Winners of 2018 World Trade Promotion Organization Awards: Ghana, Nigeria, Qatar
(Geneva/Paris) The International Trade Centre (ITC) today announced three national trade and investment promotion organizations as winners of the 2018 World Trade Promotion Organization Awards in Paris.
Best use of information technology:
Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has developed an online facility – the GEPA Market Hub – to deliver trade information to the export community, as well as external buyers. The Market Hub has enabled 24/7 access to trade information previously only available in print or at the GEPA offices.
- Award of recognition:
Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) established an online platform, Cleantech CUBE, which promotes Swiss suppliers of clean technologies to foreign markets. Cleantech technologies include renewable energy, efficiency and other environmental technologies.
Best initiative to ensure that trade is inclusive and sustainable:
Nigerian Export Promotion Council introduced Zero to Export to train exporters on the export process, provide advice on products and markets, and enhance their marketing and management skills. New exports valued at $30 million per year included ginger, cashew kernels, cocoa products, hibiscus, sesame seeds, columbite for use in alloys, monalite for use in engineering and zircon.
- Award of recognition:
The Export Development Authority of Egypt designed the Green Trade Initiative to build export capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those selling agricultural products to Europe. A midterm evaluation found that export sales of participating companies increased by $6 million and 120 export leads were identified in Italy and the Netherlands.
- Award of recognition:
Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry developed a cooperation project to raise incomes and create jobs in rural areas through value addition in sea buckthorn, a local berry, and sheep wool value chains.
Best use of a partnership:
QDB TASDEER, an arm of the Qatar Development Bank, launched the Export Readiness Initiative in 2014. Working with Business France, it has helped to mitigate economic challenges created by a slump in oil prices and an unpredictable geopolitical environment. In recent years, exports diversified into healthcare, engineering, information technology and jewellery. New export markets include China, Oman, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Turkey. Some businesses reported four times the number of export customers after participating in the initiative.
- Award of recognition:
Korea Trade-Invest Promotion Agency’s (KOTRA) Export Voucher Programme offers a ‘cash-like coupon’ for businesses to purchase export support services online. Services cover four stages: Export preparation, finding business partners, contract support and overseas expansion. Through this programme, more than 2,600 enterprises increased exports by 7.2%. Revenues grew by 7.6% from 2016-2017.
Watch the winners’ presentations live on the ITC Facebook page tomorrow at 11:15 am CET: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalTradeCentre/
Recognizing excellence
The 11 organizations nominated for this year’s awards were from Austria, Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nigeria, State of Palestine, Peru, Qatar, Republic of Korea and Switzerland.
The awards – open to all national trade promotion organizations (TPOs) – celebrate TPOs that excel in innovative and effective practices in export-development initiatives. The organizations had to show that they helped micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to become competitive in international markets.
The Awards jury included senior TPO representatives from the 2016 award winners.
Notes to the Editor
The TPO Network World Conference is a biennial event, first held in 1996 in Cartagena, Colombia. The 12th conference brought together more than 200 TPO representatives, policymakers and business leaders from 86 economies. For more information about the event, please visit www.tponetwork.net.
About ITC - The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
For more information, visit www.intracen.org.
About Business France - Business France supports the international development of the French economy. It promotes France’s companies, business image and nationwide attractiveness as an investment location. Founded in 2015 through a merger between UBIFRANCE and the Invest in France Agency, Business France is present across France and in 70 countries around the world.
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