25ᵗʰ -27ᵗʰ March 2025
Johannesburg, South Africa
The high-level regional workshop on the African Trade Observatory (ATO), is ongoing in Johannesburg, South Africa. This three-day workshop brings together representatives from the Ministries of Trade and Customs Authorities of the SADC Member States. The aim is to provide participants with capacity building on the African Trade Observatory (ATO), receive feedback on the tool and agree on the next steps for its implementation in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, in synergy with other ongoing projects and initiatives.
Mr. Mondher Mimouni, Director Division of Market Development, International Trade Centre, thanked all delegates for attending the workshop. He highlighted the critical role played by the African Trade Observatory (ATO) towards supporting the successful implementation of various trade agreements and especially the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He informed the meeting that the ATO is one of the five operational instruments of the AfCFTA which provides reliable and up-to-date data for businesses and policymakers to make informed decisions and to monitor the agreement’s impact. The ATO, is led by the African Union (AU) and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), specifically through its Trade and Market Intelligence (TMI) section. He encouraged all delegates present to leverage on the opportunities provided by ATO to support informative and evidence based decision making in their respective administrations.
Dr. Rinaldo Mendiate, Programme Officer-Multilateral Trade, SADC, welcomed delegates to the workshop noting that this is a significant milestone towards enhancing trade facilitation regionally and continentally. He stressed the vital role played by Customs as gate keepers of trade corridors pointing out that Customs data plays a critical role in trade analysis and determining trade patterns which helps in identifying emerging trends and challenges. He encouraged all Members to take advantage of the support provided by ITC-ATO in data management and analysis for informative decision making.
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