COMESA to facilitate small scale cross border trade

NORTHERN PROVINCE GICUMBI - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in partnership with Germany technical cooperation Non Governmental Organization (GTZ), last thursday conducted a one day workshop to sensitize Gicumbi District leaders along with those from sectors bordering Uganda and Small scale border traders on ways of facilitating and promoting cross border trade.

Monday, July 20, 2009
Coordinators of COMESA cross border tradersu2019 promotion team training Gicumbi District leaders at Hotel Urumuli last Thusday.

NORTHERN PROVINCE

GICUMBI - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in partnership with Germany technical cooperation Non Governmental Organization (GTZ), last thursday conducted a one day workshop to sensitize Gicumbi District leaders along with those from sectors bordering Uganda and Small scale border traders on ways of facilitating and promoting cross border trade.

The workshop took place at Byumba’s Hotel Urumuli.

Speaking to The New Times, one of the workshop coordinators Julius Mwanga said their delegation has been carrying out focus group discussions with district authorities and border traders along Uganda/Rwanda sharing the Gatuna border point since Monday. "We are here to strengthen trade along Gatuna border amongst ourselves”, said Mwanga.

He further said that the aim of the workshop was to equip small scale border traders with business and management skills, since most of them lack adequate knowledge in business and entrepreneurship.

A COMESA delegate accompanying the team Colin Chifabwa said a major forum bringing together Rwandan and Ugandan small scale cross border business traders shall be convened in Uganda’s border town of Kabale from 10th to 14th August, in which 60 traders from both Uganda and Rwanda trained on business entrepreneurship skills.

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