What happened: India–SACU signed Terms of Reference for a PTA
India and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) for negotiations toward a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi. The ToR signing is meant to provide structure, transparency, and predictability for the upcoming talks.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal called for a “balanced, fair and equitable trade agreement” and asked negotiating teams to proceed with urgency so the ToR results in a concrete process toward early finalisation. Minister Goyal also clarified a key point for interpretation of the milestone: the ToR signing does not reduce any tariff or clear any container by itself; only a final agreement can do that.
Minister Goyal highlighted sectors with stated complementarities between India and SACU: engineering goods and machinery, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, textiles, agriculture, and agri-processing. He also mentioned potential contributions from India such as supplying affordable medicines and supporting talent development in the information technology (IT) sector in the SACU region, along with helping integrate SACU countries into global supply chains where skills and capabilities are available.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada, senior officials from the Government of India, and the SACU delegation attended the signing ceremony.
Executive Director, Ministry of International Relations and Trade, Government of the Republic of Namibia, Ndiitah Nghipondoka-Robiati, welcomed the ToR as a formal milestone in SACU–India engagement and noted SACU’s emphasis on a balanced outcome that accounts for different development levels, including the interests and development needs of SACU Member States, especially Least Developed Countries and Small and Vulnerable Economies.