Meetings

2011

The UN/CEFACT Forum—a meeting of experts from around the world working within the global remit of the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) - held its 18th meeting in Geneva from 19 to 23 September. This was the first UN/CEFACT Forum to be organized under the new streamlined project-oriented structure, aimed at timely delivery of recommendations and standards focused on stakeholder needs. Participants included business and technology experts from 30 UN Member States, international organizations and other stakeholders. While more than 80 experts participated in the Geneva working sessions, additional experts located around the globe also contributed through teleconferencing. The Forum reviewed all 60 current projects and aligned them with new, simplified procedures within the UN/CEFACT cross-sectoral Programme Development Areas (PDAs). These cover business processes both for governments and for the private sector which can promote growth in international trade and related services. The Forum also addressed maintenance issues concerning most of UN/CEFACT’s widely used products, such as UN/EDIFACT.

On the sidelines of the Forum, concept paper of Worldwide Alliance for Global Paperless Trade has been presented by ASEAL and African Alliance for e-Commerce (AAEC) to members of Trade and Transport facilitation on September, 22. All members confirmed their interest to this initiative.

The 2nd Forum of the African Alliance for E-Commerce (AAEC) was held at Le Meridien President Hotel in Dakar on 7thJune 2011 under the chairmanship of the Director General of Customs. Attending the meeting were representatives of international institutions, trade facilitation experts, delegates representing AAEC member countries including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Republic of Congo, Senegal and Togo. The Forum also saw the participation of members of the Asia-Europe Alliance for Paperless Trade (ASEAL).

During the proceedings, experts laid emphasis on the prospects under the three AAEC Commissions (Projects, Standards and Technology, Organization and Promotion), and the common orientation at setting up a Worldwide Alliance for Paperless Trade likely to federate all paperless trade initiatives around the world.

During the Forum, new members joined the African Alliance and discussions were held on the establishment of pilot projects of regional Single Windows.

2010

The Executive Committee of the African Alliance for e-Commerce held a technical workshop in Douala(Cameroon) at the headquarters of GUCE from 9 to 11 December 2010. Members stressed the role of the Alliance that is to enable Africa to implement its own vision of electronic commerce and expressed the need to possess a more solid basis for developing trade between African countries. On this basis, a number of projects have been identified by Commission of projects and standards and technologies. During the workshop, members have defined means and ways to implement 08 projects related to : e-certificat of origine, e-invoice, e-déclaration, mutual recognition of digital infrastructure, digital certification of documents (National & International), guide to set up standards, guide for paperless trade implementation, capacity building workshops on norms and standards.

L’atelier qui s’est tenu du 13 au 16 Juillet 2010 à Dar Es Salam, s’inscrit dans le cadre du projet d'amélioration des échanges dans la Communauté Est-Africaine. Les participants se sont penchés sur l’amélioration du transport multimodal dans la communauté, les obstacles ou goulots d’étranglement. A l’issue des travaux, un plan d’actions a été élaboré.

Le secteur privé, les décideurs chargés de la réforme des services logistiques et des politiques de facilitation dans la région, la branche des transports, les douanes, les ports et les responsables des infrastructures et des experts internationaux (OMD, SITPRO …) ont été représentés aux travaux. L’Alliance Africaine, sur invitation, a partagé son projet régional de facilitation commerciale.

During the 2nd General Assembly held in Addis Abeba on 01 - 02 June 2010 - Addis Abeba, a workshop has been organized on day 2. The purpose of the Workshop was to enhance technical and administrative knowledge and skills of trade-facilitation practitioners.

Notions on document harmonization and simplification, e-business standards and codes and assessment of trade-facilitation needs and priorities were the main points of the workshop. The main objective was to share knowledge, help on establishing a Single Window and enhance abilities for interoperability between Single Windows.

In the context of the international trade facilitation, “trade” means the movement of goods in one direction and the movement of funds in the opposite direction, on the basis of a transaction between a seller/consignor and a buyer/consignee. This involves numerous commercial activities and formal interventions, and calls for a large amount of information regarding the transaction and the goods. Data is needed to conclude the transaction, initiate and monitor the physical movement of the goods, execute controls on borders, and process financial arrangements.

International standard is a universally agreed upon set of guidelines for interoperability. Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together (inter-operate).

FOCUS OF THE WORKSHOP

The General Assembly meeting of AACE was held on 1st June 2010 in Addis Abeba (Ethiopia). Representants from Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Libya, Madagascar, Senegal, Congo, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Mali, Tunisia attended this meeting.

The Officer in charge of Regional Integration, Infrastructure and Trade Division of UNECA launched the meeting. In his speech, he mentioned that trade facilitation initiatives allow, from a single point, to comply with the formalities of foreign trade easily and promptly. Single window can reduce the costs of procedures and formalities of foreign trade.
In order to promote trade facilitation, CEA has been supporting the initiative to bring together all African Single Window operators in a single structure with the creation of AAEC, which contributes to the integration of our economies.

For his 2nd General Assembly, AACE revised the following points:

• Activities Report;
• Financial Report;
• Projects;
• Upcoming actions;
• Admission of new members.

A road map has been adopted for each project in pipeline. During the last Steering Committee held in Accra, many projects have been identified:

• Pilot projects (exchange of e-docs) among members ;
• Inter regional pilot projects (Africa Regional Economic Communities and other around the world) ;
• Technical and financial partnership agreements with donors (to support projects and Technical assistance);
• Standards implementation guide ;
• Paperless implementation guide ;
• …

Countries like Mali, Tunisia, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya have expressed their wish to join the African Alliance.

2009

The Executive Committee of the African Alliance for e-Commerce held its second meeting on 9-10th December 2009 in Accra, Ghana. The meeting was organized by GCNet of Ghana. Addressing the audience at the opening ceremony, the Ghanaian Minister of Communication, in charge of IT development laid emphasis on the advantages of e-business in the promotion of national development. In this respect, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has conducted several studies aimed at backing the development and harmonizing of relevant policies and rules in a bid to promote the expansion of e-commerce all over the continent. ECOWAS has also issued guidelines to facilitate e-trade within the sub region.

The Executive Committee of the African Alliance for e-Commerce held its second meeting on 9-10th December 2009 in Accra, Ghana. The meeting was organized by GCNet of Ghana. Addressing the audience at the opening ceremony, the Ghanaian Minister of Communication, in charge of IT development laid emphasis on the advantages of e-business in the promotion of national development. In this respect, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has conducted several studies aimed at backing the development and harmonizing of relevant policies and rules in a bid to promote the expansion of e-commerce all over the continent. ECOWAS has also issued guidelines to facilitate e-trade within the sub region. Members recalled the genesis of the African Alliance for e-Commerce and adopted a work plan. A roadmap of the main activities to carry out has been drafted. The Alliance aims to set up a platform meant to be a framework of promotion for Single Window operators, a resource center for countries having a Single Window project, but also an interface with international bodies and donors. It also seeks to promote standards and technologies in terms of exchanges of trade-related documents. Members recalled the genesis of the African Alliance for e-Commerce and adopted a work plan. A roadmap of the main activities to carry out has been drafted. The Alliance aims to set up a platform meant to be a framework of promotion for Single Window operators, a resource center for countries having a Single Window project, but also an interface with international bodies and donors. It also seeks to promote standards and technologies in terms of exchanges of trade-related documents.

The Executive Committee of the African Alliance for Electronic Commerce (AAEC) held its first meeting on 21st April 2009 at the Palmeraie Gold Palace Hotel in Marrakech, Morocco, on the sidelines of the IT Conference-Exhibition of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) on the theme: « Single Windows : advantages for traders .» AAEC Executive members took this occasion to convene, in light of the paramount importance of the conference theme. The Executive Committee meeting was organised by the National Foreign Trade Council of Morocco. At the end of the proceedings, the AAEC board took the option to hold bi-annual meetings of the Executive Committee.

The African Alliance for Electronic Business was officially set up on 13th March 2009 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the sidelines of a workshop on trade facilitation, with the acting Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) attending.

The idea to create an African Alliance for e-Business fashioned after the one existing in the Asian region (Pan-Asian Alliance for E-Commerce) was addressed for the first time in November 2008 in Dakar during the International Conference on Single Windows. A group of countries had volunteered to develop the reflection and prepare the constituent General Assembly.

During the Dakar confab, UNECA announced, through the African Trade Policies Centre (ATPC), its willingness to host the African Alliance’s constituent General Assembly in Addis Ababa on the sidelines of a workshop on trade facilitation slated for March 2009.

The constituent General Assembly took place as scheduled and has elected members of an Executive Committee chaired by Senegal in the person of Ibrahima Nour Eddine DIAGNE, Managing Director of GAINDE 2000. The Executive Committee also comprises representatives of Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Morocco, Libya and Congo. The other founding members are Madagascar, Gabon and Togo. The Alliance mainly seeks to step up and promote trade-related Single Windows in Africa.

It is endowed with the following three (3) technical commissions:

• Commission in charge of organisation and promotion ;
• Technology and Standards Commission ;
• Projects Commission.

The first meeting of the Executive Commission is scheduled for April 2009 in Marrakech, at the invitation of the King of Morocco. The meeting will be held on the sidelines of the International Conference of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) on Information Technologies that will, this year, touch on Single Windows.

2008

The first edition of the International Conference on Single Windows held in Dakar on 5-7th November 2008 was kicked off by the African Forum on e-business.

During this Forum, participants concerned examined the opportunity to set up a Pan-African Alliance for e-Business fashioned after its counterpart in Asia - Asian Alliance for e-Business (PAA) – on two occasions:

• The dinner of the African group to discuss the modalities of setting up the Pan-African Alliance;
• The meeting of the Action Committee to set up the Task Force in charge of steering the Alliance’s creation process.

The dinner provided the opportunity to unveil the concept paper and identify countries due to form the Action Committee on the Alliance establishment project.

The initiative to set up the Pan-African Alliance for e-Business was hailed by all the participants who stressed the need to gather the maximum of participants including countries currently implementing Single Windows.