Although Mukhisa Kituyi, The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) Secretary-General urges African ministers to push for a better deal during the WTO global trade conference in Nairobi, Kenya, there is little hope for Africa to get a fair deal. This is because WTO is a platform for rich and developed countries who are not keen on addressing developing country needs and will craft clauses to maintain the status quo.

While the WTO concessions may offer a few tokens to Africa, the continent should focus less on WTO but more on growing the domestic market. The continent should also seek to tap into the relationship with Brazil, Russia, India and China. WTO will be meaningful to Africa if it is recalibrated to embrace inclusivity, transparency and equity.