Travelling the globe for the World Trade Organization (WTO), I get asked the same questions everywhere I go: what is my view of the global economy and what is the next big trend? I always give the same answer: Africa.
I talk about Africa's dynamism - that it has the youngest population of any continent and the highest growth. I talk about the sense of energy and purpose that I find in every African leader or businessperson I meet. I think Africa's potential is unmatched - and that trade has a crucial role to play in helping to realize this potential.
In 1994, the world came together in Marrakesh to create an organization to govern and reform international trade. The WTO opened its doors for business on January 1, 1995. Now, two decades later, the WTO is returning to Africa to hold its biennial ministerial conference in Nairobi - the first such meeting on the African continent in the organization's 20-year history. We need to make sure that we seize this opportunity to deliver for Africa.
Today the WTO encompasses 161 members, the majority of which are developing or least-developed countries (LDCs). This is the unique point about the WTO - all voices are heard, everyone has a seat at the table, rich or poor, developing or developed. But among these voices, the voice of Africa has been growing louder in recent years.
The WTO currently has 43 African members - accounting for more than a quarter of the total membership - and this representation is growing. In April this year we welcomed Seychelles as a new member, and when we meet in Nairobi in December we look forward to welcoming Liberia.
The engagement of African countries in the WTO has been vital in delivering successful development outcomes. The "Bali Package", agreed in 2013, is a good example. African nations played a crucial role in the negotiations to shape this package of measures and so, unsurprisingly, it delivered a great deal for the region. It contained steps on agriculture, food security, a set of decisions on LDC issues (including on cotton), and the Trade Facilitation Agreement.
This agreement will make a big difference and it could play an important role in facilitating economic integration in Africa. By streamlining and standardising border and customs procedures the agreement will help cut the costs of trade dramatically - by more than 16 percent in developing countries. This is particularly important for Africa where the cost of customs procedures tends to be high (around 30 percent higher than the global average according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa).
East Africa has already seen the difference that trade facilitation can make. It used to take a lorry up to three weeks to arrive in Kampala from the port of Mombasa due to delays at the port and at border crossings. With targeted trade facilitation support, the average time to clear goods at port and transport them to Kampala is now around four days, bringing huge savings for businesses. The Trade Facilitation Agreement could have an even bigger impact across the board - particularly as it also provides support on the ground to implement the agreement.
The WTO's work is not limited to adjusting trade rules. We also provide practical support to increase countries' capacity to trade. More than U.S. $260 billion has been disbursed through the WTO-led "Aid for Trade" initiative, and we know that this support is having a positive effect.
For each dollar invested in Aid for Trade we have seen nearly eight dollars of exports from developing countries in general - and 20 dollars of exports from the poorest countries. This work will be on the agenda when we meet in Nairobi, where we will be launching the second phase of a programme (known as the "Enhanced Integrated Framework") which is focused on assisting LDCs to use trade as a tool for growth and poverty reduction.
We are looking to deliver in a number of areas in Nairobi. WTO members are now discussing important potential deliverables in agriculture, as well as a set of measures aimed at boosting LDCs' trading capacity.
Advancing these negotiations will be tough, but our record shows that it is possible when we are creative and innovative. We have had some recent inspiration in the form of the successful Bali Package and a recent deal that members struck to extend an exemption on drug patent rules for the poorest nations.
But, of course, our work will not end in Nairobi. Just as important as any deliverables there will be the debate on the direction of our work afterwards, especially on the future of the "Doha Development Round" of negotiations. This has seen slow progress since its launch in 2001 - and when negotiations are slow in the WTO, countries will explore other avenues such as regional trade agreements. These initiatives are positive, but the WTO must advance as well. The risk of doing everything in regional forums is that most of the time developing countries and LDCs will be left out of the conversation. It is only at the multilateral level where all voices are heard, and where the biggest development issues, such as agricultural subsidies, can be successfully addressed.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Trade has proved to be one of the best anti-poverty tools in history. It played a key role in reaching the Millennium Development Goal to cut extreme poverty by half - and it is a key element of the new United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For the past two decades, the WTO has supported African economies to grow. Let's make sure that we keep working together to achieve even more - starting in Nairobi in December.
Roberto Azevêdo is Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
