ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, December 4, 2015/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA
What: Training Workshop on Trade in Services Negotiations for AU-CFTA Negotiators
When: 7- 11 December 2015
Where: Dakar, Senegal
Who: The African Union Commission (AUC)
Objective: The General Objective of the workshop is to build the capacity of services negotiators in Africa to effectively benefit from trade in services opportunities at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels but most importantly to prepare for the CFTA negotiations on Services. The workshop will also provide a forum to share experiences of successful services exports and brain storm on a strategy for CFTA Services Negotiations.
Background:
The African Union Summit of Heads of Government in June 2015; during their XXV Ordinary Session in Johannesburg South Africa Launched CFTA Negotiations in Trade in Goods and Trade in Services, in light of the role of trade in services in African’s economic transformation. This new mandate comes at a time when AU Member States are negotiating Trade in Services at regional, multilateral, and bilateral level.
In spite of the task of negotiating and rule-making activity, at regional, continental and multilateral level; experience with services policy reforms is still young in Africa. Significant challenges exist in building the regulatory institutions that are needed to remedy market failures, appropriately sequence service sector reforms, and establish mechanism that promote the availability of essential services among poor people. Trade rules are complex and services negotiations are information and resource-intensive. Capacity building in services negotiations in key for African countries in order to effectively benefit from trade in services opportunities at bi-lateral, regional and multilateral levels but most importantly to prepare for CFTA Services negotiations.
JOURNALISTS ARE INVITED TO COVER THE TRAINING WORKSHOP ON TRADE IN SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS
