If you fall short, you pay a 15 percent levy, and in some cases your goods could even be tagged as smuggled. At first glance this sounds like a big win for value addition: more jobs, more control, more opportunity to keep wealth at home. But I cannot help asking a few questions.
- How exactly do we measure 30 percent? By weight, by volume, or by market value?
- Who decides what "processed enough" looks like across different industries?
- What happens to the smaller exporters who do not have access to processing plants yet?
- And is 30 percent really the right number, or should it depend on the commodity?
The idea is solid and the intention is right, but the success of this law will come down to execution. For me, value addition is not just a nice-to-have. It is the only way Africa can win in global trade. Is this a real game-changer for our export sector, or another policy with good intentions but too many unanswered questions?