Benin

<p><span lang="EN-GB">ITC and CBI have been cooperating for decades. This cooperation led to a series of sector development programmes under the Netherlands Trust Fund (NTF) since 2005. The current project is part of the NTF V programme funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands and implemented in close coordination with the Dutch Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI).</span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB">The NTF V programme was approved in July 2021 and will run until June 2025. Its ambition is to contribute to building back better in the partner countries with a focus on creating a link between MSMEs in the digital technologies with a focus on agritech. To this end, agritech start-ups will be supported to improve their understanding of agribusinesses&rsquo; needs, to gain more agribusinesses partners, and, in some instances, to help digitalize agribusinesses.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB">Project activities will foster business-friendly tech ecosystems, strengthen business support organizations such as tech hubs and equip tech start-ups with resilient business models, linking them to business, partnership and investment opportunities while contributing to the digitalization of traditional SMEs in other sectors.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB">Benin, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Mali and Uganda are part of the targeted countries for NTF V. NTF V Multi-country Tech will build on the work initiated under NTF IV&rsquo;s spin-off #FastTrackTech Africa and NTF IV Uganda. The project aims at contributing to the creation of sustainable jobs in the digital technologies sector and the modernisation of agribusiness through digital technologies.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p>The objective of this project is to enhance the functionalities and effective use of Trade Facilitation Portals by beneficiary countries with a view to create a more conducing cross-border environment for traders through improved transparency and simplified trade formalities.<span>&nbsp;This project builds upon ITC - UNCTAD longstanding partnership in the area of trade facilitation and creates opportunities for further build synergies across the agencies&apos; respective technical assistance offering.</span></p>

<p>The overall objective of the proposed project is to attract investment and promote trade and sustainable industrial and business development at continental level, concretely supporting the AfCFTA Secretariat and the African Union and delivering on the Africa-EU partnership for sustainable growth and jobs.&nbsp;</p><p>The project contributes to this objective by</p><ul><li>identifying trade and investment opportunities along regional value chains with potential at continental scale in Africa, including potential for investment by EU economic operators;</li><li>Strengthening the EU-Africa dialogue on trade and economic integration, informing high-level events such as the upcoming AU-EU Summit and European- African Business Forum (EABF)</li><li>identifying pilot/selected continental value chains that could be targeted for support in the EU 2021-27 aid programming exercise.</li></ul><p>It supports the implementation of the AfCFTA and ITC&apos;s One Trade Africa Initiative.</p>

<p>Pour le kit didactique, l&apos;ITC s&apos;appuiera sur un consultant sp&eacute;cialiste de la chaine de valeur de la tomate au s&eacute;n&eacute;gal qui d&eacute;veloppera avec les experts ITC le contenu du kit sur la base de consultations men&eacute;es avec les differents acteurs. La vid&eacute;o et le livret sera ensuite r&eacute;alis&eacute; par une entreprise de r&eacute;alisation de film.</p><p>Le guide de p&eacute;n&eacute;tration sera d&eacute;velopp&eacute; avec l&apos;appui de consultants nationaux charg&eacute;s d&apos;identifier les proc&eacute;dures et les r&eacute;gles pour exporter vers le march&eacute; am&eacute;ricain sous le r&acute;&euro;gime am&eacute;ricain. Un consultant am&eacute;ricain sera recrut&eacute; en parall&egrave;le pour identifier les circuits de distribution des produits s&eacute;lectionn&eacute;s.</p>

<p>In 2018, the ACP Secretariat, the EC, together with ITC, UNIDO and the World Bank finalized the Joint Proposal for a five-year Program (hereafter the &lsquo;Program&rsquo;) aiming at (1) adopting and implementing business-friendly and inclusive national policies and legal frameworks, and (2) strengthening productive, processing, promoting and marketing capabilities and value chains. The three agencies will respectively deliver micro-, meso-, and macro-level activities, and will ensure the appropriate level of coordination and synergies aiming to deliver integrated solutions to ACP countries.&nbsp;</p><p align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">The program includes country-level interventions, as well as Rapid Response and Regional Engagement windows for each of the three pillars. The Rapid Response window aims at swiftly responding to emerging beneficiary needs given emerging demands in the thematic areas of the Program; the Regional Engagement window will primarily aim to promote knowledge exchange, best practices and experience capture and sharing to contribute to two fundamental objectives.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#333333;mso-ansi-language: EN-GB'>The International Trade Centre&rsquo;s #FastTrackTech project is harnessing the transformative power of the digital economy to generate jobs and contribute to the economic growth and productivity in seven African countries.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#333333;mso-ansi-language: EN-GB'>ITC is working with tech startups and digital entrepreneurs in Benin, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia, equipping them with digital and managerial skills as they establish their businesses, grow, and export their services.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#333333;mso-ansi-language: EN-GB'>Digital entrepreneurs across the continent are accelerating the digital transformation of Africa, a key driver to strengthening economies and implementing Sustainable Development Goals such as quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth. Successful digital entrepreneurship also benefits young innovators and helps close the digital gender gap.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><br></p><p style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:#333333;mso-ansi-language: EN-GB'>#FastTrackTech works with local tech hubs to build tech start-ups&rsquo; capacity to scale their business and equip aspiring entrepreneurs with digital skills. The project started in 2019 and is expected to continue in 2022-2023 with a stronger emphasis on policy change, digitalization of traditional sectors, ecosystem coordination, and an increased focus on high-potential startups.</span></p><p><br></p>

<p><span>The overall objective of the regional programme is to &lsquo;&rsquo;Strengthen the competitiveness of West Africa through an enhanced level of production, transformation and export capacities of the private sectors in line with the regional and national industrial and SME strategies&rsquo;&rsquo;. The specific objective is &lsquo;&rsquo;to improve the performance and growth of selected priority sectors and value chains and related services by stimulating their contribution to industry, regional trade and exports&rsquo;&rsquo;. The intervention of ITC in the form of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) will entail the implementation of the activities related to&nbsp;</span><span>the promotion of better regional linkages among selected value chain, support to</span>&nbsp;<span>key regional intermediary organizations, the reinforcement of industrial competitiveness in the region, and the establishment of the West African Competitiveness Observatory and related business tools.</span></p>