PACT II also focuses on the level of national and regional trade support institutions (TSIs), including public entities engaged in trade support services as well as representative private sector apex bodies, which are an integral part of the trade policy development process. These institutions needed to manage their internal operations, upgrade their operational capabilities to service their clients/members, develop and manage TDP programmes, and monitor their performance.
OUTPUT 3.1 - Regional Trade Support Institutions (TSI) networks, including businesswomen’s networks, formalized and operationalized for participation in regional trade support and promotion
In the framework of PACT II, a listing of selected key TSIs in each beneficiary region has been undertaken and completed.
Identified TSIs are potential partners of ITC in its network capacity building efforts. It aims at being as comprehensive as possible, in including all the national and regional TSIs from the region.
This study was based on a thorough survey of the various international databases, interviews with officers who have worked in the region, references by the TSIs in the region themselves and ITC records. The outcome of this exercise is the publication of three directories of TSIs – for COMESA, ECCAS, and ECOWAS.
Following mapping of the REC-specific TSIs, capacity building has focused on fostering of TSI networking built around regional trade promotion objectives. This TSI network at the level of each REC provided an effective conduit for facilitating access to and training on relevant TDP tools, methodologies and services.
PACT II has supported the new ECOWAS Regional trade competitiveness strategy
With PACT II financial support, ITC has published one TSI directory per REC:
ECOWAS has taken a significant step towards the establishment of a sustainable regional capacity for trade development and promotion in West Africa, with the launch of its “Export Promotion and Enterprise Competitiveness for Trade” (EXPECT) initiative, which provides a framework for activity programming and resource mobilization.
Developed jointly by the Private Sector Directorate of the ECOWAS Commission and ITC, “EXPECT” is based on three pillars:
- The Regional Trade Expert Network (ECOWAS/TEN), which is the technical and operational tool for the implementation of the various components of the initiative;
- The Export Actors Platform (EAP), instrument for public-private dialogue responsible for identifying and advocating the issues affecting trade towards ECOWAS decision-makers;
- The Regional Centre for Export Competitiveness, a regional reference centre in charge of establishing partnerships and ensuring the sustainability of the programmes and activities implemented by the TEN and the EAP.
The “EXPECT” initiative, for which ITC is a major partner through PACT II, fits within the ECOWAS strategic vision to strengthen regional integration and the emergence of competitive enterprises, able to generate sustainable value added and improvement in the livelihood of populations in West Africa.
OUTPUT 3.2 - Regional private sector apex bodies strengthened as the primary and active interface for public private dialogue and partnerships at the regional level
Special attention has been given to private sector apex bodies (including also gender-based ones) in each of the RECs, requiring strengthening in terms of organizational set-up, business planning, development of their positions on trade issues, in order to being able to engage in an effective public-private dialogue and in partnerships pertaining to regional trade development.
In the context of PACT II implementation, two assessment reports with recommendations for RECs have been initiated, developed and published:
The reports present the outcomes of a research on private sector and trade policy public-private dialogue in the ECCAS and ECOWAS regions. They formulate recommendations aiming at enhancing the representation and deepening the dialogue at the regional level. They represent the outcome of desk and field research and are to be disseminated to collect feedback from regional stakeholders, ITC and other donors.
Strengthening the COMESA Business Council as the voice of the private sector in Eastern and Southern Africa
Greater private sector participation in trade policy and negotiations is vital for enhancing Africa’s trade development and promotion capacity.

In Eastern and Southern Africa, the COMESA Business Council (CBC) is to serve as a key platform for advocacy in the development, progress and strengthening of the private sector in member countries, as mandated by the COMESA Treaty.
Technical expertise and resources have been provided by ITC and COMESA within the framework of the Programme for building African Capacity for Trade (PACT II) to strengthen the CBC as the primary interface for regional public-private dialogue.
Following PACT II intervention, the 6th COMESA Business Forum and other private sector meetings on key issues for the business community in the region were organized under CBC leadership.
The CBC also facilitated south-south cooperation between COMESA and other growing developing countries in Asia and the Arab States, with a view to promote trade and private sector development in Eastern and Southern Africa.
First ECOWAS Export Actors Forum
The first ECOWAS Export Actors Forum (EAF) took place in Cotonou, Benin, on 5-7 December 2011.
Around the theme of "Impact of ECOWAS trade liberalization scheme on the development of regional agribusiness value chains", the Forum addressed the issue of SMEs’ competitiveness in agricultural value chains, which is a key concern to ensure food security and fight against poverty in West Africa.
Based on research and studies previously conducted, especially within the framework of PACT II, participants adopted a series of concrete recommendations to support SME capacity development and competitiveness in regional and international markets.
These included recommendations on the ECOWAS trade liberalisation scheme (ETLS) in the mango and palm oil value chains through two private sector’s position papers presented at the Forum.
ECOWAS-TEN provides the Executive Secretariat of the Platform in order to monitor these recommendations.
OUTPUT 3.3 - Regional trade law institutions - operating under OHADA (“Organisation pour l’Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires”) network - assisting enterprises understand the advantages and implications of regional trade rules and regulations
Specific support has strengthened the service capacity of the organisation in charge of business law harmonization (OHADA) such as through the diffusion of practical guides, adapted to the countries, as well as workshops.
Small businesses in Chad and Congo learn how to use regional trade law to boost their exports
OHADA law helps harmonise business rules and regulations and provides strategic information to set up and expand businesses in national and regional markets. It facilitates the integration of enterprises in the formal economy and protects the rights of micro businesses.
OHADA rules are however not constantly applied, at the expense of private sector and trade development. This is largely explained by the fact that SMEs, lawyers and judges, who enforce the law, have no or partial knowledge of these rules. The OHADA Secretariat has largely targeted its advocacy work at Ministries and legal experts rather than the private sector.
These findings sparked a decision to devise a practical approach so SMEs can understand the advantages and implications of regional trade rules and regulation within the context of PACT II.
More than 300 SMEs, traders, lawyers and jurists attended tailor-made training workshops in N’Djamena, Brazzaville and Pointe Noire as well as outside the main cities. The events involved plenary sessions and practical exercises. Participants gained skills and knowledge in regional trade law rules and regulations that will help them expand and empower their businesses.
Based on lessons learnt from interventions in Chad and Congo, activities in Gabon and Central African Republic included training of national experts to ensure sustainability and a “multiplier effect”. Nine experts, in partnership with trade support institutions in these two countries, are now able to share information about the advantages and implications of regional trade rules and regulations which will benefit the private sector beyond PACT II.
In the context of PACT II, and in line with the objective of creating awareness on trade law rules, practical manuals were produced covering topics such as business taxation, enterprise creation, mortgages and settlements of disputes for French-speaking entrepreneurs in Central Africa:
- Guide juridique (OHADA) de l'entrepreneur au Tchad*
- Guide juridique (OHADA) de l'entrepreneur au Gabon*
Booklets of direct relevance to small businesses were also published:
*Only available in French
OUTPUT 3.4 - Regional trade information networks established and operational
Given the lack of appropriate mechanisms for business information exchange at national and regional levels, as well as need for better access to and use of international market information sources, a REC-specific regional trade information system has been developed.
It provides an information support to both the ECCAS Secretariat and TSI networks. Following an assessment of information needs on priority sectors/markets and analysis of constraints of local information providers, an action plan was prepared for developing the information network, linking national TSIs.
After the establishment of the IT platform and content development, trade information managers have been trained and awareness enhancement seminars organized.
In the ECOWAS region, consultations with key stakeholders including the ECOWAS-TEN resulted in a framework of understanding to align PACT II trade information capacity building efforts to creating and developing the trade information service capacity of the ECOWAS-TEN. PACT II has supported the development of a trade information service and networking capacity on priority product sectors (mango, cashew and palm oil) within the context of the “EXPECT” initiative.
Launching of "RERINFOCOM", the first regional trade information network in ECCAS

ECCAS signed on the 6 September 2011, together with the Chambers of Commerce of Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, and the Federation of enterprises from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize the creation of the first Regional Trade Information Network of ECCAS Member States.
Called “RERINFOCOM” – Réseau regional d’information commercial – by stakeholders, this inter-institutional network provides easy access to trade information for enterprises and investors. It also helps to rationalize and increase efficiency of ECCAS Secretariat in the promotion of regional trade, in partnership with national trade support institutions.
This joint effort became a reality with the creation of the regional Internet portal “RERINFOCOM” where enterprises are able to access, free of charge, key information for business development like trade statistics, enterprise profiles, market profiles and trade rules.
The Internet portal is regularly updated, under the ECCAS Secretariat’s coordination, through an automatic system and by national partners, which benefit from training and mentoring activities to build their capacity in trade information management.
Publication on trade information bulletins on cashew, mango, and palm oil for ECOWAS exporters
PACT II has developed synergies with activities representing “low hanging fruits” that can help boost result delivery e.g. the production and capacity building on Market News Services (MNS) bulletins based on ITC expertise and positive feedback from ECOWAS after similar interventions.
Under the Programme, ECOWAS-TEN capacity was strengthened to manage and provide business and trade information services in EXPECT priority value chains:
- 11 ECOWAS-TEN experts from 8 countries trained in trade information analysis and on how to produce market news bulletins in priority value chains for governments, TSIs and enterprises. Capacity building workshop organized by ECOWAS-TEN Secretariat with ITC support in Accra, Ghana in November 2011.
- One of the experts from Senegal already used the skills and knowledge acquired independent of the programme to write an information bulletin on the mango sector for the Ministry of Trade to prepare their participation in the ECOWAS Export Actors Forum.
A trade information system has been developed in order to address the ECOWAS region business community’s needs relating to export promotion, trade facilitation and development of priority commodities, knowledge of markets, business and partnership opportunities.
In December 2011, ITC produced and published the first edition of trade information bulletins aiming at informing mango, cashew, and palm oil sectors stakeholders on regional and international markets developments. The series of publications address issues such as production levels evolution, trade and prices, quality standards, trade policies and trade regulations.
A series of Trade Information Bulletins were produced for ECOWAS region exporters: