The initial aim of the Boksburg Group was to improve the awareness and understanding of developing countries of the issue of trade facilitation.
It was recognised that whilst developing countries were enthusiastic about a WTO Agreement covering trade facilitation, the primary beneficiaries of such an agreement, developing countries, were broadly either sceptical or positively against such an agreement. Analysis of the situation highlighted that whilst there was a high level of activity related to raising the profile and understanding of trade facilitation, most of the arenas used to address this issue were primarily those that developing countries found threatening e.g. large conferences, workshops dominated by developed countries and business, and WTO negotiating groups.
In view of this, a programme was developed in mid-2003 to hold meetings with developing countries, where they could discuss issues related to trade facilitation openly. Following a meeting held in Boksburg, South Africa, a Group was established and named the ‘Boksburg Group’. With support from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), SITPRO and the Commonwealth Business Council have subsequently arranged numerous events where developing countries have been able to discuss issues related to trade facilitation.