Technical Assistance to enhance value addition, market access and competitiveness of private sector in Namibia in order to promote trade under the EPA

Detailed description of project Back

This project is part of the EPA Implementation Support programme, financed by the EU, with the overall objective to enhance Namibia’s inclusive and sustainable economic growth by increasing trade between the SADC EPA states and the EU as well as among the SADC EPA states group. The project has four specific objectives:

1. Enabling institutional framework for effectively managing the EPA in the areas of SPS, TBT and Rules in Origin is in place (SO1);
2. Improved EPA related national quality infrastructure and services (SO2);
3. Enhanced use of EPA opportunities by private sector operators (SO3);
4. Support project: enhanced competitiveness of value chains (SO4).

The fourth specific objective (SO4) of the Programme which is the subject of this assignment provides for the following outputs for the selected value chains:

• Enhanced capacity for marketing, branding and packaging;
• Strengthened capacity of sector associations to provide business services;
• Strengthened collaboration with regional and European operators;
• Improved standardisation of product and production process.

The expected outputs of this contract are as follows:

Result 1: Improvement of legal and regulatory environment of trade and business:

• Output 1.1: Special economic zones (SEZ) regulations and masterplan drafted;
• Output 1.2: Review of Import and Export Control Act;
• Output 1.3: Development of a National Standardisation Strategy

Result 2: Enhanced value chain development:

• Output 2.1: Value chain development of cosmetics sector;
• Output 2.2: Enhanced Competitiveness of Charcoal & Coloured Gemstone Sector Value Chains;
• Output 2.3: Updated and selected interventions proposal (s) prepared for further support of Seafood and Mineral Beneficiation Value Chains;
• Output 2.4: Development of meat (poultry, game, wagyu) value chain;
• Output 2.5: Identification of and support to new value chains with export potential.

Result 3: Enhanced information for policy making:

• Output 3.1: Cost-structure survey for Namibia;
• Output 3.2: Social Accounting Matrix.

Result 4: Improved support structure to business development:

• Output 4.1: Reinforced Entrepreneurship Competence for Namibia;
• Output 4.2: Technical advice and services to High Potential Pool of Small-Medium entrepreneurs on product development.

Type of services provided

The programme will utilise a team of key and short-term experts to provide a range of highly specialized and complementary technical services to the beneficiaries in Namibia and ongoing technical assistance to implement the EPA.

The services that will be provided by the technical assistance team will involve assistance in the legal and regulatory national framework, specific value chain development, improving the policy making and support environment for business development. The approach will involve drafting of and contributing to legal, regulatory and policy and strategy documents (including specific Terms of References), training public and private operators in key subjects related to EPA requirements for trade, private sector operational facilitation, among others.

Main staff provided:

• Team leader (440 w/d);
• Business support and value chain development (440 w/d);
• NKE pool (600 w/d).