Trade Liberalisation or Trade colonisation? An extraction of the politics in policies of the World Trade Organisation (WHO) on African Economy

Abstract

After the World War II, the clamour for a forum or Organisation that would serve as a platform for negotiating trade agreement and trade rules increased tremendously. This urge was what gave birth to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and it was GATT through Uruguay Round that later metamorphosis to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). An organisation created for the conduct of International trade that would raise the standard of living of member nations across the globe. However today, an increasing number of voices are being raised against the activities and policies of the WTO. Many are of the opinion that, the law and policies of WTO are inconsistent with the developmental efforts of African countries. In this paper, an attempt will be made to assess the law and policies of the WTO vis-à-vis African economy. The politics in policies of WTO on the economy of African countries will be extracted with a view to proffering some solutions and options to African countries for the survival and development of their trade economy.