Abstract:
To address the many and varied problems that still face African economies
it is now generally accepted that they need greater access to international
markets to grow in a sustainable way through trade rather than the current
dependence in many cases on aid. This increased access would allow them
the opportunity to develop strong and sustainable private sector enterprises
that could compete effectively in world markets. It is also expected that such
increased market activity would enable them to enjoy a fuller share of the myriad
of benefits of globalisation. However, before this can become a reality African
governments and related public administered infrastructures have to ensure that
domestic manufacturers and agricultural produce providers have appropriate and
affordable access to the sophisticated technical infrastructure that is required
for to prove compliance to the increasingly stringent technical demands of
developed country markets. Given the continuous call by developed nations for
greater access to developing country markets in organisations such as the World
Trade Organisation (WTO), while simultaneously setting increasingly demanding
technical requirements in both the public and private sector for granting similar
access to their own, it is vital that a role for African public administration be clearly
enunciated. In this article the above issue is deliberated and particular proposals
are made, which may assist African governments to impose public administrative
measures to facilitate processes to improve trade access and sustainability in
general. Specifically, aspects relating to compliance to international standards,
policy formulation and implementation and capacity building are investigated.
