Liberia National Trade Policy.

The Liberia National Trade Policy (Policy) provides a clear codification of country’s strategy over a five-year period to transform its trade sector and represents a clear direction of trade policy. The Policy is a sectoral policy with national coverage to be implemented during the 2014-2019 period. The overall objective of the Policy is to promote international trade a competitive domestic private sector by supporting the agricultural, industrial and services sectors to trade at the local and international levels, thereby contributing to employment generation, improvement of the livelihood of the livelihood people, and reduction in poverty.
The Policy will seek to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable by promoting trade. The Policy promotes a balanced relationship between trade integration and sustainable development that promotes a more transparent and predictable business environment and protects both domestic businesses and the disadvantaged, including women, youth and the poor, especially those living in rural areas, from the adverse effects of market opening.
The Policy attaches great importance to the promotion of social inclusion. It will seek to reduce poverty in general, including rural poverty, through the promotion of the trade sector.
The Policy will seek to make agricultural and food systems more inclusive and efficient through trade. The Policy will seek the promotion of international export competiveness through a variety of actions ranging from infrastructure to export incentives. It will address problems related to the quality infrastructure, export incentives and promotion, economic infrastructure and services, trade finance, and sector-specific issues. In addition, the Policy will seek the promotion of domestic trade and strengthening of the productive capacity in general, as a precondition for more businesses to become expert ready. The Policy attaches great importance to the support to producers and traders targeting the domestic market. It will seek the improvement of the domestic trade infrastructure, assistance to indigenous producers and traders, the protection and strengthening of intellectual property rights, and the facilitation of access to finance and land. Also, the Policy will increase the efficiency of the import and export administration; promote regional trade and integration; and promote global access for Liberian goods and services. Lastly, the Policy will increase the effectiveness of Liberian institutions responsible for formulating and implementing trade policies; and enhance the legal framework and good governance for trade.
The Policy will seek the avoidance of a negative impact on climate and the environment.
The Policy sets out the rationale underlying the measures within each designated policy area; the specific objectives pursued; indicators, baselines, and targets for measuring progress; the main activities; as well as, where appropriate, linkages with other policies.