Facilitating Cross-Border Trade between the DRC and Neighbors in the Great Lakes Region of Africa : Improving Conditions for Poor Traders
This report looks at the current situation and opportunities for cross-border trade between Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighbors with a focus on agricultural products. It recognizes that much of current trade across these borders is inf...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank
2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333038_20111014012012 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2785 |
| Summary: | This report looks at the current
situation and opportunities for cross-border trade between
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighbors with a
focus on agricultural products. It recognizes that much of
current trade across these borders is informal and carried
by individual traders, most of whom are poor women. The
report shows that it is very important that informality not
be equated with illegality. The large numbers of traders
that cross the border every day do so through official
border crossings. The aim of the report is to provide
information on the current state and the potential for cross
border trade between the DRC and Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda,
to document the conditions and problems that traders face in
crossing the borders and provide suggestions to policy
makers on the priorities for trade facilitating measures at
the border. Exploiting the potential for cross-border trade
will be an important element of growth and poverty reduction
in the region and a key mechanism for enhancing stability.
Comparing prices for food products in a range of markets in
the three countries, the report underlines the strong role
that cross-border trade could play in reducing differences
in price levels and price volatility of agricultural
products. The report proceeds by describing the current
economic situation in the Great Lakes region and then
provides a brief summary of a detailed analysis of relative
prices of a number of basic food products in markets in
Burundi, DRC and Rwanda and what this implies for the width
of the borders in the region. The next section then
summarizes the results from the survey of cross-border
traders which is followed by a set of recommendations. The
final section concludes and describes a number of steps that
are being taken to address the constraints identified in
this report and discusses ways in which these may be built upon. |
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