African trade policy organization names Ese Owie as its new Convener, seeks to expand international impact

Africa's role in shaping the World Trade Organisation reform has been underscored by trade experts and thought leaders from across the continent, who note that the world is at a critical juncture for the multilateral trading system.

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This assertion was made during the launch of the Africa Trade Policy Working Group, a new initiative aimed at strengthening African voice and influence in global trade governance, with Dr Ese Owie appointed as Convenor.

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The launch of the ATP Working Group took place on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization's 14th Ministerial Conference, MC14, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and aims to position Africa as a strategic actor in the evolving global trade order.

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The group seeks to achieve this by amplifying and connecting leading thinkers from across the continent and the African diaspora, while bridging policy, academia, and practice.

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The ATP Working Group emerged from a high-level workshop co-organised by several institutions, including the Remaking Trade for a Sustainable Future Project, ODI Global, Trade Negotiations and Investment Forum, TNIF, International Relations Institute of Cameroon, IRIC, Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs, TESS, and South African Institute of International Affairs, SAIIA.

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Notable figures featured in the group include WTO Director-General, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; WTO Deputy Director-General, His Excellency Xiangchen Zhang; and Professor Dan Esty of Yale University and a co-founder of the Remaking Trade Project.

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Other leading policymakers, negotiators, and scholars are also part of the group, which will focus on key areas such as development-oriented reform, climate-trade linkages, supply chain resilience, digital trade, and institutional renewal.

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The establishment of the ATP Working Group reflects a strategic shift in Africa's engagement with global trade governance, from fragmented participation to coordinated influence, and is driven by the urgency of WTO reform and the need for Africa to proactively shape the future of global trade governance.

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The multilateral trading system is undergoing structural transformation, driven by geopolitical realignment, climate change, supply chain restructuring, and digitalization, making the group's efforts timely and crucial.

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The ATP Working Group is anchored by a coalition of leading African and globally recognized institutions, including the African Future Policies Hub, Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, London School of Economics, and the International Relations Institute of Cameroon, IRIC.

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Other founding partners include the Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Onsi Sawiris School of Business, American University in Cairo, Trade Negotiations and Investment Forum, TNIF, South African Institute of International Affairs, SAIIA, and Strathmore Law School, SLS.

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In addition to its institutional partners, the ATPWG is supported by a network of leading African trade experts, several of whom attended the launch in Yaoundé, underscoring the depth of expertise and commitment behind the initiative.