In a large port, containers of every colour wait their turn. A large share of those leaving Africa carry raw materials, and a large share of those arriving carry finished goods. The continent accounts for less than three per cent of world merchandise trade, according to the World Trade Organization. President Macky Sall makes more balanced trade one of the commitments of his candidacy for the office of UN Secretary-General.
Rules to rebalance. The World Trade Organization dates from 1995. Its dispute settlement system has had no working appellate body since December 2019. That institution is outside the UN Secretary-General's remit, but he can weigh on the debate by bringing its members together and giving small states a hearing.
A voice of the South inside the UN. Created in 1964, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is the UN body that deals with these questions. Its analyses of commodity dependence and value chains deserve a place in negotiations, not only in reports.
Selling higher up the chain. Processing materials on site creates jobs and value where they are produced. The African Continental Free Trade Area, which began trading in 2021, opens a market of more than a billion consumers to those who manufacture.
A convening role. Bringing the World Trade Organization, UNCTAD and the financial institutions around a single calendar is a task for the Secretary-General. It needs no vote, only persistence.
An exporter's eye. Twelve years as head of a state that sells fish, phosphates and gold abroad taught President Macky Sall what a tariff and a customs delay are worth. The vision statement filed with the United Nations draws a demand from it: rules that small countries can actually use.
Africa at its heart, the world in its sights.
The World Trade Organization's statistics on merchandise trade and the work of UNCTAD are public. Read all public positions at www.mackysall.net