African Trade Shipping PDF Download

Trade between Africa and South America is of relatively minor importance for the region, with more than half of all trade accounted for by just ten specific bilateral flows in petroleum, grain, iron ore, coal and sugar. The report concluded that trade patterns are the main factor in determining the supply of transport services, and that where there is a demand for transport, no fundamental shortage of shipping services can be identified. The low level of trade is found to be due to historical reasons, the lack of preferential trade agreements between the two regions, and because their economies do not necessarily complement each other.