National Export Strategies
Many member states find themselves in a situation where they have to diversify their export base to enjoy growth in a globalised trade environment.
In that context, the Commonwealth Secretariat, in partnership with the International Trade Centre, had organised an Executive Forum for small states at the Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago on 18-21 January 2004. The Forum identified the development of National Export Strategies (NES) as one of the important tools for improving competitiveness.
Since then 14 requests for technical assistance to develop NES have been received. During the period 2006-07, NES were completed for Botswana, Fiji, Grenada, and Swaziland. Work is on-going in Belize, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Uganda, Tonga, and Namibia. In addition, regional workshops to enhance capacity and the sharing of experience were organized for the Pacific region, the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa and West Africa. A total of 33 countries have participated in these regional workshops.
The key features of the programme are: 1) It assists in developing local analytical and conceptual capacity for strategic thinking and planning; 2) it provides a platform for fruitful interaction between different stakeholders, in particular the public and private sector; 3) as the strategy is developed by local working groups there is a sense of ownership of the process and outcome.
Hon. Anthony Boatswain, Minister of Finance and Planning for Grenada, in a letter to DSG Smith, indicated clearly “the numerous benefits which have been derived thus far [by Grenada] from the preparation of the strategy. [Grenada] now has a cadre of trained persons in strategy design which has resulted in savings to the Government of Grenada in lieu of hiring consultants.” He also stressed the fact that “the strategy was designed by the stakeholders who are cognizant of the needs of the sectors.”
In a similar vein, Mr. G. Kombani, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Botswana Ministry of Trade and Industry, thanked the Secretariat for having helped his country develop their “first National Export Strategy …in a record period. It has also heralded an overwhelming show of public-private sector partnership.”