Niger NTM Validation Workshop

Validation Workshop of results of the survey on invisible barriers to trade in Niger

30 June 2020, Niamey, Niger

Agenda

Mardi 30 Juin 2020, 8.30–17.30

08:30 Registration

09:00 Opening ceremony

09:30 Session 1: Background and overview of the survey results for goods and services

11:00 Session 2: Presentation of the key trade obstacles for Niger

12:00 Lunch

13:30 Thematic round table 1 : ‘Trade barriers related to Niger’s regulations’

14:45 Table ronde thématique 1: ‘Trade barriers related to the regulations posed by the countries in the region’

16:00 Other subjects and definition of the roadmap

16:30 Concluding remarks and closing

17:00 End of the workshop

Because of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, external speakers will be present via video-conference.

For more information: ntm@intracen.org

Overview

As part of the ITC project on Non-Tariff Measures in Niger, the Ministry of Trade and Promotion of the Private Sector and the International Trade Centre teamed up to organize a workshop to define actions for reducing unnecessary trade cost based on the results of the business survey on trade obstacles in Niger. The event takes place in Niamey on 30 June 2020.

Organized within the framework of the National Trade Facilitation Committee, this meeting will bring together high-level official representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Promotion of the Private Sector, the Ministries of Industry, Transport, Tourism, Finance, Customs administration and standardization bodies in Niger as well as representatives of regional and international organizations. The meeting will allow establishing recommendations to overcome trade impediments that businesses in Niger are encountering.

Discussions will be based on the results of the 2019 survey of exporters and importers on regulatory and procedural trade obstacles. This survey documented the experiences of 580 companies, mostly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, in agriculture, manufacturing as well as three services sectors, namely: transport and logistics, tourism, and information and communication technologies.

The morning sessions will focus on the survey results. In the afternoon, thematic sessions will further refine and complement the set of recommendations emanating from bilateral consultations with actors from the public and private sector as well as sector experts. These sessions will be also an opportunity to validate the roadmap of the priority actions to improve the business climate in Niger.

Venue:

Hôtel Radisson Blue, Quartier Plateau, Bd. de la Republique, Niamey, Niger

Official event documents

Agenda: Niger: Validation Workshop

Discussion paper:

Download

Niger: Perspectives des entreprises sur les obstacles au commerce

Discussion paper - Validation workshop (30 June 2020, Niamey)

Based on the results of the survey, the Workshop focuses on the validation of recommendations and the implementation of a roadmap of concrete actions to reduce the commercial costs linked to the burdensome regulations reported by companies.

The recommendations proposed for validation are recommendations based on bilateral consultations with stakeholders prior to the Workshop, to proposals from the private sector and from the “High-level regional round table on Non-Tariff Measures” at ECOWAS level.

Through a collaborative approach, stakeholders will validate these recommendations and can jointly develop other solutions to overcome regulatory and procedural trade barriers without compromising the legitimate objective of the measures.

The two stages proposed for the workshop are therefore:

1. Present the non-tariff obstacles which hinder Nigerien trade (morning sessions);

2. Validate the recommendations, possibly propose new recommendations and establish a roadmap of concrete actions to be implemented to remove obstacles to Nigerien trade and a roadmap for their implementation (afternoon sessions ).

Presentations: