§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 3 June 2003,Official Report, column 329W, on the Everything but Arms agreement, if she will assess the impact of the Everything but Arms agreement on trade exports to the United Kingdom by non-least developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa. [124219]
§ Ms HewittComparing figures for calendar year 2000 with the year to March 2003 shows trade exports to the United Kingdom by non-least developed countries (non-LDCs1) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) increased by 27 per cent. to £5.15 billion. Over the same period, the total value of exports to the United Kingdom from least developed countries (LDCs) in SSA increased by 82 per cent. though still at a relatively low level of £265 million. We hope to see these figures grow further as their economies adjust to the greater export opportunities offered by EBA, which came into effect in March 2001.
18W1 Non-LDCs in SSA are: Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Cent rat African Republic, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia, St Helen, Seychelles, British Indian Ocean Territories, Mayotte and Mauritius