The challenges of trade capacity building in Africa : regional workshop on trade capacity building: experiences in an African context

Abstract

The main outcome of the Doha World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference was an agreement to launch a broad based and balanced work program for continuation of multilateral trade negotiations to be completed by the year 2005, The work program incorporates an expanded negotiating agenda and other important decisions and activities necessary to address the challenges facing the multilateral trading system. The Doha Ministerial Declaration provided the mandate for several issues and other work. The Declaration covered 21 subjects, which primarily called for negotiations along with work in other WTO councils and committees. This broadens agenda poses serious challenges for many African countries, especially in view of their' weak trade capacities to meaningful engage in such trade negotiations. Also, it is a great challenge to provide the technical assistance and capacity/strengthening to enable the African countries effectively and properly take part in the negotiations for their own benefits. The African group has, therefore, strongly expressed a great need for technical assistance and capacity building/strengthening of African countries to enable them negotiate various issues on trade.