Safeguarding Africa's development goals in the global governance of trade

Concerns have been expressed about the impact of free trade on many developing countries and whether such countries really stand to benefit from the current regimes for the global governance of trade. This is particularly exemplified by the challenges African nations confront in gaining export access for their products in the global North and the inability of the WTO Doha Development Round to resolve the matter effectively. Africa remains the world's poorest continent. In addressing challenges confronting Africa in the global governance of trade, we examine the existing framework for trade liberalisation in the continent against the backdrop of the regional trade arrangements and the recent efforts towards the formation of an African Continental Free Trade Area. The paper discusses some of the challenges of Africa in the WTO system especially in relation to the ability to compete favourably in global markets and how the continent may pursue trade liberalisation objectives in a manner conducive to the realisation of the development goals of the continent through regional integration. © African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific.