Professor Malick Sané, of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Management of Cheikh Anta Diop University, reports an impressive 77.27% success rate for the first promotion of the Professional Master in International Trade Policy and Negotiations.

The Masters, launched in April of last year, admitted 25 students, 22 of whom completed the four required instructional modules covering international trade, international economics, international negotiations and the role of enterprises in international trade. The 17 successful candidates will now defend a thesis or internship report -- a required element to receive the "Master 2" diploma.

Among the topics being prepared are: aid to trade and the development perspectives for small and medium enterprises; the Millennium Development Goals: Stakes, challenges and perspectives; the impact of Economic Partnership Agreements on the economies of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); the impact of trade liberalization on Senegalese cereal products; petroleum alternatives for a dynamic of growth.

"In general, the programme went very well," Sané said. "Classes were held regularly and the teachers were of a very high caliber. We even benefited from the intervention of several national and international experts."

Sané also said that to keep the courses within a reasonable time frame, the content will be reduced somewhat for the next promotion. Another problem to be tackled is the lack of internships available to the Masters students.

"It would be interesting if the top students could access internships overseas, particularly at UNCTAD, and in other organisms like ECOWAS, the European Union, TradeCom, the World Trade Organization, etc.," Sané added.

The second promotion has already admitted 25 students -- out of 400 applicants -- and will begin in November.

The university is also exploring fundraising activities that would allow expanding the programme into other countries of the sub-region.

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