Identification of key priorities and implementing partners for Trade Competitiveness and Market Access in the SADC region

The Project at A Glance

Implementation of the SADC Protocol on Trade, Protocol on Industry and more generally the Industrialisation Strategy and roadmap has been ad hoc, fragmented and not implemented as expected which has not led to a substantial increase in both industrialisation/value addition and intra-SADC trade.
International Economics is assisting the EU Delegation to Botswana and SADC to identify and formulate priority activities to be implemented through the Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access Programme as part of NDICI/Global Europe.

The EU is currently in the process of identifying and formulating priority activities to support the SADC’s trade competitiveness and regional integration efforts. The EU is one of SADC’s leading development partners, having implemented a series of multi-million aid-for-trade projects over the last years, such as the SADC Trade-Related Facility and the EU-SADC Trade Facilitation Programme, amongst many others. The rationale behind this project is the slow pace of integration in the SADC region and the need to enhance the region’s integration process. The existing Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access programme has taken inspiration from other regional programmes in the Eastern African region and West Africa.

Our Strategy and Impact

The Team will be responsible for the following tasks:
• Identification of priority activities for the SADC region to strengthen the process of regional integration, enhance trade with the EU and strengthen region’s trade competitiveness globally. This will also enable to seek for coherence, synergies and complementarity between the activities proposed for SADC and for the other Sub-Saharan African regions.
• Identification of the relevant implementing partners for the action and its priority activities in support of competitiveness and market access.
• Definition of a robust programme that in turn can improve trade facilitation and market access in the SADC region.

Our Core Solutions

At International Economics Consulting Ltd., we support the public and private sectors in navigating the policy and negotiation landscape regarding international trade. This includes establishing robust monitoring and evaluation framework through sophisticated real-time dashboards and reporting systems to ensure the best outcomes. We provide advocacy services to empower delegations and negotiators to participate effectively in trade negotiations and deliberations and advocate for their countries’ interests and positions.