Trade

Creating better trade opportunities

Fundamental changes are taking place in the technologies and rules that underpin global trade in goods and services. This presents the Commonwealth’s diverse countries with challenges, but also opens up opportunities to expand trade and investment between members and with the rest of the world.

Trade competitiveness

Commonwealth experts help member countries improve their global trade competitiveness. Many Commonwealth countries only have a limited domestic market, so we focus on developing their export capabilities.

Projects

There are 18 on-going country projects in: Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Grenada, the Gambia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Seychelles and  Sri Lanka. There are also 3 regional projects in The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and The East African Community (EAC).

The Small States Trade Finance Facility

This Commonwealth-led fund helps small countries import goods at competitive prices. The fund will guarantee loans made by loan providers like local banks, to encourage them to loan money to small and medium businesses.

Recent publications

• Trade Express
• Trade Competitiveness Section Brochure

International trade policy

The Commonwealth carries out research into trade policy to promote the trade and development interests of our members, especially small states and the least-developed countries.

We bring countries together to discuss and agree on new global trade issues. This helps Commonwealth countries be better prepared for bilateral and multilateral trade talks.

Publications from our digital iLibrary

• View the digitised version of the Commonwealth Trade Review 2021
• Commonwealth Trade Review 2018 (PDF)
• Commonwealth Trade Review 2015
• Commonwealth Trade Hot Topics 
• Books and Monographs
• International Trade Working Papers

Hub and Spokes Program

The Hub and Spokes program is an innovative initiative that sends trade advisors to government ministries and economic organisations to help boost trade in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries.

Local trade advisers (the ‘spokes’) are sent to help national government trade ministries. Regional trade advisers (the ‘hubs’) are sent to help to major regional organisations.

Trade Competitiveness Policy Briefs

• African Exports into the UK: Research Study on the New Post-Brexit Procedural Rules (PDF)
• Caribbean Exports into the UK: Research Study on the New Post-Brexit Procedural Rules (PDF)
• Pacific Exports into the UK: Research Study on the New Post-Brexit Procedural Rules (PDF)
• Impact of Post-Brexit Procedural Rules for Pacific Exports into the UK (PDF)
• Impact of Post-Brexit Procedural Rules for Caribbean Exports into the UK (PDF)
• Impact of Post-Brexit Procedural Rules for African Exports into the UK (PDF)
• Government Procurement in TPP (PDF)
• Investments in Trade Agreements (PDF)
• Labour Standards (PDF)
• New Issues in Multilateral Trade Agreements (PDF)
• State-owned Enterprises in TPP (PDF)
• Trade Facilitation Agreement (PDF)