“Sweden has supported the EIF since the pledging conference in Stockholm in 2007. The EIF’s focus on least-developed countries makes it a well-suited channel for demand-driven trade facilitation initiatives that can enhance trade and economic growth,” said Dr Ewa Björling, Sweden’s Minister of Trade.

“This additional donation from Sweden comes at a very critical time for the EIF, when a growing number of projects addressing productive capacity and supply-side constraints are being rolled out,” said Dr Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director of the EIF. “These include important trade facilitation projects, such as improvements to the logistics infrastructure and services at the Banjul International Airport in The Gambia and support for customs modernization in the Maldives.”

“We are grateful to Sweden for this new contribution. It is particularly welcome as it provides support to the EIF following its extension to 2015, which was decided following the positive Mid-Term Review of the programme,” said Ambassador Minelik Getahun of Ethiopia, Chairman of the EIF Executive Board.

This latest pledge is in addition to over USD 14 million that Sweden has contributed to the EIF since its inception.

The EIF, an Aid for Trade programme for least-developed countries (LDCs), is a global partnership between LDCs, donors and international organizations that help EIF countries to be more active players in the global trading system by helping them tackle supply-side trade constraints. In this way, the EIF works towards a wider goal of promoting economic growth and sustainable development and helping to lift more people out of poverty.