This programme supported the identification of products with higher export potential to contribute to the attainment of the Government’s export target. It also identified modalities for reducing the scope of NTBs with the view of enhancing the competitiveness of exporting companies and their effective access to the targeted EU and other export markets. To that end, the project also developed a built-in anticipation of new export regulations in order to specifically enhance compliance and quality standards. 

Two-fold purposes: Optimization of market access for Cameroon's export products (goods and services); and Optimization of legal tools related to trade policy and strengthened regional integration.

Five-fold programme outputs: The Support Programme contributed to:

• A market access mapping was produced;
• the Export National Strategy was completed;
• the EPA trade opportunities were identified, understood and optimised;
• the  capacities of national actors in the private and public sectors on the prevention, dispute settlement resolution and drafting of commercial contracts were strengthened; and
• the capacities of national actors in the private and public sectors on subject-matters related to litigation on the anticompetitive practices were strengthened.

Intervention areas:

• Identification of markets new niches; export value chains;
• Outline the nature of non-tariff barriers to Cameroonian products;
• Conduct a study on reducing the impact of non-tariff measures (NTM) on trade export capacities;
• Develop a strategy to better penetrate into the export markets and propose concrete measures to make the national strategy more operational;
• Development of an action plan to strengthen the internationalization of Cameroonian companies;
• Training on the topics of prevention and resolution of disputes and drafting of commercial contracts;
• Training on anti-competitive procedures.

Purpose 1 – optimizing market access for Cameroon's export products (goods and services)

• Summary of sectoral strategies and specific studies carried out in connection with the promotion of Cameroon's priority export value chains;
• Statistical study of imports of priority products in the member countries of the European Union (EU) up to 2016 by country of origin carried out;
• National export strategy – to make operational the access to the target markets of the European Union;
• Data analysis: volumes and values of products exported from Cameroon to the European Union up to 2015;
• Report of the training workshop prepared: upgrade on the new trade regime in the Cameroon EPA;
• Minutes of meetings with stakeholders on the studies on the country’s export and imports opportunities under the EPA;
• Workshop training materials and modules on EPA implementation prepared and delivered;
• Special report: “Correlations between the digital and commercial fields of the Cameroon EPA” prepared and distributed to key stakeholders.

Purpose 2 – Optimization of legal tools related to trade policy

• The capacities of national actors of the public and private sectors were strengthened on the issues of anti-dumping and dispute settlement, through the organization of two trainings;
• Training materials and modules on anti-dumping prepared and delivered;
• Training on dispute settlement undertaken for key stakeholders; and training materials and modules prepared.