Background and rationale

Investment plays a critical role in enhancing productive capacity, fostering export competitiveness and accelerating structural transformation in the least developed countries (LDCs). Both foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic investment are fundamental to unlocking innovation, technology transfer, skills development and promoting industrialization, which are essential for sustainable trade growth and economic diversification. Strategic investment can help the LDCs move up global value chains, broaden their export baskets and strengthen resilience to external shocks.

However, in many LDCs, trade and investment policies, strategies and institutional frameworks often operate in silos. This fragmentation limits the ability to strategically attract and facilitate investment that supports trade objectives, including export diversification, value addition and integration, into regional and global value chains. As a result, investment opportunities linked to priority sectors identified in national trade strategies often go untapped.

Phase Three of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) provides a unique platform to overcome these barriers. National Implementation Units (NIUs) through their convening power and operational reach, are well placed to harmonize trade and investment agenda. By fostering collaboration across ministries, agencies, and the private sector, NIUs can help align trade and investment priorities, and support the implementation of investment-related initiatives that contribute directly to trade outcomes. This includes strengthening linkages across policy- (macro), institutional- (meso) and firm-level (micro) dimensions.

Objective

This online session aims to:

Support the NIUs and stakeholders with practical strategies for integrating investment into trade programming under EIF Phase Three, including in the Country Programme Document (CPD), the key programming tool under EIF Phase Three.
Present real-world examples of successful trade-investment integration in the LDCs.
Develop clear, actionable pathways to scale investment into trade-focused and EIF-supported initiatives, and foster direct, solution-oriented dialogue among key stakeholders to identify barriers, share best practices and build strategic partnerships.

Target audience

The session will bring together:

NIUs, including the consultants hired for the development of the CPDs for EIF Phase Three
Ministries in charge of trade
Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs)
Export Promotion Agencies (EPAs)
Chambers of Commerce
Special Economic Zone authorities
Private sector representatives
Development partners and international organizations

The NIUs are encouraged to invite officials from ministries responsible for investment, IPAs and relevant private sector chambers to ensure participation of both trade and investment stakeholders and to strengthen coordination at country level in developing and implementing CPDs.

Expected outcomes

By the close of the session, participants will have gained:

A shared understanding of the benefits and modalities of integrated trade and investment strategies.
Best practices for mainstreaming investment into EIF programming.
Strengthened collaboration and communication channels among public and private stakeholders.
A set of recommendations to advance the coherent integration of trade and investment at the national level.

Agenda (10:00-13:00 CEST)

10:00-10:10 | Opening and introduction (10 minutes)

Welcome remarks (5 minutes): H.E. Mr SUON Prasith, Ambassador and Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the WTO and other International Organizations in Geneva
Introductory remarks (5 minutes): Ms Aissatou Diallo, Executive Director, Executive Secretariat for the EIF

10:10-10:55 | Session 1: Macro level — Policy and strategic alignment (45 minutes)

Format: Presentations from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) followed by an interactive discussion.

Speakers:

WTO: Ms Claudia Locatelli, Counsellor, Trade in Services and Investment Division; Ms Pamela Apaza Lanyi, Legal Affairs Officer, Trade in Services and Investment Division
UNCTAD: Ms Natalia Guerra, Officer-in-Charge, Investment Promotion Section, Gender mainstreaming Focal Point, Division on Investment and Enterprise

Objective: Exploring how coherent policy and strategic frameworks can better align trade and investment objectives to support export diversification, industrialization and transformative development in the LDCs under EIF Phase Three.

10:55-11:55 | Session 2: Meso level — Institutional coordination, building cooperation and ecosystem development (60 minutes)

Format: Intervention from the African Import-Export Bank (Afreximbank), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), followed by an interactive discussion.

Speakers:

WAIPA: Mr Dushyant Thakor, Deputy Executive Director; Mr Andreas Hora, Deputy Executive Director
ITC: Ms Anne Chappaz, Chief, Institutions and Ecosystems, Division of Enterprise Competitiveness and Institutions; Mr Ben Mohamed Imamo, Senior Programme Officer, Division of Business and Institutional Support; Mr Quan Zhao, Senior Programme Officer, Trade Policy Division for Market Development
Afreximbank: Dr Gainmore Zanamwe, Director, Trade Facilitation and Investment

Objective: Exploring how strengthened institutional coordination and investment ecosystems can support trade-investment linkages and facilitate both FDI and domestic investment in priority export sectors in the LDCs under EIF Phase Three.

11:55-12:10 | Session 3: Micro level — Firm-level support and value chain integration (15 minutes)

Format: Interactive discussion with representatives from the Wermuth Asset Management GmbH (WAM).

Speakers:

WAM: Mr Eric Fondecave, GGF2 Venture Partner

Objective: Exploring actionable strategies for building firm-level productive and absorptive capacities in the LDCs, and for strengthening sustainable linkages between FDI and domestic enterprises, with a focus on export development and value addition. The session will highlight how coordinated interventions across the micro (firms), meso (institutions and ecosystems) and macro (policy and regulatory frameworks) levels can jointly accelerate structural transformation and integration into regional and global value chains.

12:10-12:40 | Session 4: Fireside discussion (30 minutes)

Format: Interactive discussion

Speakers: Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) TBC

Objective: Showcasing Zambia's trade and investment success stories and key lessons to drive partnerships and inclusive growth.

12:40-12:55 | Session 5: Questions and answers (Q&A) (15 minutes)

Format: Open Q&A session

Objective: Opening a Q&A session where participants are encouraged to contribute actively by asking questions, exchanging insights and sharing experiences on mainstreaming investment within the trade development priorities of the LDCs.

12:55-13:00 | Wrap-up and closing (5 minutes)

Concluding reflections (2.5 minutes): Mr Remco Vahl, Minister Counsellor, Senior Expert Trade and Development, Permanent Mission of the European Union to the WTO
Closing remarks (2.5 minutes): H.E. Mrs Kadra Ahmed Hassan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Djibouti to the WTO and Chair of the EIF Executive Board

Mohammed Awami

neximbank.com.ng

Attending

EIF in Action: Championing Trade and Investment in the Least Developed Countries