BACKGROUND
About International Trade Centre (ITC)
The International Trade Centre (ITC) is a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, focusing on developing the export capabilities of small and medium-sized businesses in developing and transition economies. ITC projects and programmes contribute to the global efforts to achieve UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development and the Aid for Trade agenda. ITC works at three levels:
• Strengthening the integration of the business sector of developing countries and economies in transition into the global economy,
• Improving the performance of trade and investment support institutions for the benefit of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enhancing the abilities of trade support institutions to support them better,
• Improving the international competitiveness of SMEs.
About the Project – Migration – Multi Partner Trust Fund Project
The three-year project is funded by the Migration Multi Partner Trust Fund. The joint programme aims to mitigate migration challenges and improve the cross-border environment along the Senegambia bridge (in Jarra West and Upper Baddibou districts) by enhancing border posts to pre-empt situations of vulnerability, strengthening the capacity of border authorities, increasing awareness among women and youth of their rights, and strengthening skills and livelihood opportunities for women and youth. The programme is focused on the Trans-Gambia transport corridors and connects localized support measures in border communities with the broader national development agenda. It addresses the challenges of security, safety, and prosperity in a novel approach through interlinked initiatives with central government, local government, private sector, and civil society associations.
About the support
Women engaging in informal cross-border trade often lack access to information on trade rules and customs procedures and suffer from weak entrepreneurial capacity. As a result, they use informal crossing paths that may expose them to violence, harassment, bribes, high fines and confiscation of their merchandise if caught by border authorities. Their businesses remain a subsistence activity, leaving them unable to transition to profitable and sustainable ones.
In view of these challenges, the relevance of providing support to informal female cross border traders, the, ITC, through the M-MPTF project will support the training of 30 women informal cross border traders in NBR and LRR on cross border trade rules and procedures and entrepreneurship.
Download the terms of reference for more information.
To apply, please submit all quotes (technical and financial) by 7 November 2022 to ygai@intracen.org and scham@intracen.org with the subject “CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT FOR FEMALE SMALL SCALE AND INFORMAL CROSS BORDER TRADERS IN NBR AND LRR”.