Key Aspects of Trade Finance

1. Course Description

The recognition of trade finance as one of the seven clusters of the African Union’s BIAT program highlights the universality of Africa’s embrace of trade finance and a need for interventions to facilitate creation of opportunities for African businesses, financial sector in general and regulators. Notwithstanding this, capacity deficits in the area of trade finance among financial institutions, regulators, importers and exporters remains one of the limitations to harness benefits presented by elimination of trade barriers. Therefore, practical challenges arising from inability to provide and secure fitting trade finance solutions to enhance the movement of, and payment for goods from one country to another remains one of the greatest hurdles. In addition, importers and exporters as well as financial institutions are simultaneously subject to numerous risks related to differing legislation, customs, security, and practices in these countries.

Consequently, this executive course will expose participants to financing solutions that are more robust and can mitigate most of the risks associated with complex trade transactions. This highly interactive course will be offered over a duration of two weeks with a view to equipping participants with key skills on trade finance solutions. It will provide a strong background for those wishing to pursue further studies under the trapca-ESAMI Master of International Trade Finance Degree Programme.

2. Who should attend?

This includes, General Practitioners working in Financial Institutions in positions such as Relationship Managers, Trade Finance and Marketing Professionals , International Division Bankers, Middle Office and Front Office Deal Structuring and Negotiating Staff, Loan Administration and Monitoring Managers, Credit and Deal Risk Analysts, Document Checkers and Supervisors, Risk Distribution Staff, Trading Company Corporate and Treasury Staff, Auditors, Central Bank Regulators, Compliance Division Staff,  Private Sector and Public Sector Practitioners involved in the buying and selling of goods, , Export and Commodity Finance Professionals, Import and Export and Trade Operations Professionals, Business Organisations and Regional Economic Communities. The target audience must have an interest in trade finance.

3. How will participants benefit?

At the end of this course participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate the importance of trade finance in intra African trade and trade with third parties beyond Africa
• Identify the defining features of various trade finance instruments and their rationale
• Explain when and how to use trade finance and its various products effectively.
• Describe the methods of payment, their use, risks and benefits to the buyer, seller and the financier.
• Gather information key for decision-making in a trade finance transactions.
• Discern why trade finance is an alternative to balance sheet lending assessment.
• Explain the role of banks and related financial institutions in both facilitating payments and providing funding for international trade. 

Course components:

• Trade Finance Overview & Financing of International Trade.
  • International Trade, associated challenges, risks and costs
  • Trade Finance overview.
  • Comparison of financing trade through trade finance solutions and traditional banking solutions.
  • Key international trade documents and contracts.
• Selected Key Trade Finance Solutions and the associated risks.
  • Overview on Documentary Collections, and Documentary Credits,
  • Bank Guarantees, Discounting, Factoring, and Forfaiting,
  • Commodity Financing and Structured Trade Financing.
  • Trade Based Financial Crimes and Money Laundering. 

Language

This course is offered in English and ability to communicate in English is therefore key. 

Duration: 2 Weeks: 7-18 December 2020 

Venue: Zanzibar

Fee

• Each participant will pay tuition fees amounting to $2,250 for the two weeks
• Discounts will be considered to 3 or more participants from same institution or those who with evidence bring 3 or more participants.

 Contact us

Additional information on this executive course and our master’s degree programme in International Trade Finance as well as the application process can be accessed by emailing us through admissions@trapca.org

About TRAPCA (a specialized Centre in ESAMI)

The Trade Policy Training Centre in Africa TRAPCA was inaugurated in December 2006, with the mandate of providing training and technical expertise on trade issues to professionals in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and low-income Sub-Saharan African countries. Situated in Arusha, TRAPCA is owned by ESAMI, an ISO certified inter-governmental regional training organisation owned by 10 African Countries. ESAMI in collaboration with the Swedish Government created TRAPCA in response to a call by African countries for an institution that responds to Africa’s continental and global trade and trade related human resources capacity needs. Since then ESAMI-TRAPCA has built capacity at the master’s degree level for participants from over 36 African Countries, both English and French speaking.

However, for the past two decades the marginalization of Africa in international trading system remains unchanged partly due financing related challenges. Consequently, ESAMI-TRAPCA as a leader in Africa in the provision of trade and trade related training at academic and executive program levels has introduced one of a kind and Africa centric courses in International Trade Finance.