© International Trade Centre, International Trade Forum
- Issue 1/2003
 |
Photo: From left to right: J. Denis Bélisle, Executive Director,
ITC; J. Smadja, Deputy Executive Director, ITC; Elisabeth Merz,
Senior Trade Promotion Officer, ITC; Dwayne Wright, Executive
Director, Trade Facilitation Office of Canada; David Taylor,
Consulting Services, Trade Facilitation Office of Canada. |
The Trade Facilitation Office of Canada and ITC signed a
Memorandum of Agreement in March 2003 to help African exporters
boost their potential, through a five-year, 8 million Canadian
dollar (US$ 5 million) programme funded by the Canadian
International Development Agency. Called PACT (Programme for
Building African Capacity for Trade), this is one of the
initiatives under the Canada Fund for Africa, which was announced
by the Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, at the G8 summit in
Kananaskis, Canada in June 2002.
With 35 of the world's 49 LDCs located in Africa, the continent
stands out in its need for poverty reduction. Trade is increasingly
mainstreamed into national development and poverty reduction
strategies. In this respect, PACT is a direct contribution to the
Market Access Initiative of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD).
Ghana, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania will be beneficiaries
during the pilot phase (six months) of the programme. During this
phase, a number of high-priority activities will be implemented as
early 'deliverables'. The second phase of the programme, which will
run up to 2008, will involve up to 15 African countries.
For more information about the PACT programme, contact E.
Merz, ITC Senior Trade Promotion Officer, at merz@intracen.org