African leaders on Wednesday voiced regret over the collapse of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks, saying there should be a fair global trade system to help integrate the continent’s economy into the world market.
”We have noted with regret that there was little or no progress in advancing the Doha Development Agenda at the WTO Mininsterial Conference in Cancun,” said the declaration at the end of the Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad III) here.
”The creation of the equitable international trade system remains as a major challenge to African development.”
The Doha development agenda, launched in November 2001, was supposed to establish a more equitable approach to international trade for developing and least-developed countries by the end of 2004.
But the WTO talks in Cancun, Mexico fell apart on September 14 with no pact due to bitter disagreements between rich and poor nations with agricultural trade a key sticking point.
The conference declaration argued the continent should ”claim the 21st century” by ”fully employing its abundant natural and human resources and enjoying the benefits of trade … through integrating Africa into the global economy.”
In his closing remarks, Gabon’s President Omar Bongo said Africa’s economy was under-represented in the world economy.
”Statistics show that there is marginal participation of the African economy in international trade,” Bongo said, adding: ”The percentage of direct foreign investment (in Africa) is very low.”
Over the last decade, Japan’s assistance to African development has totalled $12-billion. But in terms of trade, just one percent of Japan’s total volume of trade is with African countries and more than 50% of that trade is with South Africa.
Developing nations and non-governmental organisations have long argued that scrapping farm subsidies in Europe and the United States and opening their markets would do more than international aid to help the world’s poor.
At the opening of the conference on Monday, Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said trade protectionism among rich nations is hurting Africa’s economic development.
”The greatest subversion to Africa’s development has been accounted for by the protectionism in EU, USA, Canada and Japan,” Museveni said.
”The West and Japan must expunge ego-centrism and through free trade, create equitable opportunities for all the people of the world,” he said.
The three-day conference which drew nearly 50 African nations including 23 heads of state or government called for more concerted global efforts to support the continent’s economic growth and political stability.
”The international community should deliver timely and substantial assistance to help Africa make the best use of its own resources … to support efforts of African countries to gain a meaningful foothold in the global market place,” the declaration
said. – Sapa-AFP