ITC’s programme on NTMs in Niger
In support of Niger’s efforts to improve trade competitiveness, ITC will leverage its expertise in the area of non-tariff measures (NTMs) to create an evidence base needed to effectively reduce trade cost related to NTMs and to increase the transparency and understanding of NTMs and related procedures.
ITC’s intervention in Niger will be based on the following four components:
NTM Business Survey
The ITC business surveys on NTMs document the experiences of companies that are involved in international trade. The survey covers exporters of goods and selected service sectors (logistics & transport, ICT and ICT-enabled services, and tourism).
The business surveys gather evidence from the ground about unnecessary trade cost that NTMs imply.
For more information on the NTM Business Surveys, click here.
Stakeholder consultations and trade obstacles alert mechanism
Stakeholder consultations that accompany the survey process allow identifying how to reduce such trade cost without undermining legitimate objectives that trade regulations serve. The process thereby informs the design and implementation of trade strategies and contributes to bringing tangible changes to the business environment and facilitating untapping existing trade potentials.
To sustain the public-private dialogue on trade barriers, a trade obstacles alert mechanism (TOAM) and related institutional solution network will be established. It consists of a web-based platform that allows trade operators to report obstacles they face when exporting or importing and to receive responses from relevant authorities as well as to stay alerted on trade barriers reported by others related to products / services and countries of their interest.
Capacity Building on NTMs: Combining theoretical concepts with practical implications
ITC collaborates with government agencies, trade support institutions and academia in Niger in the design and delivery of trainings to increase awareness and understanding of NTMs and their impact on businesses. ITC focuses on building capacity of trainers in Niger that can subsequently replicate trainings in various regions of the country.
Enhancing transparency on rules and procedures
ITC will make use of its comprehensive databases and public data dissemination tools, including Market Access Map, procedural guides, and the alert system for WTO notifications on SPS and TBT measures (ePing), among others to, enhance transparency of information on regulations and procedures in Niger.
A business survey on non-tariff measures
ITC has implemented a large-scale business survey of exporter and importers in Niger to identify the key regulatory and procedural obstacles they face. The survey creates an evidence base needed to effectively reduce trade cost related to NTMs and to increase the transparency and understanding of NTMs and related procedures.
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 survey identifies:
- The most challenging non-tariff measures by sector, company size and partner country
- Existing national procedures and facilities, which need to be strengthened in order to better support the business sector in export and import operations
- Feasible actions to overcome existing trade obstacles and reduce trade cost
Information obtained from the survey will assist both the private sector and government in improving the enabling environment for private sector development and improved export competitiveness for Niger and the region.
Validation Workshop
As part of the ITC project on Non-Tariff Measures in Niger, the Ministry of Trade and Promotion of the Private Sector and ITC 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 NTM business survey.
NTM survey results
Preliminary results of the NTM business survey in Niger is summarized below and in the discussion paper (available for download).
Niger: Perspectives des entreprises sur les obstacles au commerce
Discussion paper for validation workshop - 30 June 2020
Preliminary results of the NTM Business survey in Niger is summarized this report. This document will serve as a basis of discussion during the national validation workshop in Niamey.
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.
Local collaboration for maximum impact
With the support of the Government of Denmark, ITC’s program on NTMs in Niger is implemented in close collaboration with Ministry of Trade and Promotion of the Private Sector to ensure maximum impact on the ground.
For more information
🌐 www.ntmsurvey.org
📧 ntm@intracen.org
Implemented with the financial support of the Government of Denmark.