Tanzania union advises Africa against bilateral agreements
The National Union of Mines and Energy Workers of Tanzania (NUMET) has called on African countries to review and terminate all existing bilateral investment treaties.
The union also advised the continent to avoid signing new ones and to also remove themselves from the international investment arbitration system.
Mr Nicomedes Kajungu, secretary general of NUMET, said that the growing number of legal suits that multinational companies are bringing against Tanzania and other African countries is a major concern.
Mr Kajungu said most of these suits stem from bilateral investment treaties (BITs) signed between countries over the past three decades.
“So far, African countries have signed 568 BITs and free trade agreements (FTAs) with investment provisions, mainly with other countries outside Africa,” he said.
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