Angola makes a positive assessment of the SADC trade balance.

The country has a positive balance in the intercontinental trade balance of the SADC region, in terms of mining production, raw materials and energy products. The information was given today by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Rui Miguêns.

On the sidelines of the 39th SADC meeting on Technical Barriers to Trade, focusing on technical barriers to trade with a view to reducing these, with a view to facilitating intraregional, intracontinental, global and bilateral trade, through the development and performance of activities of normalization.

On the occasion, minister Rui Miguêns said that “there is a positive balance for the country in the SADC intercontinental trade balance, in terms of production of mining and energy products, that is, raw materials”. However, “we need to incorporate more and more finished products into our balance, within the region.

He also highlighted agricultural and agro-industrial production, namely the production of cereals, salt among others, as the main large-scale products for commercial transactions in the SADC free trade zone.

Asked about the fluctuation in prices of national brand products, the minister said that the rise in prices must be subject to changes in the exchange rate. However, “we must incorporate national production and produce on a large scale to support demand and thus achieve a high level of price stability”, concluded the minister.

The director for Industrial and Commercial Development at SADC, Johansein Rutaihwa, considers that the country must overcome these technical barriers, in particular, simplify standardization, in the case of testing and verification, for example. Once exceeded, this will allow the flow of trade in the region.

The fight against Technical Barriers to Trade led by the World Health Organization (WHO) focuses on technical standards and regulations, as well as assessing the conformity of available products and services

The development and action aligned with the structures involves legal, applied, scientific metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment, especially laboratory tests, calibration, certification and inspection, as well as the technical regulations of the parties involved in the process.

Angola hosted the 39th annual meeting of the SADC Structures for Technical Barriers to Trade in Luanda under the theme “The Impact of Quality on Human Capital”.

The Forum is attended by more than 200 people, including experts and representatives from the region, businesspeople, exhibitors and members of civil society and will take place from the 11th to the 15th of the current month, at the facilities of the Hotel Epic Sana.