Friday, July 6, 2018

The WTO Regional Trade Policy Course (RTPC) took place over a period of 8 consecutive weeks, from 14th May to 6th July 2018 in Mauritius. Thirty-one delegates of English speaking African members and observers of the WTO, nominated by their respective governments participated in the first ever RTPC event organized in Mauritius.
The University of Mauritius (UoM), in collaboration with the WCP contributed by providing the logistics and academic support needed for the course. Several WTO staff from the different divisions delivered lectures. There was also a regional input from Mauritian and African speakers who contributed to the RTPC. Several important topics were covered during the eight weeks, such as Agriculture, Tariffs and Customs Valuation, Accessions, Dispute Settlement, Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, Technical Barriers to Trade, Trade in Services, Intellectual Property, Environmental and development issues.The training included quizzes to evaluate the knowledge of the participants before and after the modules. The training also included a professional visit whereby the participants visited the Customs department at the Port Area, Port Louis and the Alteo Sugarcane Factory, Union Flag. The participants were assessed on two criteria: their participation in class and a final examination. The training resulted in a 100% success rate of all participants. The award ceremony took place on 6th July 2018 at the UoM in the presence of the Ag Vice Chancellor of UoM, H.E (Dr) Frederik Yonov Agah, Deputy Director General, WTO and the Honourable Mr. Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade of Mauritius.