The World Trade Organization (WTO) stands accused of tying the hands of those governments in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that wish to protect their domestic producers from subsidised agricultural imports.The dubbing of the current negotiations as the Doha Development Round is viewed with scorn and its anticipated results with apprehension.
How well placed are such concerns? The answer suggested in this article is that the negotiations under Doha are of considerable importance but the current discourse risks undermining Africa’s effective participation. In brief, the critics are tilting at shadows; they are facing away from the real problems that are creeping up behind. The key concern is to begin the process of creating differentiated rules for international trade that reflect concrete differences of circumstance for countries and socio-economic groups.
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This article comes from the IDS Bulletin 36.2 (2005) The WTO: A Spectre, But at Which Feast?
