Background
APRI’s Economy and Society Programme, in partnership with Brot für die Welt and Werkstatt Ökonomie, will host a hybrid session to analyze the founding principles of the World Trade Organization and explore opportunities for actionable reform that can strengthen African agency.
From March 26 to 29, the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (MC14 – WTO) will take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon. This will be only the second time the Ministerial Conference has been held on the African continent in the WTO’s more than 30-year history, following Nairobi in 2015 (MC10). African stakeholders associate this conference with expectations of advancing long-awaited WTO reform. This goes beyond restoring a semblance of normalcy following disruptions such as recent tariff policies, and instead calls for a fundamental review of the WTO’s founding principles, which many argue have historically reinforced the rights of stronger actors at both multilateral and bilateral levels.
Featuring a panel of diverse experts, this event aims to provide a platform to discuss options for strengthening African agency and strategic pathways for WTO reform ahead of MC14, while highlighting key principles for a more equitable trade policy.
The Speakers
Vahini Naidu
Speaker
Programme Coordinator, Trade for Development Programme (TDP), South Centre
Jutheau Déadjufo Toussé
Speaker
Minister Counsellor and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Permanent Mission of Cameroon to UNOG; Former Vice-President of the Trade and Development Board, and Chair of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Committee (SPS/WTO)
Francisco Mari
Speaker
Programme Officer – Global Food Security, Agricultural Trade and Ocean Policy
Dr. Boniface Mabanza
Speaker
Referent, Kirchliche Arbeitsstelle Südliches Afrika (KASA), Werkstatt Ökonomie
Moderation
Joshua Kwesi Aikins
Moderator
Senior Fellow and Head of the Decolonising Development Project at APRI.
