Around 60 policymakers, academics, representatives from international organizations and civil society representatives gathered in Yaoundé, Cameroon for a day and a half workshop ahead of the World Trade Organization 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14). The focus of the workshop was to discuss Africa’s role in the ongoing WTO reform process, which was the key agenda item for MC14. This included explorations of what reforms were needed to support African sustainable development, how to strengthen a collective African voice in negotiations, the connections between WTO rules and reform efforts and the mandates of other international fora and regional entities, and the importance of South-South collaboration in both shaping global rules and in implementation. Throughout the event, there was also a strong call for African governments and institutions to strengthen their work to become trade ready, by effectively implementing the African Continent Free Trade Area (AfCTA) and the national and regional policies and regulatory frameworks necessary to make the continent business and trade ready.

The workshop, which was conducted under Chatham House Rules, began with a frank fireside chat with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and benefitted from participation with negotiators and the WTO Secretariat. It was organized by the Remaking Trade Project, in partnership with ODI Global, the Trade Negotiations and Investment Forum (TNIF), the Institut des Relations Internationale du Cameroun, the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS), and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).