Africa


Trade body partners with Africa consultants


The International Trade Centre has partnered with Africa’s trade consultants to increase the exporters’ competitiveness at the international market.
Ms Aicha Pouye, the ITC director of business and institutional support, said in Entebbe on Tuesday that the partnership is extremely important in the organisation’s vision of improving trade on the continent. She said: “Knowledge of trade intelligence is one thing but to have it transformed down-stream is another, therefore we have to work with local firms to have an impact on trade.”

The partnership aims at closing the lack of trade information gap, which is cited as a major hindrance for competitive exportation of goods on the African continent. The partnership will involve local firms like DMT Consultants, CEDA International and the Uganda Export Promotions Board to boost trade development.

Scores of African exporters who are Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in nature have failed to exploit the international market because they don’t meet the market requirements in standard, supplies, and quality. Ms Pouye said ITC helps countries design national export strategies to position themselves in the global market.

Mr Ben Naturinda, the deputy executive director, of Uganda Export Promotions Board said: “This network which comes at the helm of the African Union Summit in Uganda; is very important to those who are delivering services for business development in the country.” He said: “If we work as a team we will be able to deliver better services and harness synergies, skills and expertise that exists in the African continent.”
According to Mr Naturinda, Africa must use various networks to transform the continent’s Small and Medium Enterprises.

Ms Pouye however, said the multiplicities of local institutions which exist in the field; which are not connected systematically have created duplication and redundancy in trade thereby posing a big challenge in the operations of ITC services.

The meeting attracted trainers and advisers from Uganda, Kenya,
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Zimbabwe, Ghana, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Senegal, Egypt and South Africa among others continental trading countries. The trainers were equipped on various knowledge expertises in how to guide the exporters in packaging, branding, export and quality standards.

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