The Directorate is responsible for planning and implementation of programmes related to trade facilitation and policy harmonisation in the Member States. The Directorate’s role is to promote and influence policies that guarantee back to back fluidity in the movement of goods and services from origin to destination in the international trade environment.
Programmes and Activities
- Ascertaining and recommending favorable trading practices that would facilitate and promote regional seaborne trade
- Assisting national bodies in setting out mechanisms aimed at improving the flow of goods in the transport corridors as it affects their seaborne trade
- Ascertaining and recommending favorable trading practices that would facilitate and promote regional seaborne trade
- Analysing of the impact of transport policies and regulations on the seaborne trade
- Analysing trade, port, shipping policies and recommending actions towards harmonisation of the regional activities and policies
- Promoting the establishment of national maritime administrations, where they don’t exist and encouraging cooperation among the existing national maritime administrations
- Monitoring route costs of inland transport, investigating the causes and recommending cause of action
- Reviewing and monitoring the modalities for cooperation with other regional organisations on matters pertaining to harmonisation and implementation of commercial maritime conventions, policies and practices
- Assisting in formulation of policies on ways and means of combating HIV/AIDS pandemic on human resource development in the shipping industry
- Assisting in formulating policies and regulations that promote the participation of women
- Assisting in the implementation of solutions to the transport problems of landlocked countries that relate to their seaborne and inland trade
- Assisting national bodies in setting out mechanisms aimed at improving the flow of goods in the transport corridors as it affects their seaborne trade
- Advising member states on the establishment of shippers Councils at national and regional level
- Assisting in providing technical services to Technical Committees