Trade and Competitiveness
Trade and Competitiveness

Trade and Competitiveness Strategies that Drive Growth

Trade and competitiveness have driven the rapid growth of emerging markets. The related polices pursued by countries and the business strategies adopted by companies have, to a considerable extent, determined both country economic growth and company profitability.

The Centennial Group’s trade and competitiveness practice provides policy advice to countries and regional institutions, and strategic investment advice to multi-national businesses to take advantage of today’s opportunities and, in particular, to anticipate those of the future. In addition, Centennial Group advises countries and multilateral institutions on strategies and policies to enhance regional/sub-regional cooperation to facilitate unfettered flow of trade and investments across national boundaries.

Our Trade and Competitiveness Expertise

We bring a holistic and knowledgeable perspective to global trade and competitiveness strategies. Our expertise includes:

  • An intimate knowledge and understanding of the economic, social, political, and cultural settings – as well as the interplay between these factors – of the major emerging economies in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
  • An ability to bridge the perspectives of the country policy makers and the business community in a manner that creates win-win situations for both the host country and international investors.
  • An intimate understanding of the evolving policies and views of multilateral institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank and Development Bank of Latin America-CAF.
  • Close personal contacts with top policy-makers in the emerging economies, key decision-makers in the multilateral financial institutions, as well as senior corporate executives of major corporations.
  • Ready access to the latest social and economic data and analyses.
  • An absence of any conflict of interest with any other (non-advisory) business interests.

Typical Trade and Competitiveness Assignments

Following is a sampling of assignments related to global trade and competitiveness in which the Centennial Group team has engaged:

  • Review of regional cooperation and integration efforts in Africa and recommendations to the region’s top policy makers, funded by two major bilateral donors.
  • Review of past efforts in Latin America to increase intra-regional trade and investment flows, for the second largest multilateral lender to the region.
  • Analysis of ways to increase Mexico’s trade and investment flows with the rest of Latin America and with East Asia.
  • A critical analysis of the past efforts at regional cooperation in Central Asia and formulation of proposals to accelerate promotion of uninterrupted flow of goods, services and investments by 2050 as part of the Central Asia 2050 study.
  • Review of merits of and strategies for promoting participation by Latin American manufacturing and agriculture companies in the global value chains.

Our Team

Meet the principal(s) that lead our Trade and Competitiveness assignments:

Theodore Ahlers

Theodore Ahlers

Head of Global Trade and Competitiveness Practice; Director of Middle East and Africa, Centennial Group

Rajat Nag

Distinguished Fellow, Emerging Markets Forum

Global Collaboration for Global Development

The Centennial Group sponsors and manages the Emerging Markets Forum, a non-profit international think-tank focused on discussion of policy issues concerning emerging market economies.

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Explore the Results of Our Client Engagements

Learn how we have worked with governments, development organizations, and private sector companies to develop pragmatic plans to bring prosperity to emerging markets and their citizens.

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