Enhancing the capacity of Paraguayan trade attachés
The purpose of this project was to design and deliver training on preparing export market intelligence (MI) briefs for Paraguayan trade officials. This initiative supported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Vice-Ministry of MSMEs (VM/MSME) in enhancing their export development services, particularly for MSMEs and marginalized groups.
This project was delivered by Globally Cool under the Expert Deployment Mechanism for Trade and Development (EDM) program. EDM is managed and implemented by Cowater in collaboration with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). We were contracted to develop a comprehensive training course, model MI briefs, and a manual delivered in Spanish, with a focus on inclusive and sustainable trade practices.
Year
2024 – 2025
Country
ParaguayType of activity
- Globally Cool Academy
- Market Intelligence
- Onsite training
Activities
- Developed a comprehensive work plan, schedule, and budget in collaboration with national institutions and validated by stakeholders to ensure alignment with institutional needs and private sector demands.
- Designed and delivered 10-module virtual training programmes for two groups of trade attachés, covering MI concepts, AI tools, buyer engagement, field research, and report writing. All resources were hosted on the custom Globally Cool Academy platform.
- Conducted stakeholder interviews and needs assessments to identify gaps in existing MI practices and align training content with real-world exporter needs.
- Developed standardised MI brief templates and evaluation rubrics tailored to the Paraguayan context, co-created with participants and validated by the private sector.
- Facilitated field application of training through MI brief development on selected product-market pairs, with participants conducting interviews, trade fair visits, and buyer identification.
- Delivered onsite workshop in Asunción to consolidate institutional alignment, validate deliverables, and plan future integration of MI activities into operational agendas.
- Developed a Performance Measurement Framework to monitor outcomes and promote the sustainability of the initiative.
Results
- Enhanced the skills of 35 trade attachés in producing inclusive, data-driven, and action-oriented MI briefs.
- Four MI briefs were successfully developed and presented (e.g., rum–USA, rum–France, cosmetics–Panama, ice cream–Chile).
- Established a validated MI brief template adopted by MFA, MIC, and REDIEX for future export planning and decision-making.
- Improved collaboration and alignment among MFA, REDIEX, and the private sector for coordinated MI production.
- Significantly increased awareness and capacity to integrate gender equality, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability into MI outputs.
- Laid the groundwork for institutionalising MI production as part of annual trade attaché activities.