Integration of Africa in the Global Trading System: The Challenges of Building Trade and Trade-Related Capacity

WTO/ECA/ADB Short Trade Policy Course

by
K.Y. Amoako
Executive Secretary
17 June 2002
Addis Ababa

Mr. Ablasse Ouedraogo, Deputy-Director General of the World Trade Organization;

Mr. Lawrence Agubuzu, Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity;

Representative of the President of the African Development Bank;

Distinguished Participants;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

It is indeed a pleasure for me, and the Economic Commission for Africa, to welcome you all to Addis Ababa for this, the first WTO Short Trade Policy Course to be held in Africa. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Mike Moore and his colleagues for associating the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Development Bank (ADB) in the organization of this important initiative. It is my sincere hope that this is the beginning of a closer working relationship between the WTO and our regional organizations as we seek to effectively integrate the African continent into the global economy and trading system.

Given the small size of many of its economies, Africa needs to be more effectively integrated in the global trading system to take full advantage of larger markets created by globalization and liberalization.

Countries that have integrated effectively into the global economy have done so through outward oriented and market friendly policies that allow them to benefit from increased capital flows, technology advances, cheaper imports, and greater export markets.

The Doha WTO Ministerial Declaration recognized the vulnerabilies of the least-developed countries, many of which are in Africa, and particularly the special structural difficulties they face in the global economy. It, therefore, committed WTO member states to address the challenges faced by least-developed countries and to improve their participation in the multilateral trading system. It called on the WTO to play its part in effectively implementing these commitments.

We, at ECA, welcome the efforts of the Director General of the WTO and his colleagues to respond to this call. This WTO Trade Policy Course is a vivid example of their efforts.

As you are all aware, most of the subjects listed in the Doha Declaration involve negotiations and require actions for which there is a desperate need for technical capacity building in Africa.

And, with 1 January 2005 set as the completion date for all but two of the negotiations, the quality, content and direction of technical assistance provided to African countries in the months to come will be critical. We also need to assist African countries in formulating trade policies and strategies to take advantage of the opportunities generated by globalization and liberalization. This WTO Trade Policy Course is therefore an important contribution and a continuing process to building much-needed capacity in Africa. We, at the Economic Commission for Africa, want to play our part in building the relevant capacity in Africa needed for the effective integration of our continent in the world economy and global trading system.

ECA, therefore, intends to develop a comprehensive training programme at the ECA African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) in Dakar, Senegal, for African trade negotiators to enhance their capacities and skills for effective participation in multilateral trade negotiations.

Secondly, we will strengthen our analytical capacity for high quality trade research and analysis. And, in response to the request by the WTO Africa Group, we intend to respond positively by establishing an ECA office in Geneva to support our member States in their technical analysis and negotiation strategies. This office will work closely with the OAU office in Geneva as well as with ITC, UNCTAD, WIPO and WTO.

We are well aware that there are a number of trade and trade-related capacity building initiatives for Africa that already exist or are in the planning stages. Accordingly, it is our desire that the ECA technical assistance programme should be complimentary to all these initiatives and add value by bringing out the African perspective on capacity building. Furthermore, it is our intention to work closely with many of the organizations already involved in this area including WTO, UNCTAD, and the World Bank.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to conclude by wishing you a very successful training course to all of you and happy stay in Addis Ababa to our guests.

Thank you.