Entered into force in February 2017, the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) aims to remove administrative barriers to cross-border trade, such as unnecessary customs controls, excessive data and documents collection, lack of coordination between border agencies and ineffective rules and procedures. All of these obstacles in import, export and transit operations affect considerably the cost of trade, delaying the movement of goods.

These costs are extremely expensive for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) because they often lack the capacity to comply with complex regulations and procedural rules for import, export and transit. The TFA is therefore an important instrument for governments to improve the business climate in which businesses can thrive. Capitalizing on this Agreement will reduce costs, delays and transaction processes for merchants, enabling them to internationalize cheaper and faster. While the implementation of the TFA is the primary responsibility of the governments of the WTO Members, business and trade support institutions nevertheless play a vital role in informing the authorities on how best to implement the Trade Facilitation Agreement in the national context.

Within the framework of the EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP), the International Trade Centre (ITC) is partnering with the East African Community (EAC), the East African Business Council (EABC) to organize a two-day workshop on the TFA for the private sector.

The workshop aims to explain to businesses in Rwanda the terms, potential benefits and practical use of each of the technical measures of this new Agreement. By the end of the workshop, it is expected that participating enterprises and organizations will be equipped to successfully take advantage of the TFA and contribute to the design, implementation and monitoring of trade facilitation reforms.

EABC is delighted to invite you to participate in this two-day capacity-building workshop scheduled to take place on 25th & 26th February 2021 at Lake Naivasha Resort, Kenya.

Kindly confirm your participation to Mr. Brian Kalekye – EABC National Liaison Officer, via Email: bkalekye@eabc-online.com  Tel: +254 712 385870 with a copy to Geoffrey Kamanzi ( EABC) Email: gkamanzi@eabc-online.com Tel:+255 788 307165