4th AfTIAS 2.0 Program Technical Coordination Committee Meeting (TCC4)

IsDB Meeting

The Fourth Technical Coordination Committee of the AfTIAS 2.0 Program took place virtually on 20 March 2023, under the chairmanship of Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), Chairman of the Board of Directors of the AfTIAS 2.0 Program, and Chairman of the AfTIAS 2.0 Technical Coordination Committee.

At the beginning of the meeting, Eng. Hani Sonbol welcomed the two new members of the Committee for 2023, namely the representatives of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). He reminded the Committee of its most important responsibilities regarding the approval of projects presented according to the program’s criteria and conditions.

The Chairman of the Committee emphasized the Corporation’s role in managing the Program and making every effort to reduce costs while ensuring governance and transparency. In this context, he highlighted the ITFC’s endeavor to appoint consultants to monitor the implementation of all approved projects based on their performance indicators. This plan will provide reports on the progress of the projects, identify obstacles hindering their objectives, and propose appropriate solutions. He also mentioned that the Program has approved 17 projects to date, with a total budget of US$4.7 million.

Eng. Hani praised the results of the two-day workshop organized by the ITFC (07-08 February 2023) for the program’s focal points to enhance their skills in designing, evaluating, and monitoring the activities of approved projects.

The opening session featured the signing ceremony of two partnership agreements to implement projects approved in 2022 by the AfTIAS 2.0 Program:

  1. State of Palestine Project: “Promoting Trade in the Handicrafts (Traditional) Sector in Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Ramallah.”
  2. Arab Republic of Egypt Project: “Egyptian Women in International Trade (SheTrades Egypt Phase 2).”

By the end of the meeting, the Committee had approved the fourth package of projects received by the ITFC, consisting of four projects benefiting three countries: Algeria (two projects), Comoros, and Mauritania, in the fields of agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and cross-border trade.

IsDB Meeting