The Road to the SDGs

X Based on the current economic landscape in the target countries, the primary sectors where this programme’s impact will be felt the most are: – Manufacturing – Agricultural inputs – Health and pharmaceutical. X The programme focuses on designing and carrying out projects and activities that: – Promote economic integration among Arab and African countries – Maximise and increase investment and trade opportunities in prioritised sectors. X It achieves these objectives through the following activities: – New business partnerships – Higher trade and investment between Arab and African countries – Greater public information about market creation efforts – A visible platform for traders to market their exports – Increased communication between businesses located in Arab and African countries – Development of new logistics platforms – Growth in trade finance and export credit insurance from public and private sector institutions. X The programme supports the activities of the private sector from both regions in order to create opportunities for business owners to meet and identify potential investments. In the coming years, it will also give special attention to achieving the following objectives: – Establishing value-chain projects to enhance access to the markets of African and Arab countries – Developing skills in the digital economy – Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of countries in targeting products with high added value – Increasing the competitiveness of exports by controlling the cost of production – Removing obstacles and providing solutions for payments, shipping and the competitiveness of Arab-African trade. ACHIEVEMENTS X Exporters’ and importers’ meetings initiated by the AATB Programme aim to link exporters and importers directly to strengthen trade partnerships in the private sector. In this context, several meetings were held, including in the pharmaceutical sector in the Arab Republic of Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal; and in the food sector in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. X The meetings saw active participation from the private sector from 18 African and 10 Arab countries. The value of the transactions discussed during these activities amounted to about US$ 250 million (US$ 190 million for pharmaceutical materials and accessories and up to US$ 40 million in foodstuffs). X Two business-matching business- to-business (B2B) meetings in 2019 yielded the following results: – An agri-food products event in Dubai, UAE hosted over 1,620 B2B meetings between importers and exporters and led to 120 deals under negotiations, generating US$ 10 million – An event for pharmaceutical products and related industries hosted 602 meetings and 108 deals were negotiated for a value of around US$ 41 million. X Training and education events have also been held, including: – An initiative launched in Senegal in 2019 to transform agriculture by providing nearly 5,000 farmers with comprehensive information about soil nutrients with the aim of directing them towards technology-based agriculture practices. Other countries in West Africa are also considering similar programmes – A training course on regional and world trade for the benefit of OIC African French-speaking MCs, organised with ITFC in cooperation with the Kingdom of Morocco and the Moroccan Higher Institute of Commerce and Business Administration (ISCAE). INVESTMENT X The Governing Board of the AATB Programme consists of the founding members. Continuing investment is secured by inviting other countries and financial or business corporations to join through a financial contribution of at least US$ 500,000 to the Programme’s 3-year operational plan. A A T B E X P O R T E R S ’ A N D I M P O R T E R S ’ M E E T I N G S The meetings saw active participation by the private sector from 18 African and 10 Arab countries. The value of the transactions discussed amounted to about US$250 million [ 97 ] T H E R O A D T O T H E S D G s | P R O G R E S S A N D A C H I E V E M E N T S