The Trade Policy Training Centre in Africa (ESAMI-trapca) is a Centre within the Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI), which is an intergovernmental institute that is ISO certified and recognized by UNECA as a Centre of Excellence. ESAMI-trapca was inaugurated in December 2006, with the mandate of providing training and technical expertise on trade issues to professionals in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and low income Sub-Saharan African countries. Situated in Arusha, ESAMI-trapca is owned by ESAMI and in partnership with Lund University in Sweden.
Since its inception made possible by ESAMI and Sida partnership, ESAMI-trapca has focused its efforts on building long-lasting and sustainable solutions to economic challenges and aspirations of indigent sub-Sahara African countries.
The strategic response to the identified African capacity needs on trade is anchored on trapca’s vision to be a centre of excellence in Trade Policy and Trade Law in Africa. This is driven by the mission to build capacities of African countries for effective integration at policy development, negotiations, implementation and enforcement processes of international trade. The main capacity challenges identified from the needs analysis include the limited negotiation skills, policy design coupled with very limited capacity to implement and enforce obligations under the trade agreements entered into by African countries.
In this regard, to generate strategic results from quality training of relevant target beneficiaries, the Centre will leverage on effective partnerships, networking, effective governance and operational efficiency. The strategic results will be generated through the pursuit of the strategic priorities that will guide the Centre’s operations. These among others include offering training with a focus on Africa. This will be supported by strategic partnerships and efficient operations aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the Centre.
ESAMI-trapca programmes are based on the trade capacity needs within LDCs and other low income Sub-Saharan African countries. The Centre will continue to ensure that programmes benefit from periodic research carried out in the form of training needs assessment and participants’ feedback. Programme appraisal, tracer studies and impact assessment form important parts of ESAMI-trapca’s training and capacity building process.
The instructional methods of ESAMI-trapca‘s programmes is aimed at providing learners with work workrelated skills and high retention rates of the knowledge imparted. The pedagogy will incorporate multi-modal delivery mechanisms for course materials (e.g. case studies, in-field situational tasks, simulation and role playing, trade data retrieval exercises, and presentation of course exercises and tasks).
Tailor made programmes and courses will be designed to address clients’ specific training needs. These will be conducted on mutual arrangement at venues and dates convenient to the client.
As a highly specialised trade policy and trade law training institution, trapca aims at being a converging centre where trade personnel from LDCs and low income countries meet and share experiences on how to engage in the context of the multilateral, regional and bilateral trading systems. As the premier African based, LDC-focused trade policy, trade law and trade facilitation training institution in Africa, trapca’s capability is engrained in the following characteristics: