Africa must press for trade deal to grow

JOHANNESBURG – Securing a deal to free world trade in agriculture is more important to lifting Africa out of poverty than efforts to boost aid, a British government minister said.

Minister for African Affairs David Triesman told a business conference by video-link from London on Wednesday an agreement on fair trade at a December meeting in Hong Kong of the World Trade Organisation would help boost Africa’s growth prospects. He said Britain would continue to push for more aid to the continent via the Group of Eight industrialised nations but that this was not enough to guarantee its economic take-off.”All these (G8 efforts) will do only a fraction of what fair trade will do,” Triesman told the Africa Investment Forum.”(Fair trade) has to be the priority we must make,” he said.Triesman also voiced support for a regional economic recovery plan drawn up by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), which groups African countries.NEPAD outlined on Tuesday a US$110 billion annual investment plan for sectors ranging from agriculture to health to meet UN goals of halving poverty by 2015 and wanted donors to supply at least one third of the cash.Spurred by Britain, G8 nations agreed a US$40 billion debt relief package for developing countries in June and have also said they would make money available to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis – huge problems in Africa.Triesman said Britain was committed to every single pledge made by the G8, and some of the deficit in NEPAD’s plan could be covered by speeding up aid commitments.”We will fight Africa’s corner,” Triesman responded in answer to a question on whether Britain backed the plan.The 53-member African Union says subsidies to Western farmers have made African produce too expensive and effectively prevented them from accessing those markets.Triesman said new US proposals on ending a deadlock on farm subsidies suggested that a deal in Hong Kong was possible, even though meetings on the subject ended without agreement in Switzerland on Wednesday.Washington’s offer of deep farm subsidy cuts this week gave new momentum to the four-year-old talks.”We are nine weeks away from the Hong Kong ministerial meeting and the challenge is (to win) a commitment to fairer international trade rules,” Triesman said.”A deal on agriculture is critical particularly to realise Africa’s aspirations,” he added.Failure in Hong Kong would be disastrous, he said.”The job must be done now.”Triesman also urged African leaders to seek possible agreements within the Doha Round framework to tackle the influx of cheap Chinese goods.Many Africans say Chinese clothes have virtually crippled their textile industries.-Nampa-ReutersHe said Britain would continue to push for more aid to the continent via the Group of Eight industrialised nations but that this was not enough to guarantee its economic take-off.”All these (G8 efforts) will do only a fraction of what fair trade will do,” Triesman told the Africa Investment Forum.”(Fair trade) has to be the priority we must make,” he said.Triesman also voiced support for a regional economic recovery plan drawn up by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), which groups African countries.NEPAD outlined on Tuesday a US$110 billion annual investment plan for sectors ranging from agriculture to health to meet UN goals of halving poverty by 2015 and wanted donors to supply at least one third of the cash.Spurred by Britain, G8 nations agreed a US$40 billion debt relief package for developing countries in June and have also said they would make money available to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis – huge problems in Africa.Triesman said Britain was committed to every single pledge made by the G8, and some of the deficit in NEPAD’s plan could be covered by speeding up aid commitments.”We will fight Africa’s corner,” Triesman responded in answer to a question on whether Britain backed the plan.The 53-member African Union says subsidies to Western farmers have made African produce too expensive and effectively prevented them from accessing those markets.Triesman said new US proposals on ending a deadlock on farm subsidies suggested that a deal in Hong Kong was possible, even though meetings on the subject ended without agreement in Switzerland on Wednesday.Washington’s offer of deep farm subsidy cuts this week gave new momentum to the four-year-old talks.”We are nine weeks away from the Hong Kong ministerial meeting and the challenge is (to win) a commitment to fairer international trade rules,” Triesman said.”A deal on agriculture is critical particularly to realise Africa’s aspirations,” he added.Failure in Hong Kong would be disastrous, he said.”The job must be done now.”Triesman also urged African leaders to seek possible agreements within the Doha Round framework to tackle the influx of cheap Chinese goods.Many Africans say Chinese clothes have virtually crippled their textile industries.-Nampa-Reuters