Digitalization of Foreign Trade Procedures

The digitalization of foreign trade procedures is one of the solutions to the regional challenges of trade facilitation. The adoption of digitalization techniques serves to alleviate the transport and transit difficulties affecting the landlocked countries of Africa and Central Asia in particular.

ICDT provides, in partnership with IsDB, the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF), WTO and UNCTAD, assistance to OIC African countries in implementing their national strategies to digitalize foreign trade procedures. Such approach is also part of the framework aimed at supporting these countries in undertaking their commitments at the level of the TFA. Furthermore, it includes assisting Member States in the digitalization of their process of transport procedures (e-TIR), in accordance with the commitments arising from the customs convention on the international transport of goods.

The first projects cover the Morocco-Mauritania, Senegal-Mali, Burkina Faso-Côte d’Ivoire, Niger-Nigeria and Chad-Sudan cross-border posts that will be implemented between 2023 and 2024 in compliance with the recommendations of the training workshop on TIR/e-TIR and CMR/e-CMR (Commercialization of Goods by Road) organized by the ICDT in 2022. Other technical assistance activities are planned during 2023.