Trade Facilitation

The renewed interest in trade facilitation as a key component of the external trade competitiveness of many developing countries has led the SSATP, in association with other organizations, to scale up its efforts in providing assistance and operational support in this area.

Part of the process involves identification of needs, technical cooperation, capacity building and capital investment. Much needs to be done at the country and regional level to help developing countries enhance their trade facilitation capacities, system processes and arrangements. Proximity to markets, predictability in delivery, cost-effectiveness of international logistics services, efficiency of cross-border operations, are all issues that to a large extent govern the capacity of any given country to benefit from trade growth in the global economy. This is particularly true in Sub-Saharan Africa, home to half of the world's landlocked developing countries, and where the need to facilitate international trade and transport services is acute.

Indeeed, recent research finds that landlockedness reduces average growth per year by about 1.5% percentage points. Using CIF/FOB (cost, insurance, freight/ free on board) margin, Radelet and Sachs (1998) find that cost of freight and insurance for landlocked developing countries was, on average, 50% higher than for costal economies, while other calculations show that the total cost of crossing a border in Africa is the same as the cost of inland transportation over 1000 miles (1600 km) or the cost of 7000 miles of sea transport (11 000 km). In comparison the cost of crossing a border in Western Europe is equivalent to only 100 miles of inland transportation.

The Program is helping member countries assess their specific trade and transport facilitation problems and devise and implement appropriate action plans to address them.

A Review of International Legal Instruments
This review reveals the efforts made to facilitate trade and the flow of traffic with and within Sub-Saharan African States (English - French)

Trade and Transport Facilitation Audits
Trade and Transport Facilitation Toolkit (English - French)

Port Security
IMO - ISPS Code (http://www.imo.org/home.asp)

Border Crossing Studies, Reports, Initiatives
UEMOA Joint Border Posts Program (in French)
Guidelines for Land Road Border Stations