As leaders gather for the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Yaoundé from 26 to 29 March 2026, one principle should guide the global agenda: trade must remain open, fair, and rules-based. For Africa in particular, strengthening open and predictable trade systems will be critical to unlocking the continent’s agricultural potential, accelerating innovation, and strengthening food security.
Open and predictable trade systems enable countries to move food from surplus regions to deficit regions, ensure that agricultural innovations are accessible across borders, and provide farmers with the technologies they need to increase productivity while improving sustainability. In a world facing growing population pressures, climate change, and supply chain disruptions, maintaining such systems is essential.
For Africa, this upcoming MC14 creates an opportunity to push for clearer disciplines on export restrictions, improved notification requirements, and faster alignment of agricultural standards measures that directly support food system resilience.
Building connected African food markets
MC14 offers Africa a platform to advocate for strengthened regional trade facilitation commitments, particularly those reducing border delays, simplifying customs procedures, and supporting harmonised SPS controls. These steps are essential to unlocking the movement of food, agricultural inputs, and technology across African markets.
Africa stands on one of the greatest agricultural opportunities of our time. With nearly 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, the continent has the natural capacity to become a global engine of sustainable food production. Yet today, a large share of basic food needs is still met through imports, with over 80% of staple food imports coming from outside Africa, while intra-African agricultural trade accounts for only about 18% of total trade. This gap does not reflect a lack of potential; rather, it highlights an opportunity to better connect African markets.
