centres of excellence' in focused thematic areas of research.  

We propose that the Network operate with two founding principles underlying its activities.

First, SADRN should add to the existing body of knowledge and resources available to SADC countries. In other words, there must be additionality built into Network so that the limited research supply available is not simply diverted from another donor project to the Network.

Secondly, the Network must be based on the development of 'local' policy and research capacity. This is important not only from a political-economy perspective but is crucial if the Network is to be sustainable in the long term.

In order to obtain the views of key stakeholders in both the research and policy communities TIPS is hosting a launch workshop where these issues will be debated in detail. The workshop will also start the process of focusing the research and support activities of SADRN at a thematic level.

Further information may be obtained from the acting SADRN Co-ordinator Mmatlou Kalaba (mmatlou@tips.org.za) or from Amanda Ryland (amanda@tips.org.za). Alternatively, please phone TIPS on � 12 431 7900 or fax: � 12 431 7910.

Liberalisation of goods trade has enjoyed substantial advances in Southern Africa in recent years, notably through the SADC and COMESA free trade agreements (FTAs). Notwith-standing ongoing problems with rules of origin pertaining to tariff concessions, tariff rates have been reduced substantially and processes established to liberalize and/or harmonize services trade and associated regulations. Yet major obstacles to the actual conduct of trade remain. Both SADC and COMESA have recognised this and established processes to address non-tariff barriers (NTBs). Key to the success of those processes is identifying the most problematic NTBs, and establishing institutions to effectively deal with them.

In late 2006 SAIIA, supported by TIPS, initiated analysis of these issues through a pilot-study of South Africa-Zimbabwe trade via the Beit Bridge border post , the busiest border in Southern Africa. Join us to discuss the interim findings, and to discuss a proposed follow-up study based on the findings of this pilot research.

Organisers:The South African Institute of International Affairs, Business Unity South Africa and Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies

Programme:

TIPS is holding an introductory training workshop on basic market analysis for the National Department of Agriculture from 17 to 18 July 2007 in Pretoria. The course is based on the use of the International Trade Centre's (ITC's) online Market Analysis Tools - TradeMap, ProductMap and Market Access Map - for market analysis in the development of South African trade and marketing strategies applicable and relevant to the agricultural sector.

In addition, intermediate Excel training will be used to link ITC's tools with national analytical indicators.

Trade Map, Product Map and Market Access Map were developed by the ITC, a Geneva-based organisation. Thanks to financial support from TIPS and the Dutch and Swiss governments, they are available to all interested users in South Africa.

For more information on these types of workshops at TIPS, please contact Mmatlou Kalaba at tel: � 12 4317900 or e-mail: mmatlou@tips.org.za.

TIPS will conduct a Southern African Trade Database workshop on 21 June in Windhoek, Namibia as a follow-up to the workshop held in 2006, but this time the focus will be on the updated SADC trade data and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations, as well as on agricultural trade by SACU members and the SADC EPA Group.

Agriculture remains a contentious sector at both multilateral negotiations and even more so within the SACU Secretariat, and will no doubt continue to be a feature of the EPA negotiations. The Southern African Trade Database, developed by TIPS with funding from AusAID, will be used as an input to assess the implications on SACU.

For more information about the workshop, please contact Mmatlou Kalaba at e-mail: mmatlou@tips.org.za or tel: � (0)12 431 7900. Alternatively contact Rehabeam Shilimela at e-mail: RehabeamS@nepru.org.za or tel: � 461 277 500.

Since 2005 there have been two training workshops to equip interested individuals and organisations to prepare for the Economic Partnerships Agreement (EPA) negotiations. As the SADC EPA negotiations are now heading towards the final months, one more workshop is offered.

The main focus will be extraction of data from the TIPS/AusAID Southern African Trade Database, data manipulation and compilation of national lists of sensitive and non-sensitive products from the database. Most of the workshop time will be spent on assessing how changes to national lists would affect the overall regional position.

The workshop is intended to help members of the SADC minus the EPA negotiating group (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Mozambique, Angola and Tanzania) to fine-tune a coherent, regional defensive strategy in an environment that allows experimentation to take place. Participants can experiment with any changes that they wish to consider to their national defensive list, and see how they affect the proportion of trade that is included/excluded from liberalisation, the proportion of their tariff revenue that may be lost, and how their national defensive list relates to those of their partners.

This workshop is not a formal negotiating session; therefore participants can be as radical or as cautious as they wish to be in trying out variations on current positions. Nothing that is done during the workshop will feed into negotiating positions unless the countries concerned decide that they should do so�Â� - and the workshop discussions will not be publicised in any way. So although the workshop is "insulated" from the real negotiations, participants will use real trade and tariff data to "simulate" the EPA negotiations.

On behalf of Dr Chris Stevens and the Overseas Development Institute
(ODI), you are invited to participate in this workshop to be held on 22-23 May at the Kopanong Conference Centre in Benoni, Johannesburg.

All costs related to travel and accommodation will be covered.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Talitha Bertelsmann-Scott at talitha@axxess.co.za as soon as possible with your first and last names, title and gender, country of residence, passport number and your travel requirements.

Alternatively contact her at:

Tel: � 84 580 5473
Fax: 086 518 3204