African Trade Ministers Unite in Morocco Ahead of WTO Meeting

African Trade Ministers and senior officials have concluded a high-level retreat in Marrakech, Morocco, aimed at strengthening the continent’s position ahead of the 14th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC14) in March 2026.

The meeting, held from December 11-12, 2025, alongside the 2nd AfCFTA Business Forum, focused on aligning African priorities for multilateral trade negotiations.

Trade Minister Elizabeth Ofusu Adjare emphasized the need for a shift in Africa’s role at the WTO. “When the WTO was established in Marrakech in 1994, many African countries arrived like observers, signing onto a system shaped by others,” she stated. “We were often rule-takers, not rule-makers. This is no longer our story.”

Minister Adjare urged that MC14, hosted on African soil, presents a crucial opportunity for the continent to decisively shape the future of the WTO. She called for reforms that support development, protect policy space for industrialization, and foster a more equitable trading system.

The Minister also participated in discussions on maximizing the commercial benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). She highlighted persistent challenges hindering intra-African trade, including non-tariff barriers, high logistics costs, and inadequate infrastructure.

“The AfCFTA will only succeed if we address these bottlenecks through coordinated reforms, improved trade facilitation, and targeted investments in transport, border systems, standards, and digital trade,” she explained.

Participants at the Marrakech retreat committed to deepening coordination, aligning negotiating positions, and ensuring Africa’s priorities are central to the outcomes of MC14. They reaffirmed the AfCFTA as the key driver for industrialization and regional value chains.

According to the officials, a unified African voice at the WTO conference is vital for building a trade system that delivers tangible benefits for businesses and people across the continent.

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