Hub and Spokes Project
Building the Capacity of ACP countries in Trade Policy Formulation, Negotiation and Implementation
The Commonwealth Secretariat is in the process of implementing the Building the Capacity of ACP countries in Trade Policy Formulation, Negotiation and Implementation ("Hubs & Spokes") Project. This project is a joint initiative by the European Commission (EC), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Organisation Intergouvernementale de la Francophone (OIF) with the support of the ACP Secretariat which was granted approval in 2004.
The project seeks to promote the effective participation of ACP countries in international trade negotiations and to strengthen their capacity to formulate, negotiate and implement trade policies. The Secretariat is responsible for the implementation of the project in ACP Member states of the Caribbean, Pacific, Eastern and Southern Africa regions and with the African Union (AU). The OIF is responsible for the implementation of this project in the regions of West and Central Africa.
The Hub and Spokes project forms part of the EC's Trade.Com Facility, which seeks to promote the effective participation of ACP countries in international trade negotiations and to strengthen their capacity to formulate, negotiate and implement trade policies.
The Project will contract a team of 9 regionally-based Regional Trade Policy Advisers (RTPAs) and an estimated 48 regionally and nationally-based Trade Policy Analysts (National Advisers for OIF). A number of training programmes and related studies will also be conducted.
The 6 Regional Trade Policy Advisers (RTPAs) are currently deployed under the responsibility of the Secretariat at the following ACP Secretariats:
- Pacific Islands Forum
- COMESA
- SADC
- African Union Commission
- CARICOM
- OECS
Eleven Trade Policy Analysts (TPAs), under the responsibility of the Secretariat, are now deployed at the entities responsible for trade policy in the following ACP countries:
- Fiji
- Papua New Guinea
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Rwanda (Funded by DFID)
- Sierra Leone (AIF)
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
The Secretariat expects to deploy all the remaining TPAs by early 2006