Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

USAID Regional Trade Liberalization and Customs project (RTLC) Kazakhstan -Aecom

 

 The purpose of the RTLC contract was to foster economic growth and improve the competitiveness of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan through improving conditions for international and cross-border trade and transit. Their goal is to help regional enterprises participate more effectively in the regional and global economy by improving the trading environment and making it easier for businesses to deliver their products to markets.

 TW endeavored to assess and develop the skills of the regional entrepreneurs by conducting a two day workshop in Almaty for Kazakh producers entitled “Market Access for SME’s From Production to Profit”,. There were 27 attendees from all areas of Kazakhstan, representing various product sectors including felt, metal jewelry, silk and ceramics, chosen by the RTLC staff. The participants represented an excellent cross section of sector leaders, master artisans and production workers.

 After the workshop, TW consultants travelled to various participants workshops to provide onsite consultation and make recommendations to the RTLC in terms of what groups they should consider working with while administering a gender grant geared toward the sector. The team was able to identify quality control issues within raw materials that prohibited the groups ability to export. The identification of the raw material’s issue allowed RTLC staff to work towards resolution of the issues and move their groups closer to export.