International Trade Centre - Institutional Support 2012

Results achieved from December 2011 and December 2012 include: (1) 1 489 businesses received training to help them become export ready; (2) 98 trade-support institutions were supported by the International Trade Centre (ITC); and (3) 955 businesses met potential buyers through ITC support. In addition in Ghana ITC worked in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the Government of Ghana to develop the country’s first sector development strategy for yam production systems with stakeholder ownership and leadership. The Ghanaian Yam Strategy for Rural Development is creating a public-private partnership to boost yam exports and open new markets. In Cambodia 700 weavers have increased their incomes by nearly 40% as a result of the ITC training program that focuses on improving the skills of weavers at all stages of the production process. The Silk Project is expected to lead directly to job creation in Cambodia particularly in rural communities. At the 2012 Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum in Mexico City women entrepreneurs from 38 developing countries signed 60 agreements to enter into commercial transactions with a combined value of US$ 6 million. The forum linked women-owned businesses into global value chains in order to increase opportunities for women in international trade.