The Business to Business Connectivity Cluster facilitates public-private dialogue on connectivity and promotes networking and interaction between the public and private sector across the Commonwealth.

  • Private sector engagement - The Cluster performs a cross-cutting function to ensure the work of the Digital, Physical, Regulatory and Supply Side Connectivity clusters engages with, and is responsive to, the views and needs of businesses in the Commonwealth.
  • Public-private dialogue - The Business to Business Connectivity Cluster provides a platform to facilitate direct Ministerial engagement with the Commonwealth private sector.
  • Commonwealth business networks - The Business to Business Connectivity Cluster provides an inclusive platform to build networks of Commonwealth Accredited Organisations and apex regional private sector bodies in a pan-Commonwealth setting.

Connectivity Agenda   View all clusters

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In 2022 we released the report Quantitative Analysis of the Move to Paperless Trade, which attempts to quantify the potential impact of legal reform to enable the use of the so-called “transferable records” on Commonwealth trade.

There are clear economic and political imperatives to accelerating digital trade facilitation and legal reform for digitalisation, with potential total benefits of nearly US$1.2 trillion to Commonwealth trade by 2026.

Our new research covers 54 diverse Commonwealth economies and presents a picture of the potential for cost reductions and trade increases as a result of the introduction of legal reform, to enable the use of electronic transferable records across the Commonwealth.

Explore the report

Quick facts

Commonwealth bilateral trade

19
Research by the Commonwealth Secretariat indicates bilateral trade costs between Commonwealth partners are, on average, 19 per cent lower compared to those for other country pairs.

 

Global leaders for doing business

1
Two Commonwealth countries are global leaders for doing business: New Zealand and Singapore are ranked 1st and 2nd in the world on the World Bank’s overall Ease of Doing Business Rankings for 2019.

 

Business environment

10
India, Kenya and Rwanda are among the top reformers in terms of business environments – all three member states are included in the top 10 most improved countries on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings for 2019.