New Pan-African Trade Policy Platform Launched on Margins of the WTO Trade Ministers Conference, Owie Appointed Convenor
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala with some Heads of Government in Cameron
Meeting on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, trade experts and thought leaders from across the African continent launched the Africa Trade Policy Working Group (ATP Working Group), a new effort to strengthen African voice and influence in global trade governance, with Dr Ese Owie appointed as Convenor.
The ATP Working Group emerged from a high-level workshop co-organized by the Remaking Trade for a Sustainable Future Project (RTP), ODI Global, Trade Negotiations and Investment Forum (TNIF), International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC), Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS), and South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).
Featuring WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Deputy Director-General His Excellency Xiangchen Zhang, and Prof. Dan Esty of Yale University and a co-founder of the Remaking
Trade Project, and other leading policymakers, negotiators, and scholars, the workshop examined Africa’s role in shaping WTO reform at a critical juncture for the multilateral trading system.
At this defining juncture in geopolitical affairs, the ATP Working Group aims to position Africa as a strategic actor in the evolving global trade order by amplifying and connecting leading thinkers from across the continent and the African diaspora, while bridging policy, academia, and practice.
Key areas of focus will include development-oriented reform, climate-trade linkages, supply chain resilience, digital trade, and institutional renewal, thereby advancing a more coherent, coordinated, and forward-looking African contribution to global trade debates.
A Strategic Response to a Critical Moment
Discussions at MC14 and associated convenings underscore both the urgency of WTO reform and the growing recognition that Africa must step forward to proactively shape the future of global trade governance.
The multilateral trading system is undergoing structural transformation, driven by geopolitical realignment, climate change, supply chain restructuring, and digitalization.
The establishment of the ATP Working Group reflects a strategic shift in Africa’s engagement with global trade governance—from fragmented participation to coordinated influence.
A Coalition of Leading Institutions and Experts
The ATPWG, convened by the Remaking Trade for a Sustainable Future Project’s Senior Advisor Dr Ese Owie, is anchored by a coalition of leading African and globally recognized institutions, reflecting both regional depth and international reach. Founding partners include:
● African Future Policies Hub (AFPH)
● Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, London School of Economics
● International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC)
● Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University
● Onsi Sawiris School of Business, American University in Cairo
● Trade Negotiations and Investment Forum (TNIF)
● South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
● Strathmore Law School (SLS)
In addition to its institutional partners, the ATPWG is supported by a network of leading African trade experts, several of whom attended the launch in Yaoundé, underscoring the depth of expertise and commitment behind the initiative.
From Dialogue to Delivery
The ATP Working Group is designed not only as a forum for dialogue, but as a platform for actionable policy engagement, with a mission to:
Consolidate African and diaspora expertise in trade policy;
Facilitate the generation and effective distribution of high-quality, policy-relevant research and analysis;
Support coherent African positioning in multilateral and regional trade processes; and
Engage strategically with institutions, including the WTO, the African Union, and the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Working Group will initially focus on six interconnected thematic priorities: WTO reform and institutional renewal; green industrialization and climate-trade governance; critical minerals and global value chains; digital trade and artificial intelligence; supply chains and economic resilience; and the AfCFTA and its interface with the global trading system.
These areas reflect both immediate policy pressures and longer-term structural shifts in the global economy.
Next Steps
The launch in Yaoundé marks the beginning of a phased rollout. Additional institutional partners and expert members will be announced in the coming months.
