Africa: Obstacles to trade must be removed
African countries must do more to maximize the benefits of trade for development, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), K.Y. Amoako, has said. Addressing a three-day meeting of the Committee of Experts of the Conference of Africa's Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in Kampala, Uganda, Amoako said that even though international action was vital to allow Africa to trade more successfully, "domestic bottlenecks" at home must also be addressed.
PRESS RELEASE No. 11/2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AFRICA NEEDS TO REMOVE OBSTACLES TO TRADE, SAYS AMOAKO
Kampala, 18 May 2004 (ECA): African countries must do more to maximize the
benefits of trade for development, the Executive Secretary of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), K.Y. Amoako, said today.
Addressing a three-day meeting of the Committee of Experts of the
Conference of Africa?s Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic
Development in Kampala, Uganda, Amoako said that even though international
action was vital to allow Africa to trade more successfully, ?domestic
bottlenecks? at home must also be addressed.
Among the challenges were the need to strengthen trade capacity, find ways
to replace lost income from lowered tariffs and identify new sources of
finance for trade.
He also stressed the importance of regional integration for Africa, arguing
that it would drive intra-African trade and stimulate export
diversification.
Intra-African trade currently accounts for only 10 per cent of Africa?s
total trade.
In his opening address, Uganda?s Finance Minister, Gerald Sendaula, agreed
that Africa suffered from a poor enabling environment and lack of economic
infrastructure, among other obstacles to change.
He said that having liberalized its external trade regime and introduced
macroeconomic reforms and privatization, Uganda was now winning more
foreign investment and managing to diversify into non-traditional exports.
However Amoako warned African governments not to liberalize trade ?blindly?
because, in many cases, he said, ?openness has not translated into growth.?
Instead he called for the adoption of dynamic trade policies going beyond
protection and revenue maximization and driven by strategic development
objectives.
On international trade negotiations, Amoako said there was now recognition
that more effort and urgency were needed if ?the laudable objectives of the
Doha Round? were to be achieved in the wake of the failure of the WTO talks
in Cancun, Mexico, last year.
He said that the recent offer by the EU Trade and Agriculture Commissioners
to eliminate EU export subsidies if the United States would do the same had
added momentum to the trade negotiating process.
Minister Sendaula called on Africa to marshall all efforts to negotiate the
removal of unfair international trade practices and build capacity in the
area of trade negotiations in order to strengthen Africa?s negotiating
approach.
PRESS ADVISORY
The Experts meeting will be followed immediately by the Conference of
African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development on Friday
and Saturday, May 21-22.
The ECA Conference of Ministers is being held back to back with the annual
meetings of the African Development Bank (ADB). The two organizations will
host a joint symposium on Monday May 24 on the theme of ?The Missing Link
in Growth and Sustainable Development: Closing the Gender Gap.? The ADB
annual meetings will follow on May 25-6.
Issues papers, and speeches other resources can be found on the ECA website
at http://www.uneca.org/cfm/
For further information or to make requests for interviews contact
Akwe Amosu: [email protected]
Tel (Kampala) +256 71 412400 (until May 26)
Tel (Addis Ababa) +25 11 443322
Issued by:
Communication Team
UN Economic Commission for Africa
Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia