Course Modules

Module 1: Overview of International Trade Agreements

• Types of agreements: multilateral (WTO), regional (AfCFTA, EU), bilateral.
• Economic and political implications of trade agreements.
• Current trends in trade liberalization and protectionism.
• Case Study: The impact of AfCFTA on intra-African trade growth.
• Workshop: Map the trade agreements applicable to your country.

Module 2: Rules of Origin and Compliance Requirements

• Understanding origin criteria: wholly obtained, substantial transformation, and value-added rules.
• Documentation required for preferential access.
• Common errors in compliance and how to avoid them.
• Exercise: Determine rules of origin eligibility for selected products.
• Case Study: A firm’s export rejection due to incorrect origin certification.

Module 3: Tariff Schedules and Market Access Opportunities

• How to read and interpret tariff schedules.
• Identifying markets with reduced duties or zero tariffs.
• Analyzing non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that may affect access.
• Workshop: Use online tariff databases to identify top preferential markets.
• Case Study: How a textile exporter reduced costs by leveraging an EPA agreement.

Module 4: Operationalizing Trade Agreement Benefits

• Integrating trade preferences into pricing and marketing strategies.
• Aligning supply chains to meet agreement requirements.
• Building partnerships with customs, chambers, and trade authorities.
• Exercise: Develop an export plan that utilizes a specific trade agreement.
• Case Study: How an agribusiness expanded to the EU using GSP benefits.

Module 5: Monitoring, Updating, and Sustaining Compliance

• Tracking changes in agreements and regulatory updates.
• Building internal compliance systems.
• Preparing for audits, verifications, and inspections.
• Simulation: Teams prepare a full compliance and utilization plan for a fictional company entering three preferential markets.
• Peer Review: Structured evaluation of team strategies.