ITC provides a wealth of information and resources on trade for businesses in developing countries. The tools below (some of them joint projects with other organisations, such as the WTO, UNCTAD, World Bank Group, are intended to explore and facilitate trade with other countries.
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We provide tailored support, aligned with national objectives, to grow trade opportunities for micro, small and medium businesses in developing countries.
<p>The aim of the programme is to <strong>increase the participation of women-owned businesses in trade in order to increase economic growth and job creation in Commonwealth countries</strong>. With interventions at the beneficiary-, firm-, institutional-, national- and inter-national level, it will: </p><ul><li>Address policy change at the national level, making trade-related policies gender responsive;</li><li>Facilitate new/better linkages with buyers and investors internationally; connecting women to opportunities and facilitating gender sensitive business practice; </li><li>Support BSOs and the private sector to strengthen the business environment for women owned businesses;</li><li>Support BSOs to target women owned business directly to improve capacity; combining face to face training with coaching, mentoring and exposure to buyers.</li></ul>
Working close to businesses to overcome trade barriers
In international trade, Non-Tariff measures (NTMs) are put in place for legitimate purposes such as health and safety. However, many businesses, notably in developing countries, struggle to understand the objectives of the NTMs and how to comply with them.
Policymakers may also not be fully informed on the difficulties traders face when importing or exporting.
Having documented trade regulations in more than 100 countries and interviewed more than 30,000 traders in 70 countries, ITC brings more transparency on NTM issues.
Our Non-Tariff Measures Programme:
Identifies trade obstacles to support decision makers to effectively reduce trade costs related to NTMs
Establishes national mechanisms to solve NTM-related trade obstacles experienced by small and medium-sized businesses in developing countries
Provides trainings to companies, trade and investment support institutions (TISIs) and policymakers so they can better understand these trade obstacles and their effect on competitiveness
Increases the transparency of trade regulations and related procedures
<p>This project, which is financed by the preference funding from Denmark, supports ITC’s ongoing work under its non-tariff measures (NTMs) programme, which aims at <strong>creating the evidence base that decision makers need to effectively reduce trade cost related to NTMs and create a business environment conducive to inclusive trade</strong>. The programme ensures that the concerns of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) about regulatory and procedural trade obstacles are brought to the attention of policymakers and other stakeholders, <strong>enabling them to take concrete actions to address these</strong>. The work also contributes to<strong> increasing the transparency of NTMs</strong> and related procedures, and provides thought leadership through research and analysis, informing national, regional and multilateral trade policy making.</p><p>The following outlines the vision for the 3-year horizon of the preference funding with a detailed results planning and budget breakdown for the 500K W1 allocation for 2018, 800K for 2019, 800K for 2020 and 300K for 2021.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">ITC’s UK Trade Partnerships Programme in Ghana is working with local trade partners to build greater export potential and to improve the volume and value of trade in cocoa derivatives between Ghana and the UK/EU. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
While multi-dimensional poverty remains high in sub-Saharan Africa, the continent's high growth rates and youthful demographics make it an attractive investment destination. Big opportunities exist to create jobs, boost incomes and reduce poverty by connecting African small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to international trade and increasing local value addition to Africa’s assets in agrifood, manufacturing and services. ITC’s emphasis on digital connectivity and the green transition is helping transform digital landscapes across Sub Saharan Africa with our support to tech startups and tech hubs.
ITC’s One Trade Africainitiative supports the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), empowering African enterprises, especially women- and youth-led businesses, to access market opportunities from continental integration. The initiative is an integrated package of technical assistance solutions that ITC is offering to the African business community operating in both the formal and informal sectors.
