ECOWAS prepares for the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Accra

The 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia (December 3-6, 2013) and the potential conclusion of the Doha Round are of particular interest for ECOWAS members as they face strong challenges in their trade development agenda.

ECOWAS countries’ general reliance on low value-added commodity exports, lack of economies of scale and poor trade infrastructure all contribute to a systemic lack of export competiveness. Further economic constraints stem from reduced diversification of export markets and products, limited internal market and preference-dependence.

ECOWAS countries are heavily immersed in the negotiation of issues within the multilateral trading system. This applies both to the longstanding negotiation of the Doha Development Round and the treatment of general WTO issues such as trade policy monitoring, trade and development and AfT. The Doha negotiations are currently facing a severe impasse but expectations remain that a package of “Bali deliverables” - trade facilitation, agriculture and special and differential treatment - will emerge. Additional issues under contemplation are an LDC package comprised of accession, services waiver and cotton.

The defence of their interests in the WTO Doha Development Agenda (DDA) is a crucial requirement in order to deliver the objective of further integration of the West African region into the world economy as a path towards alleviating poverty in West Africa. The WTO Ministerial Conference will also offer the opportunity to address a host of non-DDA issues as TRIPS non-violation and the moratorium on customs duties on electronic commerce. The 9th WTO Ministerial Conference will also take place in a context of a host of new global trade developments involving traditional African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) trade partners such as the US and EU.

In this context, the convening of a preparatory meeting in Accra from September 18-19, 2013 helped ECOWAS Members to deliberate on strategies that the region can adapt towards the development of regional positions for the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference. The aim of the preparatory meeting was to discuss issues of particular interest to West African countries for articulation at the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference.

The meeting sought to adopt a common regional position to feed into both the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference and the ACP preparatory processes. The two-day meeting in Accra assisted ECOWAS member states in strengthening the role of West Africa to promote trade amongst both themselves and with the wider international community, whilst addressing their own developmental aspirations of promoting both poverty reduction and sustainable development.

The meeting assembled senior officials, diplomats and other stakeholders from ECOWAS members and the ECOWAS Commission to discuss the issues germane to the Region’s preparation for MC9 and help the Delegates coordinate West African regional positions on a number of relevant WTO issues including trade facilitation, agriculture and special and differential treatment for ECOWAS countries.

The meeting was held with the support of the ACP MTS programme which is a European Union-African Caribbean Pacific funded initiative that supports the integration of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries into the Multilateral Trading System.