Ethiopia and TMEA sign host country agreement renewing partnership
TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) and the Government of Ethiopia have signed a Host Country Agreement (HCA) paving the way for TMEAs expansion into Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs State Minister Professor Kassu and Transport State Minister Hiwot Mosisa represented the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) was represented by its CEO, Frank Matsaert.
The HCA now paves way for the establishment of TMEA’s Ethiopia Country Programme, with physical presence in Ethiopia, budget and staff to manage the country programme. The three overriding broad areas of intervention envisaged for the Ethiopian programme include:
Reducing trade costs on corridors: This focuses on the transport, logistics and infrastructure of particularly busy corridors (ports, roads and border posts), to reduce the cost of trade and transport.
Improving the trading environment: This focuses largely on introducing new electronic systems to streamline ports, borders and corridors and to ease and fasten movement of goods and people. It includes wide policy and regulatory measures that apply global best practice to trade facilitation and export markets.
Increasing private sector competitiveness: This focuses on increasing the role of business in public policy making on trade, and ensuring the private sector takes advantage of an improving trading environment, especially for cross-border informal trade.
TMEA, an aid-for-trade organisation working in reducing barriers to trade in East Africa and improving business competitiveness and is funded by the development agencies of the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, UK, and USA.
TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) works closely with East African Community (EAC) institutions, national governments, the private sector and civil society organisations.
Established in 2010, TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) supports a portfolio of programmes across the East Africa Community partner countries, working closely with our partners – the EAC Partner States, EAC Secretariat, the private sector and civil society – TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) has made a significant contribution to this growth by delivering large scale impact in its highly successful first strategic phase which was completed in December 2017.
TMEA Is now embarking on Its second strategic phase for the six years from 2017/18 to 2022/23 known as “Strategy 2” which seeks to increase trade by unlocking economic potential anchored on two major outcomes including reduced barriers to trade and improving business competitiveness.
TMEA CEO Frank Matsaert noted: “We are excited with this new phase of growth that adds an important country and economy into its operations. Our programme will contribute to reduced trading costs for Ethiopia with its trading partners on key corridors, improve the trade environment and boost private sector competitiveness. All these efforts will help propel Ethiopia into a leading economy and grow prosperity for its citizens.”
