National Planning Commission and EC in N$24 million signing

THE National Planning Commission (NPC) and the European Commission (EC) last week signed a financing agreement worth 3million euros (about N$24 million) for the Namibia Trade and Regional Integration Programme (NTRIP), which is expected to provide important support to the country’s evolving trade agenda.

The purpose of the NTRIP is to respond to demands from both the public and private sectors for improved skills and knowledge to negotiate international and regional trade agreements. The programme will be flexible and responsive to institutional capacity-building needs through training awareness campaigns, research and support activities to strengthen trade negotiations as well as improving market access.The NTRIP is scheduled to start later this year in October and will be implemented by the Ministry of Trade and Industry who will collaborate with the NPC, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The design phase of NTRIP took place last year.The programme will also be supporting the private sector and working with other organisations like the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.Speaking at the signing ceremony, EC Ambassador Antonius Brueser said Namibia was one of the few countries that included trade and regional integration as a priority sector in the country’s strategy with the EC, framed around the National Development Plan 2.”The Namibia-EC country strategy clearly recognises the need to mainstream trade into development policy and hence to ensure that trade and aid effectively work together.”In this middle-income country focussed on achieving the objectives of Vision 2030 there is clearly the need to create a new trade dynamism and thus make a contribution towards employment creation and poverty reduction.”Brueser said Namibia should be able to benefit from opportunities created by trade agreements and to expand its exports.”Let’s build on your strengths in the beef, fish and mining industries and focus on diversifying this predominantly primary sector-based economy.There is plenty of scope not only to enhance South-North trade but also to build new markets within the region.”The programme will support this process by raising the awareness of the private sector on trade-related issues and providing direct support to existing or potential exporters to untrap the enormous potential of Namibian products,” said Brueser.NPC Permanent Secretary Samuel /Goagoseb said Namibia needed economic access to global opportunities that promote trade, investment and new technologies, adding that trade development was high on the policy agenda of NDP2 and Vision 2030.”The Namibian economy is pursuing a multi-faceted agenda to integrate with the global economy.For a small country like Namibia, trade negotiations at the global level become very complex and demand immense resources and specialised skills.Regional integration is perceived as a means to facilitate the structural transformation of our African economies.”Another objective of the NTRIP is also to fill the gaps left by the Trade and Investment Programme implemented under the 8th European Development Fund which ended in December last year.The programme will be flexible and responsive to institutional capacity-building needs through training awareness campaigns, research and support activities to strengthen trade negotiations as well as improving market access.The NTRIP is scheduled to start later this year in October and will be implemented by the Ministry of Trade and Industry who will collaborate with the NPC, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The design phase of NTRIP took place last year.The programme will also be supporting the private sector and working with other organisations like the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.Speaking at the signing ceremony, EC Ambassador Antonius Brueser said Namibia was one of the few countries that included trade and regional integration as a priority sector in the country’s strategy with the EC, framed around the National Development Plan 2.”The Namibia-EC country strategy clearly recognises the need to mainstream trade into development policy and hence to ensure that trade and aid effectively work together.”In this middle-income country focussed on achieving the objectives of Vision 2030 there is clearly the need to create a new trade dynamism and thus make a contribution towards employment creation and poverty reduction.”Brueser said Namibia should be able to benefit from opportunities created by trade agreements and to expand its exports.”Let’s build on your strengths in the beef, fish and mining industries and focus on diversifying this predominantly primary sector-based economy.There is plenty of scope not only to enhance South-North trade but also to build new markets within the region.”The programme will support this process by raising the awareness of the private sector on trade-related issues and providing direct support to existing or potential exporters to untrap the enormous potential of Namibian products,” said Brueser.NPC Permanent Secretary Samuel /Goagoseb said Namibia needed economic access to global opportunities that promote trade, investment and new technologies, adding that trade development was high on the policy agenda of NDP2 and Vision 2030.”The Namibian economy is pursuing a multi-faceted agenda to integrate with the global economy.For a small country like Namibia, trade negotiations at the global level become very complex and demand immense resources and specialised skills.Regional integration is perceived as a means to facilitate the structural transformation of our African economies.”Another objective of the NTRIP is also to fill the gaps left by the Trade and Investment Programme implemented under the 8th European Development Fund which ended in December last year.