Publication: Republic of Congo Trade Facilitation Intervention: Trade Facilitation between Congo and Its Neighbors - Addressing the Bottlenecks
Loading...
Published
2015-05
ISSN
Date
2017-08-29
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Trade facilitation is one of the key engines of growth in an economy. Improving the quality and reliability of the trade facilitation infrastructure and services is a major building block for reducing transaction costs, attracting domestic and foreign investment, and expanding access to economic opportunities. The Government of Congo, Rep. recognizesthat more needs to be done to address existing constraints to intra-regional trade. Indeed, efficient trade facilitation is central to achieving the objectives of Congo’s Vision 2025, whose overarching goal is to transform the country from a lower middle income economy to an upper middle income export-oriented economy. Attaining the country’s vision will require the addressing of at least three key constraints. Firstly, low investment in the development and maintenance ofthe country’s physical infrastructure; secondly, an insufficient and ineffective capacity to deliver therequired transport and port services; and thirdly, a lack of international competitiveness and export diversification. Addressing these constraints will catalyze the development of modern transport infrastructureand services, contributing to a reduction in the cost of doing business and thus increasing the country’scompetitiveness.Several policies and other interventions have been implemented by the Government to address the country’s trade facilitation challenges. Some of these interventions prioritize improving the quality and reliability of transport and port infrastructure and service, whichis critical for reducing transaction costs and attracting investments, contributing to the broader goals of inclusive growth by connecting rural communities toeconomic activities. This report aims to complement these efforts by making two key contributions. Firstly, it identifies thecore trade facilitation bottlenecks facing the country,and explores options for mitigating these challenges. Secondly, it presents an action plan covering both theexpansion of physical infrastructure and the developmentof transport sector structure, regulation, and institutional capacity; distinguishing between the short-and longer-term measures. The action plan is expected to strengthen the strategy for sustainable economic development and for informing dialogue on required reform measures. The report’s recommendations are also expected to support more inclusive growth, and also ensure that said inclusive growth is sustainable. It is hoped that the report’s findings will be used to inform the designand implementation of the measures required to promote trade facilitation.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2015. Republic of Congo Trade Facilitation Intervention: Trade Facilitation between Congo and Its Neighbors - Addressing the Bottlenecks. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28080 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Trade and Transport Facilitation in South Asia : Systems in Transition, Volume 1. Summary and Main Report(Washington, DC, 2008-06-23)Over the past few decades, the World trading system has become increasingly more open. Tariff rates have been reduced and quantitative restrictions (quotas) have been progressively eliminated, e.g. the Multi-Fiber Agreement (MFA). Most countries have adopted more outward-looking economic policies, seeking to increase growth and employment through expanding exports. Such outward looking policies have even been adopted by countries which previously pursued policies based on import substitution as in South Asia. Protective trade restrictions still persist, but tend to be in terms of more subtle non-tariff barriers (such as sanitary or phyto-sanitary standards), though anti-dumping measures and temporary quantity restrictions are still used by many countries to shield domestic producers. Trade regulations no longer solely attempt to protect domestic producers; their scope has extended to cover the need for enhanced security and the desire for greater consumer protection through the traceability of the production chain for many agricultural products. Intense competition compels firms to reduce costs throughout their manufacturing and distribution processes. Outsourcing to lower cost firms and countries has been one major source of cost reduction, reduced inventory costs through just-in-time manufacturing, and distribution systems has been another. Both are predicated on efficient, reliable and low-cost supply chains. With the worldwide fall in tariff levels, the efficiency of supply chains and the associated logistics costs are becoming core determinants of the competitiveness of both firms and countries. They may also influence the destination of inward direct investment; many countries can offer low labor costs and tax incentives, fewer can offer quick, efficient, reliable, and low cost logistics.Publication Cambodia Trade Corridor Performance Assessment(Phnom Penh, 2014-04)The study found that logistics costs are high due to transshipment costs and various forms of payments. Many of these payments are imposed by the private sector with little or no transparency on how or where the costs are incurred. International trade corridors in Cambodia therefore perform well in terms of time but not cost. However, the corridors with transshipment have higher costs than the national corridor between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville or the river corridor to the port of Cai Mep in Vietnam. Large shippers and international firms prefer to use several sub-contractors to make logistics arrangements so they do not have to coordinate what can be fairly complex and challenging arrangements for shipments. Intermediation in logistics is largely carried out by local agencies, leading to high intermediation costs. The main reason for the high intermediation cost is the prevalence and wide acceptance of facilitation fees as inducements for fast clearance and processing. Facilitation fees, largely informal, contribute to the high costs of logistics. Intermediaries, mostly forwarders and brokers, play a key role in collecting these payments. However, payment of such fees is clouded by lack of transparency. One of the main challenges is how to deal with informal payments in logistics in Cambodia. Another contributor to high costs is private sector capacity in the provision of logistics services, which is still low. Most of the truck fl eet is operated by family-run businesses owning a few trucks. Trucks are generally old which contributes also to the lack of appetite to operate across borders and at the same time compromises the feasibility of developing an effective transit system.Publication Lao PDR : Trade and Transport Facilitation Assessment(Washington, DC, 2014-04)In Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), the value of trade has risen rapidly over the last decade with both imports and exports increasing by average annual rate of 24 percent. This report examines the trade logistics of Lao PDR. A trade and transport facilitation assessment was performed using a standardized toolkit and methodology developed by the World Bank to evaluate the quality of the logistics services. The assessment focused on the services used by these trades and the corridors used by these services. The assessment gave specific attention to two constraints on trade, the location of the country and the size of the trade. The study is organized in three interrelated parts: assessing the performance of the logistics sector; the international trade corridors linking Lao PDR to trade gateways in Thailand; and the supply chains used for distribution of exports. This report is presented in four sections. The first part examines the foreign trade of Lao PDR, the opportunities for growth and the logistics services in the movement of imports and exports between the country and its major gateways. The second section evaluates the performance of the corridors connecting the major origins and destinations in the country and the principal seaport used for international trade. The third section analyses the structure and performance characteristics of the supply chains used for selected trades and the implications for restructuring to support growth in the export trade. The final section presents a series of recommendations for improving the competitiveness of the exports through improvements in the structure of the supply chains, the logistics services used by these supply chains, and the corridors used by these supply chains.Publication Improving Trade and Transport for Landlocked Developing Countries(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-11)Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) are completely dependent on their transit neighbors infrastructure and administrative procedures to transport their goods to port. This publication provides a comprehensive ten-year review in order to assess the progress made in improving access of LLDCs to global markets, identify the remaining challenges faced by LLDCs, and present improved and innovative ways to overcome them. This publication is based on the practical knowledge from implementing the Almaty Program policies, shared by both of our institutions. It provides a snapshot of the economic trends in LLDCs, with regard to trade costs, connectivity constraints and trade diversification. It reviews the key access policies in the Almaty Program of Action framework that include infrastructure, transport and logistics services, regional integration, trade and transit facilitation. It combines data and substantial feedback from implemented projects and policy changes. The focus of the document is general in scope and does not include detailed economic or policy analysis of all the potential components of reforms. The publication is organized as follows: Chapter1: Economics of Landlockedness; Chapter 2: Connectivity Constraints; Chapter 3: Hinterland Connections; Chapter 4: Transit and Trade Facilitation, Regional Integration; Chapter 5: Physical Connectivity, Corridors. This document is based primarily on the experience of project implementation by the World Bank, and on analytical work on trade corridors and LLDCs, including reports and presentations on progress in implementing the Almaty Program of Action.Publication Improving Trade and Transport for Landlocked Developing Countries : World Bank Contributions to Implementing the Almaty Programme of Action(Washington, DC, 2013-06)A ministerial intergovernmental conference in pursuit of these commitments was held in August 2003 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The conference agreed to the Almaty Programme of Action (APoA), calling for joint efforts by transit and landlocked countries-with substantial technical and financial assistance from other countries-to revise their regulatory frameworks affecting trade movements and to improve their trade-related infrastructure. The two World Bank strategies and the APoA have the same overarching objective: to support the countries targeted by the proposed objectives and actions, in order to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. The report is divided into six sections. Section one provides a comparison of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and transit countries in terms of trade performance. It particularly focuses on the growth of total trade and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in light of trade openness and export diversification. This is followed in section two by an assessment of logistics performance and trade costs of landlocked countries, and their transit and coastal neighbors, on the basis of the Logistics Performance Index (LPI). The operational challenges for traders in LLDCs, including unreliable supply chains and delays, as well the underlying causes, are discussed in section three. Section four then focuses on the various activities of the World Bank to address the key priorities of the Almaty programme, with a focus on regional integration and trade facilitation. In continuation, section five highlights some of the regional integration and trade facilitation projects and initiatives that are being implemented. The report concludes by re-emphasizing the continued validity of several of the original APoA priorities for financial and technical assistance, in the context of the World Bank's overall strategic goals (section six).
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Business Ready 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03)Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth : Lessons for Eastern Europe and Central Asia(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2007)This study explores public finance policies in the transition countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and their likely effects on economic growth. The analysis is organized in three parts. Part one reviews public finance systems across the ECA region with regard to overall size, structure of expenditures and revenues, and patterns of fiscal adjustment over time. It compares these patterns and trends in ECA countries against those in fast-growing economies in other regions, and it explores possible relationships between these public finance variables and rates of economic growth. Part two undertakes detailed analysis of public expenditures policies in four major areas: infrastructure, education, health, and pensions. Part three turns to the revenue side of the budget and looks in detail at two issues of particular importance in current policy debates: the impact of flat income tax reforms and the level and structure of taxes on labor.Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.