JITAP Tanzania

Counterpart Organisations

JITAP implementation in Tanzania started in 1998. At the conclusion of four years of operations JITAP I is perceived as a programme that has effectively addressed the concerns of Tanzania as an LDC, in the context of the Multilateral Trading System. Technical assistance was provided for developing a core group of experts/resource persons on MTS, and for building a support framework for the Government to meet its MTS obligations and exercise its rights under a rule based system. It was also extended to facilitate an understanding of the emerging requirements of the country in the areas of trade information services, export financing, and for understanding markets and developing sector strategies. The work done contributed to building the capacity and the knowledge base of relevant counterpart institutions. All planned activities in the country were completed by December 2002.

1/ MTS Institutional support, Compliance, Policies, and negotiations: The NSC has 21 members and was responsible for overseeing JITAP implementation. The latter, known as the Inter-Institutional Technical Committee (IITC) in Tanzania, has 86 members.

2/ Strengthening MTS Reference Centres, and NEPs on TBT and SPS: Three Reference Centres have been set up.

The Institute for Multilateral Trading System (IMTS), an NGO recently established in Tanzania, is a direct outcome of work done under JITAP I. Members of the IMTS are qualified trainers. The Institute is expected to extend professional support to the IITC, widely disseminate information on WTO Agreements, contribute to national capacity building with respect to MTS, and to support measures for deriving economic benefits from trade. The country benefited from participation in nine specialized sub-regional workshops and the Geneva Training course, all organized by JITAP, to improve the knowledge of participants on MTS issues, share experiences, and to enhance its participation in the ongoing multilateral trade negotiations.

4/ Product and Services Sector Strategies: Sector strategies, along with action plans for their implementation, have been developed using the ITC seven step methodology based on a “bottom up” approach under the guidance of a “Coach” for: Textiles and Clothing, and Spice sectors.

Preparation, publication and distribution of the two reference guides: “Trade Secrets the Export Answer Book” and “How to Approach Banks” by the Board of External Trade (BET) has been useful in supporting the trade development efforts of private sector enterprises and of public sector institutions dealing with trade.