[By invitation only.]

Following the publication of the Investment Policy Review (IPR) in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), UN Trade and Development has developed technical assistance for investment promotion agencies in the region, in cooperation with the WAEMU Commission. This assistance focuses on capacity building for investment facilitation and promotion, and aims at supporting the implementation of the IPR recommendations.

This three-day workshop will allow to exchange knowledge and good practices and to promote a collaborative and innovative approach to strengthen an investment-conducive environment within the WAEMU region Its specific objectives include:

• Presenting recent trends in investment facilitation and promotion.
• Discussing sector prioritization practices and investor targeting.
• Sharing the experiences of the host country with WAEMU member countries and the WAEMU Commission.
• Visiting a special economic zone to better understand how the value chain works.

The expected outcomes of the workshop include:

• A better understanding of investment facilitation and promotion policies.
• Better knowledge of how value chains function and what are investors’ expectations.
• Identification of concrete actions to better identify priority sectors and target investors.

These elements aim to strengthen participants’ knowledge to effectively implement the IPR recommendations and to stimulate constructive discussions with a view to fostering regional collaboration in the areas of investment facilitation and promotion.