Support For Trade in Africa
As Africa rises to the challenges of globalization and development, it is clear that barriers to trade are holding our economies back.
AfTra has a clearmandate to provide support for trade in Africa, responding to the new priorities for Aid for Trade*, to the Bali Trade Facilitation Agreement and supporting the African Development Bank’s own ten-year strategy.**
* WTO/OECD Aid for Trade at a Glance 2013: Connecting to Global Value Chains
** At the Center of Africa’s Transformation: Strategy for 2013–2022.
AfTra provides funding and technical assistance in three key areas:
Facilitating trade
Making customs, ports and one-stop border posts more open and accessible and easing movement along trade corridors.
Developing products and markets
Getting goods up to SPS standard, stamping quality on products and crossing over to new markets
Building capacity for institutions
Collecting market data, analyzing trade gaps, adding value along the chain and supporting negotiations.
It is critical to ensure that African trade corridors perform as real economic drivers. They can no longer function as isolated road masterpieces.
