This support programme contributed to sustainable economic development and poverty reduction in Guinea, by supporting the improvement of institutional and technical capacities in terms of formulation, implementation and monitoring of trade policies; supporting the export promotion strategy of Guinea focusing on a holistic approach capable of defining the main lines of market access for products both agricultural and industrial.

Three-fold purposes: Development of strategies and strengthening of export support services; Capacity building of actors in negotiation and monitoring of trade agreements; and Implementation of operational management tools for non-state commercial actors, especially women and consumers.

Three-fold outputs: Better access to international markets for agricultural and industrial production has been supported; Capacity building services of the Ministry of Commerce for better management of trade policies was continued; Capacity building of private sector actors, especially women, and consumers for optimizing business opportunities was supported.

Intervention areas:

• Strengthening of export support services;
• Capacity building of actors in the negotiation and monitoring of trade agreements;
• Implementation of operational management tools for non-state commercial actors;
• Consumers protection against unfair commercial practices and products dangerous to health;
• Coffee and shea butter value chain promotion;
• Market access, rules of origins and exporting promotion tools;

Purpose 1: Development of strategies and strengthening of export support services.

• Strategies developed for strengthening export support services;
• National export promotion strategy developed;
• Sectoral strategy for promotion of cashewnuts developed;
• Sectoral strategy for promotion of fonio developed;
• Export Manual prepared;
• Institutional and technical capacities of AGUIPEX (Guinean Export Promotion Agency) strengthened;
• Workshop related to funding opportunities for the annual AGUIPEX’s Plan successfully held with active participation of the key beneficiaries;
• National workshop to validate and share the national export promotion strategies for Guinean products successfully held;
• Training workshop on international trade negotiations successfully held with active participation of the key stakeholders;
• Training materials produced and shared widely Design, conduct and evaluation of a participatory commercial policy.

Purpose 2: Capacity building services of the Ministry of Commerce for better management of trade policies was continued

• Training modules on international trade negotiations prepared and widely circulated;
• Training workshop on trade/business negotiations;
• Action plan for monitoring, analysis and evaluation of the trade negotiation processes prepared and widely circulated;
• Training materials produced and shared for the technical and tactical tools to negotiate advantageous trade agreements; and for the negotiations under the continental African Free Trade Area.

Purpose 3: Capacity building of private sector actors, especially women, and consumers for optimizing business opportunities was supported.

• Manual of accounting and management procedures for SMEs / SMIs prepared and widely distributed among the key stakeholders;
• Manual on the professionalization of informal trade activities carried out by women prepared and widely shared among the key stakeholders;
• Consumer protection manual on unfair commercial practices and products dangerous to health prepared and widely shared;
• Training and results sharing workshop successfully held with the active participation of key stakeholders;
• Training workshop on market access and rules of origin successfully held with the active participation of key stakeholders;
• Training workshop on export promotion successfully held with the active participation of key stakeholders.