Discussions for the advancement of the HoAI trade pillar go ahead in Addis Ababa with delegations from Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia.
Following the 23 and 24 November workshop in Nairobi with delegations from Kenya and South Sudan, a team from the HoAI Secretariat and the World Bank held meetings with delegations from Ministries of Trade, Customs, and other government authorities from Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia in Addis Ababa on 28 and 29 November. Their objective was to discuss and validate two draft studies on how to improve the resolution of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) in the Horn of Africa, and on inter-institutional arrangements that are necessary for implementing trade facilitation projects having a regional dimension to be launched under the HoAI.
During the second day, participants from the 3 countries reviewed the prioritization level of the goals set out in the Horn of Africa Initiative Trade Facilitation Roadmap, giving an update on their current status of implementation at a national level.
The purpose of all these consultations is to design, based on inputs provided by the country delegations, a comprehensive regional programme for the Horn of Africa to address key challenges that hamper the development of trade and investments in the region. This programme, once launched, will benefit from the financial and technical support of the World Bank and other HoAI Development Partners.
