麻豆传媒

Bujumbura, Burundi

Trade is a powerful driver of development but for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), trading internationally can be far more complicated and costly than it is for others. Without direct access to ports, LLDCs depend on neighboring transit countries, adding layers of procedures, potential delays, and extra costs. The challenge goes beyond geography. Inadequate infrastructure, inefficient border processes, and fragmented regulations contribute significantly to high trade costs, which can severely limit the ability of LLDCs to compete in global markets.

The Awaza Programme of Action for LLDCs for the Decade 2024-2034 (APoA), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2024, renews a prioritization of actions to support LLDCs in trade facilitation, transit and transport. This includes supporting LLDCs to measure and address the specific factors that drive these costs through practical tools and reliable data to diagnose where bottlenecks occur and how best to resolve them.

This workshop was designed to meet that need. It introduces a hybrid approach to trade and transport cost estimation, combining training on macro-level tools such as gravity models and global trade databases with hands-on methods like the Time Cost Distance Model (TCDM) and Border Performance Index (BPI). The sessions aim to help participants gain both conceptual understanding and practical skills they can apply in real-world contexts.

Day 1 provides an overview of trade cost concepts and macro-level estimation techniques, then shifts to applied exercises using real-world datasets. Day 2 moves further into practice, offering tools and guidance for primary data collection, local analysis, and converting findings into actionable policy strategies tailored to LLDC environments.

This workshop also offers a platform to build a network of committed practitioners from government, the private sector, and academia. Collaborative learning creates opportunities for new ideas to emerge, partnerships to form, and trade cost challenges to be addressed more effectively laying the foundation for meaningful and lasting improvements in trade performance.