The Increasing Need for Anti-Dumping Regulations in Africa : A Case Study of Zimbabwe

Abstract

This the following study will assess the current anti-dumping regulatory framework in Zimbabwe with the aim of highlighting the importance of anti-dumping regulatory framework. Anti-dumping regulations are a form of trade remedies offered by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) under Article VI of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs 1994. Trade remedies allow member of the WTO to take remedial action against any import that are causing material injury to their domestic industries. These measures are usually applied to measure that governments can impliment in three specific cases that are provided for under the aforementioned Article, often referred to as the Anti-Dumping Agreement, and the other remedies are found under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and the Agreement on Safeguards. In today’s trading climate where free trade areas, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), are being embraced more than ever, there needs to be a greater emphasis on the importance of protecting domestic industries from imports that may cause them injury upon entering their domestic markets. In recent years Zimbabwe has been faced an increase in imported goods. This is a result of a few different factors. Among these factors is the political elite in the country who have vested interest in close economic relationships with China at the cost of the interest of the people of Zimbabwe. Another factor that has been observed as contributing to the influx of imported goods is their foreign country’s ability to dump their products with ease in the Zimbabwean market, flouting of rules of origin, porosity of borders, corruption, trade liberalisation and a lack of a competitive industry. With this in mind it is apparent that there is a need for Zimbabwean industries to be protected from these goods that may cause injury to their prosperity. Thus, this study will attempt to support those industries by providing empirical evidence that Zimbabwean industries are under threat of injury or have been injured by imported goods.