Thanks to TFWA Program support, Guinea-Bissau’s NTFC members participated in the ECOWAS NTFC Online Empowerment Program. This capacity-building program—delivered via courses focused on a wide range of topics, including the TFA and International Trade Facilitation standards—aims to improve the skills and competencies of NTFC members across the region. The empowerment program teaches NTFC members how to effectively perform their duties and move their trade facilitation agendas forward in a coordinated manner.

Building on the skills taught in the empowerment program, in July, the TFWA team, supported by the World Bank Office in Guinea-Bissau, conducted a field mission to work with NTFC members and ensure effective coordination of WTO TFA and African Continental Free

Trade Area (AfCFTA) commitments. During the mission, the TFWA team met with NTFC members and top officials from the trade, customs, tax, investment promotion, and industrial fishing sectors. The discussions focused on supporting NTFC members as they assess the NTFC’s maturity, prepare WTO categorization notifications, and diagnose alignment with WTO TFA provisions. The mission yielded a comprehensive NTFC Action Plan as well as four ad-hoc technical working groups (comprising 24 stakeholders) that will analyze WTO TFA alignment, with conclusions expected by October 2024.

The mission also identified several critical issues at the legislative and operational levels and significant logistical and infrastructural challenges. Key recommendations provided by the TFWA Program include strengthening the NTFC’s operational role, enhancing stakeholder engagement, and creating strategic planning tools to advance trade reforms.

To continue supporting Guinea-Bissau’s NTFC in its coordination and planning mandate, plans are underway for an additional TFWA Program mission in December 2024. At the same time, the TFWA Program is planning a capacity-building/field campaign targeted at SSCBTs. This campaign will highlight the benefits of international, continental, and regional trade facilitation instruments and show how traders, especially women, can better reap these benefits. The TFWA Program is committed to ensuring Guinea Bissau is capacitated to coordinate a robust

trade facilitation implementation strategy that improves cross-border trade.