The electronic journal of governance and innovation

This issue of eAfrica examines the critical issues and the demands for trade-offs that Africa can expect form the defenders of unfair trade at the fifth WTO Ministerial in Cancun. It outlines two aggressive tactics that Africa could use to win a better deal and how Africa needs to make fundamental changes if it is to exploit even the modest trade access it has now. Highlights within this issue include

• Make or Break Talks: this article outlines the uneven negotiating terrain faced by African members of the WTO and the missed opportunities arising therein. It draws attention to the impact of negotiations around TRIPS (trade related intellectual property rights) on African countries and calls for a more proactive role in terms of ensuring compliance by developing nations. The author recommends some strategies to win concessions such as seeking alliances with like minded blocs around common issues, potentially using the imminent expiry of the 'peace clause' to its advantage and investing in the technical manpower to participate effectively in the round of negotiations - with a view to ensuring that the region is not sidelined in US-EU deals
• Can Africa take on Europe? This article brings to light the pros and cons of extending the 'peace clause' - which ensures that WTO members will not challenge countries using agricultural subsidies under other WTO agreements. It spells out the potential cost to Africa of challenging an extension to the peace clause in terms of retaliatory cuts in aid, special bilateral trade access, as well as the prohibitive costs of litigation. In conclusion the author recommends that Africa Union (AU) could pool legal, technical and financial resources to challenge the developed countries on policies that stifle the continent's development
• More than just market access: this article considers some of the reasons behind Africa's failure to utilise its duty free access under the Lome/Cotonou agreement with the EU. It presents some of these challenges as being rigorous sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards imposed by the EU - which amount to increasing costs to suppliers, a lack of credit and high interest rates and weak infrastructure to support suppliers. The author recommends that Government and business ought to increase investment in roads, water supplies, cold storage -as well as agricultural extension services; increase their understanding international standards and standard setting procedures, improve post-production management and invest in staffing and technical capacity.