African Perspectives on Trade and the WTO: Domestic Reforms, Structural Transformation and Global Economic Integration

Description

Twenty-first century Africa is in a process of economic transformation, but challenges remain in areas such as structural reform, governance, commodity pricing and geopolitics. This book looks into key questions facing the continent, such as how Africa can achieve deeper integration into the rules-based multilateral trading system and the global economy. It provides a range of perspectives on the future of the multilateral trading system and Africa's participation in global trade and underlines the supportive roles that can be played by multilateral and regional institutions during such a rapid and uncertain transition. This volume is based on contributions to the Fourth China Round Table on WTO Accessions and the Multilateral Trading System, which took place just before the World Trade Organization's Tenth Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in December 2015.

Patrick Low is a visiting professor at The University of Hong Kong and a fellow at the Asian Global Institute. He was formerly Chief Economist at the World Trade Organization and previously worked at the GATT Secretariat. Ambassador Chiedu Osakwe is Trade Advisor to the Honorable Minister and Chief Negotiator for the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria, while he is on special leave from the World Trade Organization. In the WTO, he has worked as director of various divisions for many years, including most recently as Director of the Accessions Division. Maika Oshikawa is Officer in Charge of the Accessions Division of the World Trade Organization, having served in various divisions within the WTO Secretariat, including most recently as Head of the Asia Pacific Desk in the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation.