Applied negotiation skills for trade

Statement of need

Trade negotiations have been a major preoccupation of almost all African countries. Parallel negotiations have generally become a defining feature of these negotiations. Despite lean structures that characterize most African countries’ administrations in charge of trade policy and trade negotiations, trade negotiations at bilateral, regional, RTA and multilateral levels continue to preoccupy countries as they seek to open markets and deepen their trade ties. This course aims to build the competencies and capacities of trade negotiators and further impart the requisite skillset that characterises a successful trade negotiator.

The course on trade negotiations and cooperation introduces participants to the art and science of trade negotiations. It covers key features of international relations and principles that broadly define negotiations in their broader perspectives. The course delves deep into political economy questions that characterize trade negotiations at multilateral, regional, continental, bilateral and domestic levels. It further considers negotiation strategies and methods, phases of negotiation, cross-cultural nature of negotiations, key players in trade negotiations, subject matter for trade negotiations and typology of players in trade negotiations and related rationale for each of these aspects.

Course Objectives

• Ability to think critically, strategically and independently on any negotiation subject matter
• Acquiring conceptual, theoretical and applied knowledge of negotiation concepts
• Obtaining hands-on experience on how to engage in trade negotiations
• Ability to think critically, strategically and independently on trade policy, trade regulation and trade negotiations subject matter.
• Identify and understand basic determinants of trade and trade policy.
• Analyse the economic implications for developing countries of divergent forms of trade regulations.
• Understand and interpret the legal framework that regulates international trade
• Exposing participants to the political economy questions of domestic, regional and international trade regulation
• Understanding the rationale behind various formats of trade negotiations
• Exposing participants to the political economy questions of domestic, regional and international trade negotiations
• Acquiring requisite skills to prepare for and efficiently and effectively engage in trade negotiations
• Understanding and conceptualizing negotiation strategies, tactics and techniques of trade negotiations, how and when to implement them.
• Acquiring skills to define and distinguish negotiations interests and positions and determine their drivers
• Cultivating competencies of a principled negotiator
• Identifying various gambits and tactics used in negotiations and the ability to strategies on the same.
• Developing a negotiators toolbox akin to trade negotiations 

Content

• Trade policy, trade regulation and trade negotiations subject matter.
• Identify and understand basic determinants of trade and trade policy.
• Economic implications for developing countries of divergent forms of trade regulations.
• The legal framework that regulates international trade
• Conceptual complexities of liberalisation and their implications on the domestic economy and regional integration
• Trade negotiations and formulation of international trade norms and rules
• An enhanced understanding of the linkages between international and regional to the national economic and development agenda
• Trade policies that are subject to international trade negotiations and their relationship to national policy space
• The need for domestic policy space and creating competitive regional and continental markets and knowledge of accountability mechanisms associated with negotiation and implantation of trade agreements
• Review the rationale behind creating consultative and substantive links with various stakeholders and constituents
• Tools and Techniques for trade policy negotiations

Target group

• Officials from Trade and Trade Related Ministries and parastatals, officials from Regional Economic Communities, Negotiators, and Regional Integration Practitioners. Ministries of law including attorney general offices, ministries of foreign affairs, ministries of trade and finance etc.

Duration
2 Weeks

Venues
a) Venue 1: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Date: 1 – 12 April 2024

b) Venue 2: Arusha, Tanzania
Date: 9 – 20 December 2024

Course Fees
$1,600