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WTO (World Trade Organization) has a lot of role to play for African farmers that will help encourage and maximize International trade and economic development, especially by reducing restrictions on trade. By so doing, the activity of buying and selling or of exchanging goods or services between countries will increase. Apart from WTO role in Agro/food produce and livestock, international trade in drugs, agricultural equipments, raw materials etc should be looked into. This will help reduce trade-deficit for African countries whereby the value of a country's imports is greater than the value of its exports.
Many African farmers suffer when it comes in exporting his Agro/food produce and livestock between countries. There are less trade-routes where people buying and selling goods will take across land and sea. WTO need to bridge the international gap and provide access to market, thereby developing export sector of Africa economy.
WTO (World Trade Organization) also need to create incentives for African Agro/food, livestock farmers which will help support produces in these developing countries by paying fair prices and making sure that farmers have good working conditions and fair play.
WTO was set up to support and help control import and export trade within countries. We are happy to say that the new elected head of the World Trade Organization in the person of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has proven her worth. In her words - "what we do in terms of supporting our Agro sector to trade within the region and beyond is very important. As such, WTO is key and critical if Africa is going to play its role of being the powerhouse within and beyond that".
These are the elated words of the new head of WTO (World Trade Organization). Now, what the African Agro/food, livestock farmers need to do is to specialise and provide goods which has the greatest advantage over other foreign countries. WTO need to improve foreign trade as the same way domestic trade has in Africa. Nations in ECOWAS can move easily and freely within countries without any restrictions or barriers. A lot of artificial barriers also affect the Agro/food, livestock farmers in Africa in terms of exporting from one country to another. Such barriers include customs duties, exchange control regulations and import quota etc. Difference in currencies is also a big Issue, as international trade which involves the use of two or more currencies make the whole exercise very cumbersome.
By WTO coming into the picture of export trade in Africa, this will help improve International co-operation, and better understanding is fostered by countries interacting with one another as a result of international trade.