APA – Accra (Ghana)
The Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Nkonjo-Iweala, has called on Ghana to ratify the agreement on fisheries subsidies by June, this year.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, who arrived in Accra on Tuesday for an official visit said during her meeting with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. K.T. Hammond, that it was critical that Ghana should urgently ratify the agreement to encourage other African nations since Ghana is a key stakeholder in the advancement of Africa’s development.
According to her, Ghana can benefit from a US$20 million fund, established to support countries that imple¬ment obligations under the agreement.
She disclosed that Seychelles, Singapore, Switzerland and Unit¬ed States of America (USA) have ratified the agreement and urged all member coun¬tries to do same by February next year.
Earlier, the Minister of Trade and Industry had called for enhanced capacity for Ghana and other developing countries, to enable them participate effectively in World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations, and improve benefit from international trade.
The Minister observed that capacity deficit has been responsible for ineffective engagement in negotiations by developing countries on inter¬national trade agreements.
The report by The Ghanaian Times on Wednesday quoted the Minister as saying that additional aid for trade from bilateral, regional and multilateral donors is needed to support trade-related capacity building from beneficiary countries.
The minister also called for the restoration of a fully functional two-tier dispute settlement mechanism at the WTO, which included the panels and the appellate bodies, to give the international trading system the needed predictability and certainty.
He informed the Director General that Ghana would table a proposal for reforms of the WTO at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), in Abu Dhabi in February 2024.
GIK/APA
WTO DG urges Ghana to ratify agreement on fisheries subsidies
