COMESA has been conducting periodic awareness training and sensitization workshops at the GLTFP project borders since 2017. The focus has been on the small scale traders, especially the Simplified Trade regime (STR) and the COMESA Charter on the Minimum Standards for Treatment of Small-Scale Cross Border Traders.The awareness creation workshops will also be held for stakeholders at the Kaminyola (Rwanda)-Bugarama (DRC) borders where the project intends to establish new trade information desk offices. The awareness creation workshops will also be held for stakeholders at the Kaminyola (Rwanda)-Bugarama (DRC) borders where the project intends to establish new Trade information desk offices. 

The Training is scheduled from  23rd September to 04 October  2019. The training will be held in DRC at the DRC border Kaminyola (Rwanda)/Bugarama (DRC) at the Bukavu (DRC)/ RusiziI(RW) border,the Goma (DRC)/ Rubavu (RW) border, the Bunagana (DRC)/ Bunagana (Uganda) border, the Kasindi (DRC)/ Mpondwe (Uganda) border and the Mahagi(DRC)/Goli Uganda border.

Objectives of the training/sensitization activity

The specific objectives of the joint border training/sensitization workshops are to:

1. Sensitize the participants (cross border traders, border agency officials, local authorities, etc) on the operations of STR and its key pillars (common list, value threshold of USD 2,000, and Simplified Customs Document);
2. Educate the target groups on the COMESA Charter on the “Minimum Standards for Treatment of Small Scale Cross Border Traders”, including key related issues like gender, harassment, trader rights, facilitation obligations, immigration issues, etc;
3. Take stock of the progress registered on the ground (at the project borders) in terms of actual implementation of the provisions of the signed bilateral MoUs including the STR, Immigration challenges, Customs issues, Standards concerns and other NTBs;
4. Share experiences, good practices, challenges and lessons learnt about the implementation of STR and other CBT enhancing initiatives at the project borders;
5. Foster mutual understanding and bilateral border cooperation among the key stakeholders across the respective adjoining borders;
6. Encourage and enhance the establishment and full operationalization of bilateral Joint Border Committees (JBCs) across all the project borders;
7. Identify possible new ways to enhance the implementation of STR and CBT in general at the project borders, including the propensity of border officials to positively engage in cross border trade facilitation;
8. Get the feedback from the participants’ about their perceptions of the awareness exercise so as to inform the improved design of the subsequent sensitization programmes.

3. Expected Outcomes

The STR/COMESA Charter awareness creation and training workshops are expected to deliver the following outcomes:

1. All the key border stakeholders (cross border traders, border agency officials, local authorities, etc) sensitized and acquire more information and knowledge about the operations of STR and its key pillars (common list; value threshold of USD 2,000; and Simplified Customs Document);
2. All the key border stakeholders educated and acquire more information and knowledge about the COMESA Charter on the Minimum Standards for Treatment of Small Scale Cross Border Traders, including the key related issues like gender, harassment, facilitation obligations, immigration issues, etc.
3. Actual status of implementation of the bilateral MoUs on the various CBT related issues at the project borders (e.g. STR, Immigration challenges, Customs issues, Standards concerns and other NTBs) established and documented;
4. Experiences, good practices, challenges and lessons about the implementation of STR and other CBT enhancing initiatives at the project borders shared among the participants, documented and mainstreamed into future COMESA/project activities and interventions over the medium term;
5. Mutual understanding, bilateral border cooperation among the key stakeholders and therefore the border trade environment all enhanced across the respective adjoining borders;
6. Bilateral Joint Border Committees (JBCs) establishment and for operationalized across all the project borders  enhanced;
7. Possible new ways to enhance the implementation of STR and CBT in general at the project borders, including the propensity of border officials to positively engage in cross border trade facilitation identified and incorporated into the forthcoming project activities;
8. Feedback from the participants’ about their perceptions of the awareness exercise obtained and mainstreamed into the subsequent sensitization programmes.