The WTO and Africa: The State of Play and Key Priorities Going Forward

The document argues that African states must shift from a strategy of blocking new negotiations to one of active participation to avoid becoming 'rule takers' in the global trade system. It specifically recommends narrowing the TRIPS waiver proposal to focus solely on COVID-19 vaccines to secure broader support and suggests that African states prioritize a few key development outcomes from the stalled Doha Round while engaging in Joint Statement Initiatives (JSIs) on e-commerce and investment. The brief also emphasizes the need for the African Union to coordinate common policy positions and the establishment of regional vaccine production hubs in countries like South Africa, Senegal, Algeria, and Tunisia.

• African states' global trade presence is minimal, accounting for less than 3% of global trade and approximately 2% of global exports, leaving them largely as onlookers in the international trading system.
• The current broad TRIPS waiver proposal to suspend intellectual property rights for COVID-19 equipment and vaccines faces significant opposition from developed nations; the author recommends narrowing the request specifically to vaccines to increase the likelihood of approval.
• The compulsory licensing mechanism is viewed as flawed due to its complexity and time-consuming nature, as evidenced by Rwanda taking three years to procure HIV/AIDS antiretroviral drugs.
• To address vaccine production and distribution gaps, the document proposes a regional hub model utilizing countries with existing capacity, specifically South Africa, Senegal, Algeria, and Tunisia.
• The Doha Round of negotiations is largely considered an impasse and outdated; African states are advised to stop blocking new issues and instead prioritize one or two specific development outcomes for the Twelfth Ministerial Conference.
• African states risk becoming 'rule takers' rather than 'rule makers' if they continue to oppose or ignore Joint Statement Initiatives (JSIs) on critical modern issues such as e-commerce, investment facilitation for development, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
• The WTO's appellate body has been non-functional since November 2020 due to a US blockade of judge appointments, creating a backlog of cases and undermining the rules-based system relied upon by African states.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2021). The WTO and Africa: The State of Play and Key Priorities Going Forward. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-wto-and-africa-the-state-of-play-and-key-priorities-going-forward/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The WTO and Africa: The State of Play and Key Priorities Going Forward. 2021. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-wto-and-africa-the-state-of-play-and-key-priorities-going-forward/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The WTO and Africa: The State of Play and Key Priorities Going Forward |date=6 July 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/the-wto-and-africa-the-state-of-play-and-key-priorities-going-forward/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2021wto, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The WTO and Africa: The State of Play and Key Priorities Going Forward}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/the-wto-and-africa-the-state-of-play-and-key-priorities-going-forward/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }