Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference: The Stakes for Africa

The policy brief argues that Africa has been sidelined in the Doha Development Round (DDR) and must shift from relying on emerging power leadership to a strategy of 'common interest' partnerships. It specifically identifies trade facilitation and a Least Developed Country (LDC) package as key areas for leverage. The author emphasizes that the Africa Group should use its collective voting power to mediate and block harmful decisions while maintaining internal unity to avoid marginalization in a global economy increasingly shaped by Free Trade Areas and the rise of BRIC nations.

• The global trade landscape has been transformed by the rise of emerging powers (BRIC) and the proliferation of Free Trade Areas (FTAs), which has shifted the balance of market power and contributed to a stalemate in the Doha Development Round (DDR) due to a lack of a single guiding leader.
• Africa has historically been marginalized in DDR negotiations, often relying on the leadership of emerging powers like India and China, which did not always prioritize African interests over their own.
• To avoid being 'elbowed out', Africa should adopt a strategy of cooperating with both developed and emerging economies based on 'present common interests' rather than traditional power hierarchies, allowing the continent to broker more beneficial deals.
• Regarding trade facilitation, Africa should seek flexibility, financial assistance, and the creation of a trade facilitation implementation fund within the 'Aid for Trade' framework to build the capacity necessary to implement the MC9 Draft Consolidated Negotiating Text.
• For African Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the brief suggests pursuing duty-free, quota-free (DFQF) market access, noting that while the US often excludes sensitive sectors like sugar and cotton, expanding product eligibility can still provide benefits, and targeting emerging markets could yield even higher gains.
• The Africa Group possesses significant strategic power as the largest single grouping in the WTO, providing it with enough votes to block unfavorable decisions and act as a mediator between developed and emerging nations, provided it maintains internal unity.

APA

Zhuawu, C. (2013). Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference: The Stakes for Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Policy-Briefing-79.pdf

Chicago

Zhuawu, Collin. Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference: The Stakes for Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Policy-Briefing-79.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zhuawu |first1=Collin |title=Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference: The Stakes for Africa |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Policy-Briefing-79.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zhuawu2013ninth, author = {Zhuawu, Collin}, title = {{Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference: The Stakes for Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Policy-Briefing-79.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }