Despite the pessimism in global trade talks, trade in services in Africa is growing fast. African exports of commercial services jumped 46% in two years (between 2003 and 2005) according to WTO.

This Trade Forum collection features articles on services exporting with special focus on Africa. Read about raising awareness of the role of services exporting in developing countries and the importance of including services into national export strategies. Discover the work underway in case examples from Uganda, Nigeria, Botswana or Southern Africa, find facts and figures on trade in services, and ITC's recommendations on how countries can take advantage of this opportunity to use trade to increase jobs and incomes.

Trade in Services: Awareness, the First Step

National development plans often exclude the service sector.

The export strategies of many developing countries focus on goods and overlook opportunities to diversify trade and create jobs through services.

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Uganda's Services Coalition Finds Strength in Numbers

For very small service firms in Uganda, forming a coalition gave them a collective voice, resources and influence with trade negotiators.

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New Directions for African Financial Services

Debates thrive between African and developed nations over a Marshall Plan for Africa, debt cancellation and support for small firms. To ensure competitiveness, Africas own financial institutions must point the way in supporting trade and investment.

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Promoting Services Trade in Southern Africa

For the first time, service associations in southern Africa met to discuss the potential of regional trade for their exporters.

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From Canada to Uganda, Business Process Outsourcing

Business process outsourcing can be a win-win deal, even for small firms in developing countries.

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Cleaning Up: Environmental Services in Botswana

How can a developing country firm compete in this capital-intensive, highly specialized business where the company may need to educate the client about the issues before making the sale, where procurement rules may be hard to fathom and competition from big firms is fierce?

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Boosting Services Exports in Nigeria: Strategies to Assist Women Entrepreneurs

Conclusions of a survey and report on supporting women-owned service firms in Nigeria.

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Promoting Exports of Services: How to Make It Happen

Trade support institutions can promote national strengths in services. This helps firms in their own marketing and improves the countrys overall image.

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How Services Move Goods

Services contribute to everything a society produces. Even getting goods to market is heavily linked to services.

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Trade in Services: Facts and Figures

Study after study shows that services - and service exporting - are generally misunderstood. Creating awareness about service exporters and their needs is the first step to increasing trade in this promising area for developing countries.