WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/COMTD/IF/17
17 February 1998
(98-0561)
Committee on Trade and Development
Integrated Framework for Trade-Related
Technical AssistanceOriginal:  French
TRADE-RELATED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
SUBMITTED BY THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
INTEGRATED RESPONSES BY WORLD BANK,
ITC, UNCTAD, IMF, WTO and UNDP1
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
                                                     
1 Published in accordance with the provisions of para graph 5(e) of the integrated framework for trade-
related technical assistance (WT/LDS/HL/1/Rev.1).WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 2
TRADE-RELATED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
SUBMITTED BY THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
A. Trade Policy
(a) What are the sectors that you believe have unexploited or underexploited export
potential?
1. There are several sectors with unexploited export potential, in particular:
- Industrial fishing;
- mining (Mayombe bituminous schist, columbo-tantalite, iron);
- methane gas from Lake Kivu;
- exotic products;
- art objects.
2. Sectors with an underexploited export potential:
Mining
All mining products and particularly:
- Copper;
-z i n c ;
- bauxite;
- tin;- gold;
- diamonds;
- cobalt;
- cassiterite;
- cadmium;- crude oil;
- tungsten;
- metal scrap;
- pyrochlore.
Agriculture
All agricultural products and particularly:
- Wood;
- cocoa;
-t e a ;
-c o f f e e ;- rubber;
- copal;
- rauwolfia;
-p a l m  o i l ;
- palm kernel oil;
- palm kernel cake;
- tobacco;- cinchona;
- totaquine;WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 3
- cotton;
-g i n g e r .
Forestry
Stock farming
Energy
- Electricity
Industrial (manufacturing)
- Cement;
- glycerine;
- textiles and clothing.
(b) Could you please define your country's pers pective of the reasons for any changes in the
structure and direction of exports and imports?
Yes, to the extent that we can change the structure of exports and imports we shall be able to
bring our trade into balance or even achieve a surplus.
Imports:  reduce food imports by increasing domestic food production.
Exports:  diversify and rationalize exports, in particular in order to increase the share of
agricultural and manufactured products.
(c) What have been the objectives of trade po licy in the most recent period, compared to,
say, two decades ago?
Recently, the objectives of trade policy have been as follows:
- Diversification of our export products with the stress on manufactured goods;
- geographical diversification of our export and import markets;
- consolidation of the Congo's position in its traditional markets in order to
retain its existing advantages;
- encouragement of domestic production of goods and services so as to restrict
imports, as far as possible, to capital goods, the inputs needed by the
productive sector and staples;
- selection of imports according to their impact on the economic development
of the country;
- safeguarding of the national economic area;
- economic and social recovery.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 4
(d) What are the Ministries in charge of trade policy matters, including formulation,
implementation, enforcement and monitoring?   How is coordination made?  What are the
respective roles of the relevant Ministries (give particular attention to tariff policies and other
policies directly affecting exports and imports of goods and services)?
- Ministry of Economics, Industry and Foreign Trade;
- Ministry of Planning;- Ministry of Finance;
- Ministry of Agriculture;
- Ministry of the Environment.
Coordination is made by the Ministry responsible for foreign trade in the Foreign Trade
Facilitation Committee whose tasks include formulating suggestions and proposing measures
calculated to improve and promote Congolese foreign trade.
The various Ministries responsible for foreign trade matters establish the specific conditions
for exports and imports within their respective areas of competence in consultation with the Ministry
of Economics, Industry and Foreign Trade which manages the formulation of trade policy.
(e) How are the private sector and academic in stitutions associated with the formulation
and conduct of trade policy?
The private sector and academic institutions are associated with the formulation and conduct
of trade policy through participation in conferences, forums, seminars and workshops on the
promotion of Congolese products.
(f) What are the institutions in your country th at can play a role in implementation of a
trade-related project at the local level?  State their respective roles.
All the banking institutions, in particular the Central Bank, Banque de Crédit Agricole, the
commercial banks and credit cooperatives, Société Financière de Développement, the Foreign Trade
Facilitation Committee, the Investment Commissi on and the Customs and Excise Administration.
(g) What are the main laws and regulations de aling with trade policy - on exports and
imports?  Please provide a short description of each.
1. Special Law No. 73-009 on trade of 5 January 1973, as amended by Law No. 74-014 of
10 July 1974 and by Ordinance Law No. 80-010 of 30 July 1980, as since amended and
supplemented:  it grants the ministry responsible for foreign trade powers to regulate and oversee the
importation, exportation and transit of goods and assets.
2. Ordinance-Law No. 74-013 of 10 July 1974 esta blishing the Congolese Inspection Office
(OCC)  which checks the quality, quantity and conformity of all goods and analyses all samples andproducts intended for export or import.
3. Ordinance No. 79-114 of 15 May 1979 establishing the Customs and Excise Administration
(OFIDA):
- Decree No. 0011 of 22 January 1997 establishing a new import tariff;
- Decree No. 0012 of 22 January 1997 establishing a new export tariff:  OFIDA
collects import/export duties and taxes in accordance with the tariff in force.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 5
4. Ordinance-Law No. 67-272 of 23 June 1967 on th e National Bank of the Congo (BNC) which
is authorized to establish exchange regulations for exports and imports.
5. Ordinance-Law No. 89-288 of 9 November  1989 establishing the National Prices
Commission (CNM) which compiles and publishes lists of market prices of all Congolese exports.
6. Ordinance-Law No. 86-028 of 5 April 1986 esta blishing the Investment Code.  This is
intended to encourage national and foreign, private and public promoters to invest in activitiescalculated to contribute to the economic and social development of the country and eligible for tax
and customs concessions.
7. Decree No. PCE-003 of 7 April 1988 establishing the Foreign Trade Facilitation Committee
(CFCE).  The CFCE makes proposals and suggestions to the Government for measures to improve the
country's foreign trade.
(h) What are the main instruments of trade policy - on exports and imports?  Please
elaborate (e.g. on import restrictions, the ques tions might be:  on what products are there any
import bans;  on what products are there quantitative import restrictions;  licensing
requirements, etc.;  what is the highest tariff ra te currently in use;  are there any excise taxes,
other "domestic" taxes that are applied differenti ally to imported goods, or to goods of a type
that are principally imported?).
Customs legislation (Decree of 29 January 1949 coordinating and revising the Congolese
customs regime, as amended and supplemented by numerous later texts, and Ordinance No. 33/9 of
6 January 1950 regulating the implementation of the Decree of 29 January 1949, as amended and
supplemented).
Description:
Regulates various traditional customs procedures (warehousing, transport under customs
control), and customs import and export formalities (signature of declarations, examination of goods).
Excise legislation (Decree No. 0010 of 22 January 1997 amending and supplementing
Ordinance-Law No. 68--010 of 6 January 1968 concer ning excise and consumption duties and the
alcoholic beverage regime).
Description:
This text amends the consumption duty rate on a restricted list of products (tobacco, beer,
vermouth, cigarettes).
Decrees Nos. 0011 and 0012 of 22 January 1997 establishing new import and export tariffs.
Description:
The new import tariff has reduced the range and le vel of the rates applicable.  Formerly there
were five rates, namely 15, 20, 30, 40 and 50 per ce nt, whereas today there are only four:  5, 15, 20
and 30 per cent.
Nevertheless, there are special provisions in the tariff for preferential rates (5 per cent) in the
following cases:WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 6
- goods intended for the construction, reconstruction, repair, maintenance or
conversion of vessels, tugs or pusher craft of headings 8901 to 8909;
- CKD kits.
Other provisions offer numerous tariff concessions.  As for the export tariff, it only applies to
a few products, the established principle being not to tax exports.
The main instruments of trade policy are the import and export tariffs:- import bans:  cf. National Bank of the Congo;
- import restrictions:  sugar;
- highest rate:  40 per cent;  on luxury goods and protected products;
- other taxes:  5 per cent (administrative fee) imposed by the tariff on goods imported
under special provisions enabling them to be admitted free of import duties and taxes.
(i) In case you are a WTO member or are in the process of acceding, how is your country
preparing itself  to comply with the WTO agreements.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is preparing to strengthen its institutional and human
capacities in order to analyse new questions and take advantage of the possibilities stemming from
participation in the new multilateral trading system, as well as to fulfil its obligations by adapting its
legislation to the relevant provisions of the WTO Agreements.
In this connection, there are certain conditions to be satisfied:- Application of the GATT Agreement on Customs Valuation (1981);
- denunciation of the Convention on the Valuation of Goods for Customs Purposes or
Brussels Definition of Value (BDV);
- need to delay, in accordance with Article 20 of the WTO Agreement, the application
of its provisions for a period of five years from the date of entry into force of theAgreement for the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
- retention, on a limited and transitional basis, of minimum values under  the terms and
conditions agreed by the Members of the WTO Committee on Customs Valuation;
- need to establish a central valuation division within the Customs and Excise
Administration;
- need to amend the customs and excise legislation in order adapt its provisions to
WTO requirements (rules on valuation and combating piracy and/or counterfeiting,
etc.);
- need to familiarize customs users with WTO rules.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 7
(j) What is the state of familiarity with the WTO framework:
- Among Government and Government-related agencies?
- in the private sector?
Among Government and Government-related agencies and in the private sector familiarity
with the WTO framework is only flimsy.  This is attributable, on the one hand, to ignorance of the
WTO instruments themselves and, on the other, to poor coordination with the WTO due to thepolitical isolation which the country has suffered.
Nevertheless, the new Government is endeavouring to remedy all the shortcomings noted in
order the make the WTO framework better known to the various beneficiaries.
(k) What are your technical assistance require ments with regard to your compliance with
the WTO Agreements?
The technical assistance requirements with re gard to compliance with the WTO Agreements
are numerous and include:
- Strengthening institutional and human capacities in order to help Congolese
businessmen and officials to analyse new issues and take advantage of the
opportunities created by participation in the multilateral trading system;
- contributing to the study of specific development problems relating to the effective
participation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in international trade;
- contributing to vertical and horizontal diversification;  encouraging recourse to risk-
management measures on behalf of Cong olese producers and exporters (the Congo
being dependent on commodities);
- helping the Congo to gain access to data on trade in services;
- improving the support services that facilitate trade and exports;- training businessmen and raising their level of understanding of the rules which
govern international trade, especially th eir implications for day-to-day business
management in a global economy;
- training commercial attachés posted to embassies to enable them to make their
contribution to the development of trade and investment opportunities on behalf ofthe Democratic Republic of the Congo;
- designing and preparing a foreign trade and investment guide to be widely circulated
among trade representatives;
- training Government officials and private sector representatives in formulating rules
and policies in the field of TRIPS;
- preparing officials for negotiations in the WTO by identifying  more precisely the
interests to be defended and improving the formulation of requirements.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 8
(l) In which specific areas of the WTO Agreements do you have technical assistance needs
(e.g. market access, agriculture, rules (anti-dumpin g, subsidies, import licensing, rules of origin,
safeguards, etc.), TBT and SPS, services, TRIPS)?
The Congo has technical assistance needs in all the specific areas of the WTO Agreements.
(m) What is your assessment of your existing trade analysis and negotiating capacities, both
multilateral and bilateral, in areas already co vered by the WTO Agreements and other trade-
related areas, e.g. competition policy and trade and environment?
We are not yet in a position to assess our trade analysis capacity in connection with the
application of the WTO arrangements as Congo only became an original Member of the WTO on
1 January 1997.  Nevertheless, the country has an ample supply of the skills necessary to negotiatewithin the framework of the WTO arrangements.
B. Obstacles to Trade Expansion
Obstacles to trade encompassing problems in export markets, infrastructure, human
capacities, institutional bottlenecks, trade financing problems and gaps in trade information can
inhibit a least-developed country from taking full advantage of trading opportunities.
Supply constraints, including institutional bottlenecks
(a) What are the main bottlenecks inhibiting the development of sustained export capacity
of goods and services (e.g. customs facilitation, freight charges, quality management,
elimination of cumbersome legal and administrative procedures, paucity of human skills, accessat international prices to imported inputs, or inadequate telecommunication, port and transport
facilities, etc?
- Landlocked countries may face additional problems, such as having to ship
using costly or unreliable transport and ports systems.  In case this applies to
your country, please indicate such problems.  What kind of technical assistance
would help you work out these problems?
The bottlenecks inhibiting the development of our capacity to export goods and services are
of several kinds:
- Monetary:  there are several monetary areas and, consequently, discrepancies between
the official rates in these various areas which make transactions difficult;
- institutional:  business men are faced with administrative formalities (procedures)
which slow down the export and import processes;
- financial:  the high cost of local inputs and transport leading to higher local producer
prices;  lack of mechanisms for financing the export of manufactured goods;
- structural:  most manufacturing enterprises do not have their own export department;
- marketing:  non-assimilation of international standards and lack of technology.
Domestic manufacturers pay little attention to the finishing and packaging of their
products.  These are expensive items and most manufacturers regard them as a waste
of money;
- ignorance of the bilateral and multilateral conventions;WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 9
- lack of national export promotion bodies with listening posts abroad supported by the
trade sections of Congolese embassies;
- in addition to the above, there are also certain barriers which constitute major
obstacles to export promotion:
(i) the tariff barriers which surround the Democratic Republic of the Congo and
the problems posed by the free trade monetary area system;
(ii) the problems of international communications and high transport costs.
(b) Are there any institutional bottlenecks, wh ich may impede the efficient conduct of your
country's trade policies?  Provide details.  For example what are the problems perceived by the
different actors, e.g.  exporters, producers, service providers (banks, insurance companies,
quality control, transporters, etc.), profession al associations and ministries?  Are problems
mainly perceived in the area of:
(i) Human resources;(ii) institutional management;
(iii) financial and material resources;
(iv) communication.
Yes, there are institutional bottlenecks maintained by the previous Government which have
impeded the efficient conduct of the country's trade policy:
- the inadequacy of the official bodies and mechanisms established to administer and
promote foreign trade (fragmentation, incomplete geographical coverage, overlapping
of often very heavy responsibilities, uncontrolled and sterile competition between
foreign trade promotion bodies);
- insufficient financial support;- lack of cohesion and coordination;
- shortage of human resources and equipment;
- deterioration of roads and railways;
- obsolete equipment which adds to production costs;
- poor institutional management.All these shortcomings are receiving the attention of the new Government which is
endeavouring to remedy them.
(c) What are the main bottlenecks to export diversification?
The principal bottlenecks to export diversification are the very low level of production due
principally to:WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 10
- The outward-oriented nature of our trade;
- the obsolescence of the capital equipment ;
- the lack of suitable technology;
- the lack of financing;
- the misdirected Congolese industrialization policy.
(d) If investment in the production of goods a nd services is inadequate, what are the main
reasons?  Please elaborate them (e.g. structural co nstraints, difficulties in attracting foreign
investment, limited enterprise development, fi nancing, lack of appropriate technology, etc.).
Investment in the production of goods and services is inadequate for the following reasons:
- SMEs and large industries are subject to the same conditions, modalities and
procedures of the approval regime and the investment code;
- difficulties of access to productive investment financing;
- non-existence of an institution specialized in SME investment financing;- high repayment costs.
(e) Is there a national policy to encourage export-related investment opportunities?  Please
elaborate.  What arrangements are in place fo r reviewing, drafting and negotiating contractual
arrangements  with foreign investors?
There is no national policy specially for encouraging export-related investment opportunities.
Even the Investment Code does not specifically encourage export-related investment.  The new
Government has therefore decided to review the Code.  With a few exceptions, there are no customs
duties payable on exported goods and services.
(f) What are the main obstacles to the transfer, development and acquisition of technology?
Is there any national or policy/strategy in this area?  Please elaborate.
The main obstacles to the transfer, development and acquisition of technology are as follows:
- Poverty (lack of resources);
- lack of information (inadequate information and technical documentation
infrastructure);
- occasional difficulty in assimilating imported technologies and adapting them to local
conditions;
- no popularization of technical progress and new technologies;
- inadequate technical training;
- misdirected Congolese industrialization policy;WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 11
- obsolete equipment.
The present Government is endeavouring to remove these obstacles which were deliberately
maintained.
(g) What are your technical assistance or oth er assistance needs with respect to supply
constraints?
Technical assistance needs with respect to supply constraints reduce to the progressive
installation of infrastructure in the areas of qual ity control, technical documentation, technological
design and research, commercial information and financing (credit).
Trade promotion and trade support services
Trade promotion comprises an integrated set of technical and financial services to enhance the
global competitiveness of enterprises and thus facilitate their entry and increasing participation in
international trade.
(h) Do your enterprises, especially small and medium enterprises, experience difficulties in
expanding their exports?  What are these problems in the major export sectors?
Yes, the SMEs do experience difficulties in expanding their exports.  In particular:
- Red tape in connection with the completion of export formalities;
- ignorance of trading opportunities available abroad, especially on the emerging
markets;
- lack of facilities and incentives at the government level to enable SMEs to expand
their business relations, including joint ventures with countries of the sub-region and
others.
The Government is endeavouring to make good these shortcomings.
(i) What are the problems for your enterprises in obtaining reliable and up-to-date
information on export/import business opportunities?
The main problems are:
- The lack of a reliable source able to provide information on export/business
opportunities on a continuous basis;
- the existing information is fragmentary and reaches the economic operators in dribs
and drabs from the services of the Ministry of Foreign Trade via the tradeassociations.
(j) Can your enterprises offer products of in ternationally acceptable design, quality and
packaging to foreign buyers?  If not, what are the problems?
No, apart from a few isolated efforts, in particular in the textile industry, our enterprises are
not yet able to offer products of internationally acceptable quality and packaging to foreign buyers.The main problem is the lack of a quality control laboratory and standardization service.
(k) What problems, other than in terms of trade policy, do you anticipate in developing the
export of services (e.g. computer software, tourism)?WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 12
- Lack of appropriate technology:
- lack of interest on the part of partners (the Congo having been regarded, rightly or
wrongly, as a high risk area);
- lack of an appropriate policy at government level;
- poor maintenance of tourist and reception infrastructure.
(l) What are the technical/professional problems encountered by trade support institutions
(e.g. Trade Promotion Council, Chamber of Commerce, Exporters' Association, etc.) in your
country in providing their services to export/import enterprises?
- Difficulty in obtaining payment of invoices for services rendered;
- non-fulfilment of obligations;
- malfunctioning of the banking and financial services;
- lack of adequate resources and equipment.
(m) What problems and deficiencies are exp erienced by enterprises in international
purchasing and inventory management?
- Malfunctioning of the banking and financial institutions;
- lack of commercial information.
(n) What are the present availability and arrangements for trade finance facilities (e.g.
export credit guarantees, etc.)?  Are there any perceived deficiencies in this area?
- Collective sourcing (grouping of SMEs);
- pooling of resources (consortium);
- SME cartels incorporating financial institutions offering a moral guarantee for
collective credit.
(o) What are the main problems in the way of  improving export/import management skills
of your business enterprises?  Do you have any training programmes in the country?  What are
the deficiencies?
Lack of resources for providing training, as expertise is very expensive.
(p) Does your trade representation service actively promote your trade?  What are the
weaknesses?
So far, we do not have any commercial representation services in our embassies to promote
our products.  Nevertheless, the new Government is  in the process of introducing such services.
(q) Briefly describe your technical assistance needs in the area of trade promotion and
support services.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 13
Our technical assistance needs in the area of trade promotion and support services are as
follows:
- Establishing a centre to facilitate communication between exporter and importer, like
the former International Trade Centre of the Congo;
- setting up a financing structure for international trade enterprises;
- obtaining modern communications equipment (fax, computer for processing
information and trade documentation in order to set up a database);
- training of officials of the ministry responsible for trade promotion and market
exploration;
- rehabilitating Kinshasa International Fair (FIKIN), which is one of the means of
promoting trade.
Market access
(r) What are your main market access problems?
- Lack of trade information concerning the market to be penetrated;
- complexity of marketing channels;
- insufficient finance;
- insufficient guarantees to reassure partners.
(s) What specific problems or barriers, and in which countries, are most troublesome for
your exporters?
- The protectionist rules of western countries;
- rules of origin criteria;
- timidity of entrepreneurs;
- lack of information;- ignorance of facilities under certain trading arrangements.
(t) Regional and subregional trading arrangemen ts (RTAs):  Please list RTAs to which
your country belongs.  Are you satisfied with the performance   of these RTAs.  Please state the
problems of each.  Do you have suggestions on how to solve these?
Regional trading arrangements:
- AEC/OAF (African Economic Community);
- ECA (Economic Commission for Africa);WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 14
Subregional trading arrangements:
- ECCAS;
- COMESA;
- SADDC;
-C E P G L .
We are not entirely satisfied with the implementation of these regional and subregional
trading arrangements, as there is a general problem, namely the non-existence of coordination and
monitoring committees for any of these arrangements.
In this connection, the State has undertaken to give concrete form to the various agreements
signed with the different regional and subregional organizations.
(u) Are there any problems in utilizing the exis ting market access preferences, such as GSP,
GSTP?  Please state the nature of problems relating to each of these.
Yes.
1. SGP: - Disparity of the rules of origin criteria of the countries granting market access
preferences;
- limitations on products in the preference scheme;
- greater concessions granted to manufactured products.
2. SGPC: - Although it is a signatory, the non- ratification of the SGPC Agreement by the
Congo is preventing it from enjoying the anticipated advantages.
(v) What are your technical assistance needs with respect to market access?
Our technical assistance needs with respect to market access are:
- Creation of trade points in order to expand Congolese trade;
- strengthening of human resource capacities;- improvement of trade support services facilitating trade and exports, such as the
Permanent Secretariat of the Foreign Trade Facilitation Committee;
- support with the framing of national policies promoting services infrastructure to
improve development and commercial efficiency;
- implementation of export market studies for products or particular industrial sectors.
C. Technical Assistance
Technical assistance is normally provided to developing and least-developed countries to
build or enhance their human resources and institutional capacities, provide trade information and
trade-related legal support, as well as improve their supply capabilities in order to make them more
active players in the field of multilateral trade.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 15
(a) To the extent that this kind of information is easily available, could you please briefly
describe what trade-related assistance you have received over the past five years from bilateral
and multilateral sources and what projects/programmes are presently under consideration in
this area.
In view of the breakdown of structural cooperation due to the political problems of the
previous Government, the country has not received trade-related assistance from bilateral ormultilateral sources during the last five years and there are no projects currently being implemented in
this area.
(b) Please summarize your technical assistance needs as well as other needs as reflected in
this checklist.  Please rank them in terms of priority.
The technical assistance needed is as follows:
1. Laboratory equipment and instruments (see Annex).
2. Purchase of equipment for the automatic processing of trade information and statistics.3. Help with the examination of the specific development problems relating to the effective
participation of the Congo in international trade and international investment.
4. Strengthening of institutional and human capacities to help us analyse new issues and take
advantage of the opportunities following from par ticipation in the multilateral trading system, and
fulfil our obligations in this respect.
5. Support with strategies intended to promote the framing of national competition and
consumer protection policies and legislation.
6. Help in making better use of preferences as a result of closer familiarity with the SGP and
other preferential trading arrangements such as the SGCP.
7. Assistance for the Congo, in coordination with UNCTAD, in obtaining access to data on trade
in services.
8. Support with the framing of national policies to promote and attract foreign investment.
9. Support with the framing of national policies to promote the development of the private
sector, including SMEs and privatization questions.
10. Support with the framing of national policies to promote the development of the spirit of free
enterprise, with provision for the participation of women.
11. Encouragement of dialogue between the public and private sectors.
12. Support with the framing of national policies promoting services infrastructure to improve
development and commercial efficiency.
13. Improvement of trade support services.14. Strengthening of human resources capacity.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 16
15. Encouragement of recourse to risk management  measures on behalf of Congolese producers
and exporters.
(c) In the light of the information you have been able to provide so far in response to the
questions in this check list, what types of information are, in your view, still missing or could be
improved upon?  In order to assist you in providing this missing information, would you need
technical assistance?
No question has been overlooked.  However, s hould other problems arise, the Congo will not
fail to keep you informed.
(d) Does your country have the technological capacity and human resources to make use of
the new information/communication technology to ols such as CD-Rom, the Internet, etc.?  What
assistance would you need to enable your country to use these tools in the context of training
and, more generally, in the context of trade development?
The Congo lacks the technological capacity but does possess the human resources to make
use of the new information/communication techno logy tools such as CD-Rom, the Internet, etc.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 17
ANNEX
I. REQUIREMENTS FOR LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTS
Spectrometry equipment
Description Quantity
- UV/visible spectrophotometer 6
- Near IR spectrophotometer 4- Atomic absorption spectrometer 3
- Fluorimeter 3
Chromatography equipment
- Gas phase chromatograph
- HPLC (automatic quantity determination) 3
- Thin layer 12
Galenical equipment
- Crumbling of tablets 3
- Hardness of tablets 3
- Melting point of suppositories 3
Immunology equipment
- Salmonella diagnostic kit 15
- Elisa staphylococcus diagnostic kit 15
Microbiology equipment
- Autoclave 5
- Spectrofluorimeter 3
- Pasteuriser 5- Incubator 8
- Cell counter 3
- Laminar flow hood 3
- Universal table centrifuge 6
- Refrigerated centrifuge 5
Miscellaneous equipment
- Laboratory mill 6
- Cryoscope 3
- Rotary evaporator 10
- Distributing diluter 8- Ventilating hood 10
- Melting point 8WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 18
Description Quantity
Equipment for oils and fats
-K a r l  F i s c h e r 5
Water analysis equipment
- Turbidimeter 8
- Portable laboratory hach 6- DR 2000 spectro hack 6
- COD Reactor 3
- PH, LC and coliform pack 3
Equipment for flour and starch
- Zeleny 3
- Brabander sedimentation 3
- Settling time 3- Laboratory grinder 3
- Kneader 3
- Laboratory grinder 3
- Low temperature thermostat 3
Equipment for sampling
- Lab sample divider 3
- Slotted divider size 1 3
- Slotted divider size 2 3
- Electromagnetic sieve 3
- Rotary MVTS sieve 3- Jaw crusher 3
- Cleaning bath 3
Electrochemical equipment
- Potentiometer 2
- Titrator ets (radiometer) 8
Technical testing equipment
- Oil tanker vehicle standard measurement compartment 2
- Mine cable testing apparatus (ACMI) TPE PMK 40/NR 7500-2MGA 10
- USK 7-type ultrasound equipment 10
- Bodson-type 16.249 IH 2000 endoscope 20- EH60/D-type insulating oil testers 10
- Sonomex UTM 200-type thickness measuring instrument 20
II. PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT FOR THE AUTOMATIC PROCESSING OF TRADE
INFORMATION AND STATISTICS.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 19
INTEGRATED RESPONSES BY WORLD BANK,
ITC, UNCTAD, IMF, WTO AND UNDP
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
In response to question A(k):
Technical assistance for compliance
with the WTO Agreements
- Strengthening institutional and
human capacities in order to help
Congolese businessmen and officials
to analyse new issues and take
advantage of the opportunitiescreated by participation in the
multilateral trading system.WTO To strengthen the existing institutions,
WTO will take the following steps to
train managers and inform them aboutthe multilateral trading system:
- A national seminar in 1998;
- participation of Congolese
representatives in specialized
seminars for French-speaking LDCsto be organized in 1998 and 1999;
- a three-week trade policy training
course will be organized for French-
speaking LDCs in 1998 and 1999.
ITC/
UNCTAD/
UNDPThe joint ITC/UNCTAD/UNDP
regional project  on "Strengtheningcapacities for trade and development in
Africa" provides for the strengthening
of international trade traininginstitutions. See B(g).
World Bank/
WTOA regional seminar on the institutions
and economic logic of international
trade will be organized as part of the
joint World Bank/WTO initiative with
the Indian Ocean or SADC countries(FYI999).WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 20
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
Question A(k) (cont'd):
- Contributing to the study of specific
development problems relating to the
effective participation of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo in
international trade.UNCTAD UNCTAD will assist with the evaluation
and determination of the general impactof globalization and liberalization on the
country with a view to facilitating the
adaptation of trade policy to the various
WTO Agreements so as to enable the
Congo to take advantage of the newinternational trade environment.
*
- Contributing to vertical and
horizontal diversification;encouraging recourse to risk
management measures on behalf of
Congolese producers and exporters
(the Congo being dependent on
commodities).
- Helping the Congo to gain access to
data on trade in services.World Bank/
WTOPlanned installation of joint World
Bank/WTO Web site
- Improving the support services that
facilitate trade and exports.ITC See B(g).
- Training businessmen and raising
their level of understanding of the
rules which govern internationaltrade, especially their implications for
day-to-day business management in a
global economy.UNDP UNDP could finance one or two national
seminars to familiarize local
businessmen with the rules ofinternational trade as part of its privatesector support programme.
WTO See above.
ITC See B(g).
- Training commercial attachés posted
to embassies to enable them to make
their contribution to the development
of trade and investment opportunities
on behalf of the Democratic Republicof the Congo.ITC/UNDP As part of its regional programme on
trade development in Africa
(RAF/96/001), UNDP will finance the
participation of one or two national
officials in the regional seminar on thissubject organized by the ITC.
                                                     
* Financing to be requested.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 21
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
Question A(k) (cont'd):
- Designing and preparing a foreign
trade and investment guide to be
widely circulated among traderepresentatives.
- Training Government officials and
private sector representatives in
formulating rules and policies in the
field of TRIPS.WTO See above.
- Preparing officials for negotiations in
the WTO by identifying moreprecisely the interests to be defended
and improving the formulation of
requirements.ITC See B(g).
UNCTAD See above.
UNDP See above.
WTO See above.
World Bank/
WTOPlanned installation of joint World
Bank/WTO Web site.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 22
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
In response to question A(l):
Technical assistance in specific areas of
the WTO Agreements
The Congo has technical assistance
needs in all the specific areas of the
WTO Agreements.WTO See A(k).WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 23
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
In response to question A(m):
Assessment of trade analysis and
negotiating capacities
We are not yet in a position to assess
our trade analysis capacity in connection
with the application of the WTOarrangements as Congo only became an
original Member of the WTO on 1
January 1997.  Nevertheless, the country
has an ample supply of the skills
necessary to negotiate within theframework of the WTO arrangements.WTO A module on multilateral trade
negotiations will be introduced into the
trade policy training courses for French-speaking LDCs.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 24
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
In response to question B(g):
Technical assistance needs with respect
to supply constraints
Technical assistance needs with respect
to supply constraints reduce to the
progressive installation of infrastructurein the areas of quality control, technical
documentation, technological design
and research, commercial informationand financing (credit).ITC The technical conditions for the
establishment of an Export Promotion
Centre will be examined in the contextof an ITC identification mission planned
for 1998.  Following this mission, the
elements of a technical cooperation
project will be defined, including the
establishment of a trade informationdocumentation centre.
*
                                                     
* Financing to be requested.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 25
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
In response to question B(q):
Technical assistance needs in the area
of trade promotion and support services
- Establishing a centre to facilitate
communication between exporter
and importer, like the former
International Trade Centre of theCongo.ITC See B(g).
Following the above-mentioned
mission, the elements of a technical
cooperation project intended to
strengthen the institutional framework
for the promotion of foreign trade will
be defined.
*
- Setting up a financing structure for
international trade enterprises.
- Obtaining modern communications
equipment (fax, computer for
processing information and trade
documentation in order to set up a
database).World Bank/
WTOPlanned installation of the joint World
Bank/WTO Web site.
- Training of officials of the ministry
responsible for trade promotion and
market exploration.ITC/
UNCTAD/
UNDPSee A(k).
- Rehabilitating Kinshasa
International Fair (FIKIN), which isone of the means of promoting trade.ITC Textile and leather sector promotion
activities, including participation in
international fairs, are planned as part
of the regional projects for thepromotion of intra-African trade.
                                                     
* Financing to be requested.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 26
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
In response to question B(v):
Technical assistance needs with respect
to market access
- Creation of trade points in order to
expand Congolese trade.ITC/
UNCTADDiscussions are in progress concerning
the establishment of a trade point in the
Ministry of Trade.*
- Strengthening of human resources
capacities.ITC/
UNCTAD/
UNDPSee A(k).
WTO See A(k).
- Improvement of trade support
services facilitating trade and exports,
such as the Permanent Secretariat of
the Foreign Trade FacilitationCommittee.
- Support with the framing of national
policies promoting servicesinfrastructure to improve
development and commercial
efficiency.
- Implementation of export market
studies for products or particular
industrial sectors.ITC See B(q).
                                                     
* Financing to be requested.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 27
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
In response to question C(b):
Summary of technical assistance needs,
in terms of priority
1. Laboratory equipment and
instruments (see Annex).
2. Purchase of equipment for the
automatic processing of tradeinformation and statistics.
3. Help with the examination of the
specific development problemsrelating to the effective participation
of the Congo in international trade
and international investment.
4. Strengthening of institutional and
human capacities to help us analyse
new issues and take advantage ofthe opportunities following from
participation in the multilateral
trading system, and fulfil ourobligations in this respect.ITC/
UNCTAD/
UNDPSee A(k).
WTO See A(k) and A(m).
5.  Support with strategies intended to
promote the framing of nationalcompetition and consumerprotection policies and legislation.UNCTAD UNCTAD will help the country to
develop competition policies andlegislation.  It will assist with building
up the corresponding national
institutional capacities.
*
6. Help in making better use of
preferences as a result of closer
familiarity with the SGP and other
preferential trading arrangements
such as the SGCP.UNCTAD The Democratic Republic of the Congo
will benefit from the projects on SGP
and SGCP (additional resources beingsought).
7. Assistance for the Congo, in
coordination with UNCTAD, in
obtaining access to data on trade in
services.
                                                     
* Financing to be requestedWT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 28
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
Question C(b) (cont'd):
8. Support with the framing of
national policies to promote andattract foreign investment.UNCTAD UNCTAD will propose technical
assistance to strengthen the legal and
institutional environment in order to
attract the maximum of direct foreign
investment.
*
9. Support with the framing of
national policies to promote the
development of the private sector,
including SMEs and privatizationquestions.UNDP Under its national programme of
assistance for the private sector, UNDP
will be able to address part of this
request.  Additional financing requested.
10. Support with the framing of
national policies to promote the
development of the spirit of free
enterprise, with provision for theparticipation of women.
11. Encouragement of dialogue
between the public and private
sectors.UNDP Under its national programme of
assistance for the private sector, UNDP
will help the Government to promote a
dialogue withe the private sector and
strengthen the managerial capacities ofentrepreneurs.
12. Support with the framing of
national policies promotingservices infrastructure to improve
development and commercial
efficiency.
13. Improvement of trade support
services.ITC/
UNCTADSee A (k), B(g) and B(v).
(Trade point).
14. Strengthening of human resources
capacity.ITC See A(k).
World Bank Training courses are planned within the
capacity strengthening initiatives:"Strengthening of statistical capacities"(1998).
15. Encouragement of recourse to risk
management measures on behalf of
Congolese producers and
exporters.
                                                     
* Financing to be requested.WT/COMTD/IF/17
Page 29
Technical assistance needs identified in
the questionnaireOrganization Response
In response to question C(d):
Technological capacity and human
resources to make use of the new
information technology tools
The Congo lacks the technological
capacity but does possess the human
resources to make use of the new
information/communication technologytools such as CD-Rom, the Internet, etc.UNDP As part of the regional programme
RAF/97/021, UNDP will provide for the
participation of a few national officials
in the seminars on the Internet which itwill organize in the subregion.
WTO The WTO will make a computer and a
laser printer available to the Ministry ofTrade.  The WTO will also be able to
make the necessary connections
between the focal point and the Internetand will supply instructional CD-Roms.
World
Bank/WTOPlanned installation of joint World
Bank/WTO Web site.
__________