UN Economic Commission Report: Djibouti study tour and workshop

The Trade, Finance and Economic Development Division (TFED) and the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) organized a workshop on trade facilitation and a study tour to the Port of Djibouti as well as to the border posts of Dewaleh and Galafi between Ethiopia and Djibouti on 5 and 6 May 2008. The events were organized in collaboration with Dubai Port (DP) World, the company responsible for managing the Port of Djibouti. The objective of the workshop and study tour was to provide a platform for key stakeholders to share views and experiences on constraints to the movement of goods along the Addis-Ababa-Djibouti corridor and identify solutions. The workshop and study tour were also aimed at initiating/accelerating the creation of a Facilitation Committee for the corridor. Both events were organized as part of a United Nations Development Account project titled ” Interregional partnership for promoting trade as an engine of growth through knowledge management and information and communication technologies”. The project seeks to disseminate the benefits of trade facilitation and the standards, tools and requirements for its successful implementation.