ICTs to boost trade in Maghreb States
By Petchezi Essodeina, ECA
28 February 2005

A workshop on the use of ICT as a tool to boost trade exchanges within the Union du Maghreb Arabe (UMA) will be held from 1 to 3 March 2005 in Tangiers, Morocco by ICT experts, private sector and civil society representatives from member states.

Jointly organized by UMA, ECA and UNDP, the seminar is mainly intended to raise awareness about the crucial role of ICTs in the intensification of trade exchanges within the sub-region and devise strategies on how to mainstream new technologies in economic and development policies.

Key among the issues to be addressed are: ICT and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the use of online applications for trading of goods and services in the UMA region, e- commerce and the settlement of disputes arising from online transactions.

Like many other developing countries, the Union of Magreb Arab states will not be competitive in the trade sector unless they overcome major obstacles, including the lack of awareness of the potential of ICTs, the lack of basic infrastructure and an enabling legal framework. The workshop will discuss reforms that focus on the use of ICTs to increase productivity, for better market access, poverty alleviation and sustainable development.

The idea of holding this seminar emerged in March last year, during a workshop on multilateral trade, jointly organized by the UMA secretariat, ECA and the Moroccan Government.

For more information, contact Mohammed Timoulali, Regional Advisor, ECA, mtimoulali@uneca.org.