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The World Trade Organization (WTO) is urging African nations to intensify intra-African trade as a strategic buffer against the impact of newly imposed global tariffs.
This follows recent tariff adjustments announced by the U.S., under the Trump administration, with Ghana among the countries affected—facing a 10 percent increase on certain exports.
Speaking at the opening of the WTO’s 2025 Forecast Meeting in Geneva, WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala acknowledged that the impact of these tariff changes will not be uniform across the continent.
“Whilst the present trade situation is being sorted out, including a plea for the possibility of tariff exemptions for most of Africa, since this is where the largest number of LDCs (32 of the 44) are found, I have a message for the continent itself. This message is the need for more self-reliance. The external environment has changed and is more adverse,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of regional trade integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), stating it will be critical in helping countries cushion the effects of external shocks.
“Aid is drying up and trade is becoming more politicized. So there needs to be a focus on raising domestic resources, attracting domestic, regional and foreign investments, on faster and greater trade integration within the continent such that intra-Africa trade is lifted well beyond the current 16%,” she added.
She further highlighted the lesson the world can learn from the ongoing global tensions “The first one is over-dependence: One of the clearest lessons from the COVID-19 crisis was the importance of diversifying sources of supply.
Today’s trade tensions remind us that we must also diversify demand. Overconcentration—whether in where we buy from or where we sell to—leads to overdependence, making economies more vulnerable to shocks and fostering a sense of unfair burden sharing.”
source: citinewsroom.com
