High-level workshop and event on the West Africa project on transit, transport, and trade facilitation for a better value chain participation - Florence event

West African trade in world trade remains relatively low, whether for coastal or landlocked countries. Intra-regional trade must also improve as it represents less than 10% of each country's trade. According to UNCTAD's 2019 Economic Development in Africa Report, in 2017, intra-African exports accounted for 17% of total exports, compared to 68% for intra-European exports, 59% for intra-Asian exports, and 55% for intra-American exports.

The Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTISs) conducted in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger (beneficiary countries) show a weak implementation of regional and bilateral instruments on transport, transit, and trade facilitation, significantly impacting the competitiveness and economic and social development of these countries. In parallel, the DTIS carried out in the beneficiary countries of the project have illustrated the many opportunities for better participation of these three countries into the value chains.

The overall objectives of the workshop are: 

• To identify the difficulties encountered in the field with SIGMAT and the possibility of developing its implementation to cover traffic between Togo and Benin for transit to Burkina Faso while also examining the practical arrangements for passing through the two joint border posts of Malanville and Cinkassé.
• To draft a report examining the new text of the ISRT discussed by ECOWAS and preparing a provisional text of the ISRT which can consider the difficulties with the surety and creation of a new system.
• To complete the study of Burkina Faso on transport and draft a proposal for a strategy to reconcile the sub-regional legislative framework. The studies and the strategy will be the subject of a national and sub-regional validation workshop (the studies of the legal framework for transport in Niger and Benin were carried out within the framework of a World Bank TFWA Project).
• A series of advocacy activities will be launched for the increased participation of WAEMU and ECOWAS in the context of the West African Project.

The event was attended by representatives from Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, World Bank and European University Institute.