…increasing the stock of knowledge on the role of trade and investment to support development, and enhancing the interaction of ILEAP's network of beneficiaries, advisors and partners
 Trade Facilitation – Perspectives of Low-income Countries |
||||||||
 |
|
|||||||
| Trade in Services: Facilitating pro-development outcomes |
||||||||
| |
|
|||||||
| 2006 - Annual brochure |
||||||||
 |
|
|||||||
| 2005 - Annual brochure |
||||||||
 |
|
|||||||
While there are many factors to consider in the development of an internationally competitive services sector, this paper highlights one of the key, far reaching factors for the private sector – the establishment of a national (and/or regional) coalition of service industries. It helps to demonstrate that the type of service coalitions evolving in developing countries offer an innovative channel to address a range of institutional and practical challenges to micro and small developing country services firms and as such, to unlocking the potential of the services sector to foster inclusive growth, sustainable development and ultimately poverty reduction.
Services affect growth and development through various pathways. They create incomes and employment, help the investment climate, contribute to consumer welfare and promote economic diversification. Services development and trade in services are being affected by capacity, regulatory and external constraints. Although the examined five sub-Saharan African Regional Economic Communities all address regional integration in services, investment and migration to varying degrees, there are mixed results with respect to the actual implementation of agreed provisions. While unique in many ways, there are some elements of commonality in the challenges and constraints being faced. There is a case to be made for supporting a continent-wide approach to promoting service sector development, regional services integration and services liberalization in Africa. This could include providing the AUC with a mandate and resources to monitor and facilitate on-going regional services integration efforts, with a view to establishing an African internal market for services. Interventions could be envisaged at the political and substantive levels.