The validation workshop of the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) update took place in Djibouti on 16 February 2015 - ten years after the realization of its first DTIS.
In the presence of the Executive Director of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), Mr. Ratnakar Adkikari, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, as well as the Minister of Economy and Finance of Djibouti, H.E. Ilyas Moussa Davaleh, a one-day workshop took place on validation of the DTIS.
Djibouti lies at the junction of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It is located in a sub-region of Ethiopia and South Sudan. The small-sized economy has successfully built comparative advantages in the port area, transport and logistics activities as well as finance and telecommunications.
"The main challenge is to translate these advantages into an inclusive growth strategy, that is, a strategy which creates jobs and reduces poverty and inequality. We hope that the DTIS update and its action matrix provide the government the necessary tools to make its strategic vision operational." said Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD.
The main objective of a DTIS update is to identify the constraints that are hampering the integration of least developed countries into the multilateral trading system and the mainstreaming of trade issues into the national development strategies.
Mr. Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, Minister of Economy and Finance of Djibouti, thanked UNCTAD for preparing the DTIS update and agreed that Djibouti should be transformed into an international platform of exchanges and services.
During the workshop of the DTIS update, national and international consultants as well as UNCTAD representatives introduced the findings on trade policies, trade facilitation, business climate as well as the status of logistics and transport.
Stefano Inama of UNCTAD highlighted the relevance of the Trade Facilitation Agreement to exploit the potential of the corridor from Djibouti to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Furthermore, international consultant Patrick Plane introduced the proposed actions on how to enhance the current status of institutions, the framework of regulations and the conditions of investment.
A description of possible improvements to the port and logistic area was given by national consultant Achaa Abdillahi Ahmed.
National consultant Abdillahi Aptidon Gombor emphasized the importance of improving rail and road transport in order to transform Djibouti into a platform for distribution and multimodal transport. Also, the priority sectors of Tourism and Fishery were presented by Patrick Plane and Stefano Inama.
In a second part, comments were made on the DTIS update by the Government of Djibouti, EIF representatives, donors, facilitators as well as the private sector and civil society, followed by a discussion on the Action Matrix and plans to integrate trade.
Given that UNCTAD is also carrying out the DTIS update of Ethiopia, coordination of proposed actions in the action matrix concerning the implementation of trade facilitation and corridor issues can be expected.
The 84 participants from the Government, the private sector, international organizations and academia considered the validation workshop as highly relevant (4.2/5). They stated that the presentations and comments under the different themes were concrete, relevant and precise.
The workshop was considered to be a priority for the development of the trade potential of Djibouti.
