African Trade Policy Centre Backs Economic Corridor Development

In an increasingly globalised market, WBCG’s efforts to connect to regional and global players are increasingly proving to be critical to fully exploit trade opportunities and potential partnerships.

Promoting the improvement of the corridors to further push economic growth, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) has partnered with the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) to drive the Africa Corridor Management Alliance (ACMA).

As David Luke, coordinator of ATPC, drew attention to the historic role of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in helping to create specialised institutions to enhance economic integration on the continent, he noted that through the ATPC, trade-related issues are analysed while pursuing Africa’s integration and transformation agenda.

“The African Regional Standards Organisation and the African Alliance for Electronic Commerce are examples of UNECA’s contribution to institution building in this regard,” he said. With the involvement of the ATPC in establishing ACMA as an umbrella organisation, he expressed hope that through this channel, the engagement with Corridor Management Institutions will continue to be strengthened.

As a division within UNECA, the African Trade Policy Centre was established in June 2003, pursuing efforts to foster human and institutional capacities of African Governments to formulate and implement sound trade policies. ATPC also focuses on providing evidence-based analysis of the extent to which Africa’s export expansion has been accompanied by improvements and of the policies that should be put in place to better leverage emerging opportunities.

The centre’s headquarters is found in Addis Ababa and was initially set-up with the financial support of the Canadian Government through the Canada Fund for Africa. The Centre has also received support from United Nations Development Programme and the Government of Denmark. ATPC aims to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth through structural transformation, strengthen Africa’s role in the global trade arena, and promote regional integration, in the spirit of collective development.

Africa’s continued development challenge and its desire to benefit from increased trade opportunities stresses the need for focused and continued efforts to support these targets. With ATPC’s leading role in highlighting obstacles that hamper larger participation of African firms, the WBCG can continue to connect and facilitate connections in order to advance Africa’s plan on economic prosperity.