WTO and University of Namibia launch regional course for English-speaking Africa

The official inauguration of the First Regional Trade Policy Course (RTPC) for English-speaking Africa in partnership with the University of Namibia took place on 6 June in Windhoek, Namibia. Twenty-seven government officials from 22 African countries are taking part in this course which is being held at the University of Namibia from 6 June to 26 August 2005. The course has been designed with the needs of the English-speaking African region in mind and is delivered by both lecturers from the WTO and specialist lecturers from the region.

The RTPC was officially inaugurated by Mr. Paul Rolian, Director of the WTO Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation, and the Hon. Immanuel Ngatjizeko, MP, Minister of Trade and Industry. Professor Geoffrey Kiangi, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Namibia also made a welcoming address. Mr. H Riruako, Dean, Faculty of Economics & Management Science was Master of Ceremony. Representatives from the University of Namibia, as well as a significant representation by the Namibian Government and other dignitaries attended the ceremony.

In his opening address, the Hon. Immamuel Ngatjizeko, MP warmly welcomed the participants to the RTPC. He said that the partnership entered into between the WTO and the University of Namibia represented an important milestone in Namibia's quest for sustainable technical assistance and capacity building and enjoyed the unwavering and fullest support of the Government of the Republic of Namibia. Professor Geoffrey Kiangi, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs and Research, said that he hoped the RTPC would help participants to understand global areas of concern and that as a result participants would be able to help deal with those issues.

Mr. Rolian welcomed the participants on behalf the Director-General of the WTO. He expressed his gratitude to the University of Namibia for their supportive partnership. He underlined the objectives of the course but also the overall context in which the RTPCs were held in different regions of the world with the view to providing a regional resource base for WTO matters. He recalled the main objective of the RTPC which is to widen participants' understanding of trade policy maters, the multilateral trading system, international trade law and the functioning of the WTO. Through the RTPC, it is expected to increase the number of government officials in the region with a solid foundation of knowledge on the WTO, allowing them to contribute to more active participation by their countries in the work of the WTO and to increase the capacity of governments in the region to articulate and promote their national interests.

RTPCs are part of the WTO's technical assistance and capacity building programme, and are modelled on three-month trade policy courses that have been organized by the GATT/WTO in Geneva for 50 years. They were first introduced in 2002 and have since been held in Africa, in the Caribbean and in Hong Kong, China. A RTPC for Latin America will be held later this year in Santiago, Chile

  

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