§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what policies the Department has to stimulate trade between African countries. [185838]
§ Hilary BennThe Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting a number of initiatives on developing trade and regional integration between African countries. As part of the G8 Africa Action plan DFID has committed to support African efforts to advance regional economic integration and intra-African trade, including the development of regional institutions. This includes support for the work of the Trade and Regional Integration Department at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and the Africa Union's Trade, Customs and Immigration Ministerial Committee.
381WDFID is also supporting the regional economic communities in Africa to implement free trade areas and customs unions. One example is the £12 million regional trade facilitation programme to help expand trade in Southern Africa, and improve the incomes of poor people by increasing economic opportunities in the region. The programme will cover the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern African (COMESA) secretariats and member states.
The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) which are currently being negotiated between the EU and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries also offer an opportunity to promote regional integration in Africa. One of the key objectives in the Cotonou agreement for EPAs is the development of trade between neighbouring countries. The UK is pressing the European Commission to ensure EPAs progress towards this objective as well as supporting capacity building in African countries to purse this in the negotiations.