MEDIA ADVISORY

Training Workshop on Trade in Services Negotiations for AU-CFTA Negotiators, Dakar, Senegal

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

Attached the Programme of the workshop

For more information please contact:

1. Ms. Carolyne Tumuhimbise | Trade Adviser | Email: Tumuhimbisec@africa-union.org
2. Mr. Batanai Chikwene |Trade Policy Officer |Email CHIKWENEB@africa-union.org

For media queries please contact:
Mr. Gamal Ahmed A. Karrar | Directorate of Information and Communications Email:gamalk@africa-union.org, gamal90@gmail.com

For further information, please contact:

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Follow us:
Face book: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission
Learn more at: http://www.au.int