Commonwealth trade ministers on Friday concluded a landmark summit with a firm joint commitment to advancing fair and inclusive global trade, setting an ambitious target to grow intra-Commonwealth trade to US$2 trillion by 2030.
The declaration, made at the close of the two-day 2025 Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting (CTMM) in the Namibian capital Windhoek where the ministers adopted a forward-looking Outcome Statement and agreement on a joint Commonwealth Statement on the Multilateral Trading System to the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation.
“Against the backdrop of rising protectionism, climate instability and a fragmented global economy, ministers focused on strategies to harness the Commonwealth’s 21 percent trade advantage (rooted in shared language, legal systems and trust) to realise the ambition of growing intra-Commonwealth trade to US$2 trillion by 2030,” the outcome document said.
The WTO ministerial conference is scheduled for Cameroon in 2026.
Commonwealth secretary general Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said the ministers explored new pathways for deepening intra-Commonwealth trade, enhancing investment, leveraging digital trade, accelerating the sustainable energy transition and building resilient economies.
“The outcomes of the Windhoek trade ministers’ meeting represent another shining example of the enduring value of Commonwealth collaboration,” Botchwey said at the end of the meeting.
“We must stand firm and united in resisting any efforts that risk undermining our progress and prosperity.”
The two-day CTMM, the first ever held in Africa, convened alongside the inaugural Commonwealth Business Summit, bridging policymakers, private sector leaders and development financiers.
Namibia’s Minister of International Relations and Trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, hailed the meetings as a bold step forward.
“We were brave enough to decide to host the inaugural Commonwealth Business Summit in order to initiate the practical aspects of growing intra-Commonwealth trade to US$2 trillion and beyond,” Ashipala-Musavyi said.
“I would like to be brave enough to say we were successful and that our clarion call has been heard.”
Ministers also endorsed several strategic initiatives including the operationalisation of the Working Group on Trade and Investment, the launch of the Commonwealth Investment Network and progress on the Model Law on Digital Trade.
Focus areas for increased cooperation included clean energy, food security, critical minerals and boosting digital and entrepreneurial capacity in vulnerable economies.
The Windhoek agreement sets the tone for further discussions at the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda where leaders are expected to build on the momentum toward deeper trade integration across the 56-member bloc.
JN/APA