Non-tariff technical measures: what effects on agricultural exports of African countries?

We analyze the impact of non-tariff technical measures on agricultural crops' exports from five African regions, namely East, West, Central, North and Southern Africa. A gravity model, estimated for 108 partner countries over the period 2003-2013, shows that sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade have divergent effects on these countries. First, they appear to improve the export capacity of East and West African countries through quality signals and act as catalysts to develop their competitive advantage. By contrast, producers in Central, Northern and Southern Africa are failing to improve their risk management. This would suggest that the additional costs of certification significantly hamper their exports to developed markets in favor of southern markets.