PROGRAMME

Sunday 18 February 2007

12:00-22:00
19:00-21:00 Registration and distribution of badges
Welcoming reception organised by United Nations Economic commission for Africa

Monday 19 February 2007

8:00 - 8:30
8:30-10:30
Registration and distribution of badges
Inaugural session. Welcoming addresses by: Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa
H.E. Mr. Mustapha Mechahouri, Minister of Foreign Trade, Morocco Mr. Habib Ben Yahia, Secretary-General of the Arab Maghreb Union
Mr. Hedi Jilani, President of the Maghreb Union of Employers
Keynote address: H.E. Mr. Hassan Abouyoub, roving Ambassador: Trade and integration in North Africa, the challenges today
Discussions

10:30-10:45 Coffee break

10:45-13:00 Parallel sessions:
1. Justification and prerequisites of trade promotion and regional integration
2. Bank governance: International standards and trade facilitation
3. The role of information and communication technology in trade promotion

13:00-14:30
13:30-14:30
14:30-18:00
16:00-16:15
20:00-22:00
Free lunch
Market place and bilateral meetings between stakeholders
Parallel session (contd.)
Coffee break
Diner hosted by the Government of Morocco

Tuesday 20 February 2007

8:30-11:00
11:00-11:15
11:15-12:30
Continuation and closure of the parallel sessions
Coffee break
Bilateral meetings between stakeholders Synthesis and preparation of the final declaration

12:30-14:00 Lunch hosted by Attijariwafa Bank

14:00-15:30 Ministerial dialogue chaired by H.E. Mr. Mustapha Mechahouri, Minister of Foreign Trade, Morocco
Questions posed by the focal groups and answers by ministers
Reading out of the final declaration

15:30-16:00
16:00-17:00 Closure
Press conference

Parallel session 1 : Justification and prerequisites of trade promotion and regional integration

Introductive presentation: Karim Laraki, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

1. The virtuous circle of the promotion of exports, economic growth and employment generation
North Africa is characterized by three economic phenomena: a significant increase of economic growth rates during the last five years, the persistence of high unemployment rates and a very small volume of intra-regional trade. This session will explore means of generating a virtuous cycle of exports-economic growth-employment generation by tapping the huge potential of intra-regional trade development in North Africa while seeking to strike the necessary balance between liberalization and protection.

- Balance between liberalization and protection, Hakim Ben Hammouda, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
- Global Economic Prospects, Managing the Next Wave of Globalization and Trade, John Panzer, World Bank
- The virtuous circle of the promotion of exports, economic growth and job creation, Amany Asfour, Egyptian Business Women Association.

2. Innovation in economic policies: Research, innovation and competitiveness
The countries of the region are engaged in ambitious policies aiming at upgrading their industries. These policies had begun to bear fruit. This session will explore how the integration of economies will achieve new levels of growth by enhancing the productive capacities and increasing the possibilities of exporting more and better goods. The themes to be discussed are:

• Lessons to learn from industrial restructuring in the region;
• Lessons learned from experiences of regional integration to determine the degrees of convergence or harmonization of institutional and economic policies in North Africa;
• Synergies between the countries of the region to enhance productive capacities and boost exports.
• The issue of non-tariff barriers and intellectual property rights.
- Industrial quality and development, Jean Luc Bernard, UNIDO
- The nexus innovation, agriculture and job creation, Hiroko Isoda, Alliance for Research on North Africa, Japon
- Intellectual property rights and competitiveness, Mohammed Benjelloun, Ministry of Foreign Trade, Morocco.

3. Operationalisation of regional and multilateral trade
The increase of Free Trade Zones and association agreements witnesses the active commitment of the countries of the region to liberalize trade. It is therefore important to put in place the means for dismantling these overlapping agreements and remove obstacles to their application. Pertinent issues in this subject are:

• How to remove trade barriers?
• Where are now on the South-South relations
• Association agreements and Free Trade Zones: are they steps towards regional integration?
- Multilateral trade negotiations and regional initiatives: strategies for developing countries, Robert Hamwey, UNCTAD
- What are the lessons to be learned from the experience of East and Southern Africa, Tasara Muzorori, Senior Trade Officer, COMESA
- What lessons can be learned from the experience of Asia and the Pacific
region, Kenishi Kashiwagi, Alliance for Research on North Africa, Japon
- Experiences of regional integration in the Islamic World, Houcine Rahmouni, Islamic Centre for Development and Trade.

4. What tools to facilitate trade?
This session will focus on the necessary tools for the facilitation of trade and obstacles to intra-regional trade in North Africa. These obstacles are particularly related to tariff rates which are still high, the complexity of the custom system, the restrictive custom procedures, the multiplicity of bilateral agreements and difficulties inherited in payment and trade finance system. In addition to the lack of transport infrastructure and support services.

- Trade facilitation in North Africa, Amor Tahari, International Monetary Fund
- What is the role of air transport in South-South partnerships and intra-regional trade: Mohamed Yaalaoui, Air Sénégal International
- The role of international finance and technical assistance in trade promotion, Renez Perez, European Investment Bank
- Selected tools for regional trade promotion, Carl Dawson, American Moroccan Chamber of Commerce
- For a redeployment of the North African infrastructures in support of intra-regional trade, Yamani Filfila, Egyptian Investments Group.

5. Entering the mainstream of the knowledge economy
Innovative utilizations of information and communication technology facilitate regional initiatives and contribute significantly to the socio-economic development. Information technology generates services of high added value. This session will explore the means of taking advantage of this potential and rapidly and cost-effectively establishing regional networks and thematic groups that help stimulate the creation of knowledge, build capacities and promote trade. A community of practice at the North African level can be a necessary catalyst of economic integration in the region.

- Speech of Salah Edin Makhlouf, Secretary of State to the Minister of Trade in charge of Handicraft-Tunisia
- Knowledge economy and job creation, Azdine Elmountassir Billah, the Moroccan General Confederation of Businesses
- Community of practice of young entrepreneurs in North Africa, Zakaria Fahim, CJD-Maroc
- The role of information technology in establishing regional communities of practice, Raoul Weiler, Club de Rome-Belgique.

Parallel session 2: Reconciling trade facilitation and conformity with financial governance standards

Introductive presentation: Aissatou Gueye, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

1. Financial sector reforms
It is important for economic actors to study financial institutions reforms aiming at achieving better transparency and responsible management. This session will discuss in particular the following items:

• Strengths and weaknesses of the existing financial sector;
• Restructuring and/or privatization process of financial institutions;
• Capacity building of these institutions to make them more competitive.
- Financial sector reforms, bank governance and trade facilitation in North Africa, Hatem Salah, Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Tunis
- The Moroccan experience, Brahim Chouqui, Directorate of Treasury, Ministry of Finance, Morocco
- Banking system reforms in Algeria for sustainable development, Hacene Bahloul, Algerian Association of Economists.

2. Regional financial integration: For the convergence of financial procedures and legislations
From the perspective of financial regional integration, central banks of a number of countries (Tunisia and Mauritania for example) concluded cooperation agreements stipulating the adoption of rules of prudential management in accordance with international criteria in the field of banking and financial supervision for crisis and chocks prevention at the regional and international levels. Initiatives aiming at the harmonization and convergence of financial regulations and procedures are also under way. In this context, the session will review:

• Harmonization of regulations and procedures and liberalization of capital account operations;
• Lessons learned from experiences regarding the establishment of a financial regional integration framework versus experiences of other regions;
• Lessons learned from partnerships under way in the financial sector: Central banks/private banks/stock markets.
- Perspectives of regional financial integration in North Africa, Amor Tahari, International Monetary Fund
- For the convergence of financial procedures and legislations, Michael I. Mah’moud, African Development Bank.

3. Bank governance : The practical implications of Basel II
In this context, international standards and concepts of corporate governance at the level of banks will be reviewed. Focus will be on the concept of banking risk management in conformity with Basel II principles and its predictable impact on trade financing. This session will show the importance of highlighting the specificities of banking activities in the light of the governance of reconciling enterprises financial requirements on one hand and the proper expectations of banks regarding security on the other hand, particularly in the special cases of SMEs and young entrepreneurs in North Africa. In this context, computerization of financial procedures will play an essential role in enhancing communication between banks and enterprises.

- Bank governance in conformity with Basel I and Basel II Principles, Karim Ben Kahla, Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Tunis
- Banking risk management, Mohamed El Idrissi Slittine, Bank Al Maghrib
- Risk management and its predictable impact on trade finance, Karim Chiouar, Attijariwafa Bank.

4. Access to bank credit, a prerequisite for trade promotion
Bank services and efficient credit markets are prerequisites for the development of trade, notably concerning the conditions of access to bank credit. This session will discuss the optimum utilization of bank resources for trade that is closely linked to modalities of access to bank credits for trade and the pertinence of the financial instruments (upgrading, risk capital, etc.) to the specificities of SMEs and young entrepreneurs in the region.

- Trade facilitation, conditions of access to credit, Maher Gassab, Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Tunis
- The Moroccan experience, Abdelghani Bendriouch, ISCAE, Morocco
- The Sudanese experience, Isam Elzein El Mahi, Khartoum Stock Exchange
- Constraints to access to credit facing young entrepreneurs, Amina Amirouche, CEMRA, Algeria.

Parallel session 3: The role of information and communication technology in trade promotion

1. Introduction
Knowledge economy has become a reality. This session will therefore seek to define the essential role that information and communication technology can play in trade promotion and also as a fully fledged sector of activities.

2. Successful experiences in the field of e-commerce
It is important to capitalize on similar successful experiences in other regions and to show their impact on trade promotion and perpetuation. Presentations will be made based on four national case studies (Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia). Other cases will also be submitted to participants for consideration and to draw lessons.

3. Presentation of the project of e-commerce platform in North Africa
To encourage trade and e-commerce in particular, it is important to use the appropriate means. A project on the development of e-commerce platform will be presented as follows:

• its technical specifications;
• it framework and management;
• its phased development, tests and conditions of bringing it into general use; and
• its planning and implementation.

4. Recommendations
The forum will be an opportunity to identify forms of partnerships and adequate financing for the success of the implementation of the platform. This session will help to identify the needs in this area and to present recommendations for implementation.

- Introductive presentation, Mohamed Timoulali, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
- Study on e-commerce in North Africa,Mustapha Mezghani, 2CW, Tunisia
- e-Commerce in Morocco, Aziz Rabbah, Ministry Delegate to the Prime Minister in Charge of Economic and General Affairs, Morocco
- Project ICT4SME, Mohab Hallouda, Trust Fund, Egypt.
- Presentation of the project Linking Africa, Anoop Singh
- Presentation of the project of e-commerce platform in North Africa, Mustapha Mezghani, 2CW, Tunisia
- Discussions on the functional specifications of the platform.
- Mohamed Timoulali, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa