Green Industrialization on the African continent: what role for trade policy?
Under the theme “Re-globalization: Better Trade for a Better World”, this year's WTO Public Forum will bring together stakeholders from around the world to debate how trade can be made more inclusive. Partnering with TradeMark Africa, an organization leading on trade facilitation for export promotion in Africa, Europe Jacques Delors is contributing to the Forum with a high-level panel that will explore how the green transition can be turned into a springboard for an industrialization in Africa that benefits all.
Developing countries hold immense natural resources critical for the green transition. However, they continue to face hurdles, from global trade inequalities that trap them into raw material supply roles to socio-economic and environmental impacts of resource extraction. How can trade policy help break these patterns and ensure that local communities and small businesses reap the benefits of the green transition? How to move away from purely extractive models towards inclusive green industrialization?
Moderated by former WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, this session will answer these pressing questions, zooming in on the African context. Bringing together policy experts, governments, and civil society organizations, this panel will identify challenges hindering developing countries’ ability to industrialize sustainably, share best practices in the continent, and sketch paths towards a multilateral trading system that promotes green industrialization for all countries. Join us in this solution-oriented session aimed at unlocking the potential for inclusive growth in Africa.
