TRADES Centre, formerly known as Lome Trade Research Unit (LTRU), is an independent research and training Centre which analyses trade and development issues from the perspectives of southern Africa’s poor communities. The Centre explores the implications of international, regional and bilateral trade agreements, regional integration, national trade and development policies.
Training on trade related policy issues is a key area at the Centre. The training targets various groups ranging from trade negotiators, policy advisors, private sector, civil society groups, farmers unions and Small and Medium Enterprises. The training is done at both national and regional levels.
The Centre also disseminates information about trade and development issues. Instruments used for the dissemination are workshops, conferences, seminars, meetings and publications. Some of these publications can be downloaded from the website.