Christian Kingombe, 4IP Group Managing Partner, was a panellist at the WTO Public Forum 2019 Session 24 on Wednesday the 9th of October 2019 entitled:
Services: A key enabler for agriculture trade
co-organized by Center for Socioeconomic Development (CSEND) and
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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This working session explored linkages between services and agriculture, and the role WTO rules can play for the promotion of SDG2 (“ending hunger”). Discussion focused on the role of services for sustainable growth in agriculture productivity and value addition, especially in poor developing countries, small farmers and women operators in national, regional and global marketplaces.
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During the session, the panellists explored which services are important at all stages of the food value chain, from the credit farmers need to invest in inputs, through to risk management, processing and distribution of finished goods. It also included case studies and examples from poor developing countries, on how various services enhance their agriculture sector, particularly for value-addition and export markets. Dr.Kingombe especially focused his presentation on Transport and Logistics Services within both SADC and the AfCFTA.