African Ministers of Trade started their deliberations with the focus on development to formulate an African position towards the negotiations of the Doha Round which began in 2001.
The African position on the issue of development will be one of the key topics to be discussed during the seventh ministerial meeting of World Trade Organization (WTO) to be held later in Geneva.
The Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, Rashid Mohamed Rashid, said the Cairo meeting is a strong message to the world that Africa’s development needs is the basis of any future negotiations on the Doha Round.
It also shows that African countries are determined to make their development priorities the focus of all negotiating tracks with regard to the liberalization of trade in agricultural, industrial goods, or services.
The Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, Rashid Mohamed Rashid, was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting.
About 20 African ministers, WTO director general Pascal Lamy, representatives of China, Brazil, Switzerland and the United States and the European Union and Mexico, among others attended the event.
Officials of the UNCTAD, AU, COMESA, ECOWAS, SADC, NEPAD Secretariat, as well as officials from the World Bank, African Development Bank and International Monetary Fund are taking part in the two -day meeting.
On the other hand, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif underlined the importance of achieving coordination among African countries to face the challenges that hinder inter-African integration, especially in the fields of trade, investment and infrastructure.
The remark came during a meeting the Egyptian premier held on Wednesday with the African ministers of Trade.
Nazif said Egypt is keen on exerting strenuous efforts to achieve cooperation among African countries on all fields.
Source African Press Agency
