UNIDO’s role within the West Africa Competitiveness Programme

In the West African region, the main economic challenges include the difficulties of many enterprises to compete in international markets, the lack of competitiveness and national and regional value chain integration. In a response to improve the overall business environment in the region, UNIDO has been entrusted by the European Union (EU) as implementing partner of the  EU-funded West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) for eight project components, of which one regional, the West Africa Competitiveness and Quality Infrastructure Project (WACQIP), and seven national covering Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Cabo Verde and Senegal. With a portfolio of 31 million euro, UNIDO is one of the main implementing agencies of the WACOMP and is working to make sure that West African economies are becoming more competitive, dynamic, inclusive and sustainable to meet trends of today and tomorrow and to respond to global challenges such as climate change and epidemics.

WACOMP aims to improve the performance and growth of selected value chains and to enhance the climate for business at national and regional level. As a result, this technical support will foster the countries’ integration into the regional and international trading systems, including the newly established African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The WACOMP is funded through a 116 million euro contribution under the 11th European Development Fund and this programmatic initiative between the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and the European Union with the support of the West Africa Economic and Monetary Union Commission (UEMOA) includes 1 Regional Component and 16 Country Components. This common vision between UNIDO, the EU, ECOWAS and other implementing agencies and partners translates into a tangible cooperation in the 16 West African countries through the WACOMP.

Watch WACOMP video here.

For further information contact Bernard BAU (B.Bau [at] unido.org (B[dot]Bau[at]unido[dot]org))