By Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, PAV – The 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) opened on Thursday, March 26, in Yaoundé, bringing together ministers of economy, trade, and development from across the world to address pressing challenges facing the global trading system.
The four-day high-level meeting, which runs from March 26 to 29, has attracted more than 2,000 trade officials, including over 80 ministers, alongside representatives of major international economic and trade institutions. It marks only the second time the WTO’s top decision-making body is being held in Africa.
In his opening remarks, Cameroon’s Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, reaffirmed the country’s commitment to promoting an equitable, open, and inclusive global trading system. He stressed that reforming the WTO remains a central objective of the conference.
“One of the main goals of this conference is to make progress on a reform program aimed at strengthening the capacity of the institution to respond to the changing world economy. The reform must lead to a stronger and more effective WTO,” he said.
The minister, who is also chairing the conference, noted that while the WTO has historically provided stability, predictability, and transparency in global trade, it must now evolve to address emerging challenges such as market fragmentation and shifting trade dynamics.
Also addressing the opening session, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala painted a stark picture of the current global trade environment, warning that the system is facing unprecedented disruption.
“It is no secret that the world trading system is experiencing the worst disruptions in the past 80 years,” she said, citing ongoing conflicts in regions such as the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine as major sources of instability.
She urged WTO members to seize the opportunity presented by the Yaoundé meeting to chart a new course for global trade. “We cannot forever complain and then miss the opportunity to fix the problems,” she added, calling for renewed political will among member states.
Okonjo-Iweala described the conference as a “turning point,” acknowledging that the global order and multilateral system have undergone irreversible changes. She emphasised the need for the WTO to adapt by building on past successes, addressing weaknesses, and closing gaps in the evolving trade landscape.
“We have a work-filled and difficult four days ahead of us,” she declared. “It is now really up to you, members, to decide whether you want the organisation to continue or you want to pull it apart.
“On my side, I am full of hope,” she added. “Hope that collaboration and cooperation will be the order of the day. Hope that we shall all see the bigger strategic issues at stake for our organisation and the people we are here to serve, and deliver tangible results. Hope that we will have the courage, in Kwame Nkrumah’s famous phrase, to “face forward.”
Key discussions at the conference are expected to focus on WTO reform, dispute settlement mechanisms, agriculture, fisheries subsidies, and the e-commerce work programme, including the extension of the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions.
Delegates will also consider ways to better integrate least developed countries into the global trading system and deliberate on the incorporation of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement into the WTO framework.
The opening session also featured a symbolic milestone with the celebration of the entry into force of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted in 2022 and operational since September 2025.
On the final day of the conference, the MC14 Chair and the Director-General will convene an informal heads of delegation meeting where members will hear reports from minister-facilitators on the discussions in their respective areas, including any outreach conducted.
Ministers will also use this occasion to consider any potential outcomes that may be presented for approval or endorsement during the formal closing session. Immediately after this meeting, the Ministerial Conference will convene in formal mode to take any necessary action, including making final decisions.
