Page 31 - DIVA_4_2007_No.31

"Buying from Africa for Africa"

An International Trade Centre success story

However, achieving this
has not always been an easy
task... Much persistence
and the breakdown of mis-
conceptions on both sides
as well as building capacity
through technical cooper-
ation were the remedies
required.

Consider that in the United The fact is that people tend
to believe that Africa
Nations system, agencies
exports only a few primary
spend more than USD 9
commodities and that local
billions on goods and
services every year, of producers are unable to
supply high quality mate-
which 60 % is destined for between the two parties. in a meeting organized by
rials at competitive prices.
humanitarian relief or the DTI, South Africa's
The African firms, on the
development assistance to It is a common place that Department of Trade. As the
other hand, believed that
African countries. How- most trade fairs and continent's main exporter,
the market was too
ever, according to the Inter- exhibitions dedicated to the South Africa has been the
complex for access and that
Agency aid market are held in leading African supplier to
Procurement
the aid agencies did not
Services Agency, just 10% developed
countries,
the UN and, together with
want to procure from
of total UN procurement in making participation by Kenya, hosts many procure-
2003 was supplied from African sources. Both were African countries difficult. ment offices. However, its
African countries. proved wrong. Therefore, there were very share in UN procurement is
few face to face encounters still very small, therefore
The ITC started working
With the support of between aid agencies and there is still great scope for
with the aid agencies to
Norway, the ITC program- African enterprises in the the development of local
determine their needs from
me has boosted that share past. business through the aid pro-
the local market. It
and as a result several aid curement market.
agencies have modified identified potential partners Since the very beginning of
meeting the requirements
their procurement practices the programme, ITC has So, while the results of the
set by the aid agencies and
to promote regional organized face-to-face business day are being
organized training and
sourcing. Today about 15% meetings with suppliers and assessed, the planning of
capacity building sessions
or more comes from Africa, UN procurement officers other similar "days" is under
on both sides. The final step
more than 50% comes from from the different aid preparation.
was to organize face to face
the developing countries, agencies in order to change
meetings in order to
and the figures are going perceptions and to increase For further information
establish direct contact
UP... contact between these two contact Sylvie Bétemps

worlds. Cochin at the ITC...
Last June the programme Sylvie Bétemps
even went a step further South-South Trade, Promotion
when it proved its sustaina- Programme, Office for
Interregional Programmes
bility. For the first time, 55
International Trade Centre
South African suppliers and
(ITC) 54, rue de Montbrillant
more than 20 United
1202 Geneva 10, Switzerland
procurement
Nations
officers met to explore on
how to expand South
African business among
UN buyers for relief items
4 2007 Diva 29
w w w divainternational . c h