Efficient trade processes are essential for driving economic growth, creating jobs, and deepening integration into the global economy. Yet in many countries—particularly developing economies—complex border procedures can delay shipments, raise costs, and create barriers for businesses.
The Trade Facilitation Support Program (TFSP), launched by the World Bank Group in 2014, helps countries improve cross-border trade by supporting the implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Through targeted technical assistance, capacity building, and knowledge sharing, TFSP partners with countries to identify bottlenecks, design reforms, and implement solutions that make trade faster, more predictable, and less costly.
Since its launch, the program has supported 58 countries in implementing over 283 WTO TFA measures, helping to reduce border clearance times, improve efficiency, and generate tangible savings for the private sector.
TFSP delivers practical, demand-driven technical assistance and capacity building to help countries identify trade bottlenecks, design effective reforms, and align border processes with international standards.
The program also supports knowledge creation and exchange, encouraging peer-to-peer learning and helping countries monitor progress toward their trade facilitation goals.
Working Together to Advance Trade Facilitation
TFSP is built on strong partnerships that bring together governments, the private sector, development organizations, and donors to improve border processes and support global trade.
The World Bank Group collaborates closely with the World Trade Organization (WTO), development partners, and other stakeholders to help countries implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The program draws on the combined expertise of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to provide practical, demand-driven assistance that strengthens trade systems and promotes private sector competitiveness.
TFSP is funded by the generous contributions of our donor partners:
TFSP partners logos
Through these partnerships, TFSP helps countries create more transparent, efficient, and resilient trade environments that contribute to sustainable economic growth and development.
TFSP has partnered with countries around the world to implement meaningful reforms that make trade faster, more transparent, and more inclusive. Key results to date include:
Explore the latest blogs, stories, publications, podcasts, and videos highlighting TFSP’s work around the world.
These resources showcase lessons learned, country experiences, and expert perspectives on advancing trade facilitation and driving development impact.
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Get in touch with the TFSP team.
For more information, please contact the TFSP Secretariat:
📧 TFSP@worldbank.org
