Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique’s Prime Minister, Benvinda Levi, said yesterday that Africa must advocate fairness in agricultural negotiations to correct distortions harmful to producers, also emphasising that e-commerce should promote digital inclusion.
Speaking at the opening of the Meeting of African Trade Ministers in Maputo, the Prime Minister stated that African countries should, at the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), to be held in March in Cameroon, push for a balanced reform of the organisation that preserves consensus and restores an effective dispute resolution system.
In this process, Levi said, “it is essential that the modernisation of global rules recognises the structural asymmetries of our economies so that international trade truly becomes a driver of inclusive development.”
Africa, the Prime Minister added, must pursue “a fair approach in agricultural negotiations” that allows “the correction of distortions harmful” to producers.
“For Africa, agriculture is not merely a trade statistic; agriculture guarantees the survival of families and is the foundation for sustained industrialisation,” she said. Benvinda Levi urged the African ministers gathered in Maputo to adopt an e-commerce framework that promotes digital inclusion, technological capacity-building, and knowledge transfer.
Mozambique also wants the African continent to advocate for appropriate treatment for least-developed countries, ensuring gradual and predictable transitions, while reinforcing the institutional role of the African Union in global trade governance.
The Prime Minister noted that the world is undergoing a period of profound transformations, with geopolitical tensions, a rise in unilateral measures, dysfunctions in global value chains, and the impacts of climate change, all of which challenge economic growth.
“It is for this reason that defending a predictable, fair, transparent, and development-oriented multilateral trading system is no longer optional but has become a strategic necessity,” she said.
Levi further stressed that Africa has abundant resources but still faces challenges such as food insecurity, an energy deficit affecting hundreds of millions of people, intra-African trade levels still below 20%, excessive dependence on commodity exports, and vulnerability to recurring external shocks.
“For a continent aspiring to industrialisation, job creation for its youth, and integration into global value chains, predictability and stability in the multilateral trading system are fundamental,” the Prime Ministre pointed out.
Mozambique is hosting the Meeting of African Trade Ministers to strengthen cooperation among countries on the continent and promote an inclusive trading system, with the adoption of the Maputo Ministerial Declaration expected.
According to the Ministry of Economy, the Maputo meeting provides a key platform to align the continent’s priorities, reinforce Africa’s collective voice in trade negotiations, and promote an inclusive trading system oriented towards sustainable development and industrialisation.
For the Mozambican government, the meeting of trade ministers also aims to harmonise positions and strengthen African cooperation in the multilateral trading system, with the event attended by senior government officials and representatives of regional economic communities.
The organisers expect the meeting to conclude with the adoption of the Maputo Ministerial Declaration, which will reflect Africa’s position to be presented at the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Source: Lusa
