Lake Chad Governors’ Forum on Stabilization, Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development (Français)

This paper has been prepared to inform discussions at the July 2019 meeting of the Lake Chad Governors’ Forum. It deals with the important issue of cross-border trade and the regional economy. It identifies some of the constraints facing producers and...  Voir la suite This paper has been prepared to inform discussions at the July 2019 meeting of the Lake Chad Governors’ Forum. It deals with the important issue of cross-border trade and the regional economy. It identifies some of the constraints facing producers and traders in the Lake Chad region and provides suggestions for addressing these. It is hoped that consideration of these issues will lead to new policy and programming initiatives that will ultimately strengthen the region’s private-sector operators, from micro-entrepreneurs to large national and international operators, thus creating more jobs and higher incomes for the many whose lives have been disrupted by the ongoing crisis. In the Lake Chad context complex humanitarian issues remain to be resolved. These also have important implications from a private-sector perspective. In addition, progress in the areas of infrastructure (electricity, roads, storage, markets), rule of law (regulatory and legal environment and anti-corruption) and security are preconditions for success. There is also a need to encourage productive value chains, which require support from off-takers and input suppliers (fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, mechanical services, irrigation and transport services) skills (technical, business, financial and marketing) and financial services providers.  Réduire