ABSTRACT

Attempts to launch a new round of multilateral trade negotiations after the Uruguay round did not enjoy much support from the developing world, including Africa for several reasons. Many developing countries were of the view that the new rules arising from the Uruguay round should be fully implemented before any new round of multilateral trade negotiations could be embarked upon. This means that, according to these countries, the future activities of the World Trade Organization (WTO) should rather focus on the “built-in agenda,” brought forward from the Uruguay round, as well as address the inherent iniquities in the existing agreements. In Africa, most countries considered their increasing marginalization in the international trade arena largely as a result of unfair trade rules and the fragile prices of their export commodities. In this context, they were concerned that any new set of rules from a new round of trade negotiations could further hinder rather than promote the growth and development of their national economies. 1 It was therefore this cautious environment and perception that prevailed at the WTO Ministerial Conferences before Doha, particularly Singapore in 1996, Geneva in 1998, and Seattle in 1999.