Joint TCII, CTA and TBT high-level panel:

Boosting Investment for ACP Inclusive Trade and Development

European Development Days - EDD17, June 07 June 2017, Brussels

Joint TCII, CTA and TBT high-level panel:

Promoting inclusive trade in Africa

European Development Days - EDD17, 08 June 2017, Brussels

Joint TCII, CTA and TBT high-level panel:

Boosting Investment for ACP Inclusive Trade and Development

European Development Days - EDD17, June 07 June 2017, Brussels

This high-level panel showcased ACP Group as the next generation of the world’s emerging economy with considerable trade and development opportunities. TradeCom II’s efforts on investment for inclusive and sustained trade expansion resonated on EDD 2017 keywords such as trade and regional integration, sustainable value chains, good agriculture practice, sound environmental protection.

The High-Level Panel addressed, inter alia, the following key issues:

• Africa’s powering economy beyond the natural resources base;
• Caribbean and Pacific economies mitigating their economic vulnerabilities and small size;
• Inadequacy of national and regional policies to sustainably strengthen fundamentals for attracting intra-ACP investments;
• Mooting examples of national and regional reforms required to further improve ACP investment regimes.

Viwanou Gnassounou, ASG OACP Secretariat

Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim, President of the Republic of Mauritius

Roberto Ridolfi, Director, Sustainable Growth and Development, DG DEVCO

Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, Caribbean Export Development Agency

Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa, Advisor to the International Monetary Fund – IMF

Masego Marobela, Managing Director, Botswana Bureau of Standards

Joint TCII, CTA and TBT high-level panel:

Promoting inclusive trade in Africa

European Development Days - EDD17, 08 June 2017, Brussels

This high-level Panel discussed the Simplified Trade Regime (STR), designed specifically for small traders who regularly transact in low value consignments and which exempts small consignments of goods from customs duties and other related taxes. The STR programme is meant to benefit the small-scale cross-border traders in employment creation, food security and promotion of cross pollination of goods within the regions. Hence, the need to empower traders and encouraging formalisation with information on trade provisions such as the STR.

Stefano Manservisi (Director General, DG DEVCO)

Frank Matsaert (CEO of TradeMark East Africa)

Hermogene Nsengimana (CEO of the African Organisation for Standardisation-ARSO)

Janet Ngombalu from the Eastern African Grain Council (EAGC)

Koen Doens (Director East and Southern Africa and ACP coordination, European Commission – DG for International Cooperation and Development)