ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia is finalizing the fouth round negotiation process of accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Despite the delay, the accession is deemed to fetch significant change in the country’s economic development, the Ministry of Trade and Industry disclosed.
Mussie Mindaye, the Multilateral Trade Relations and Negotiation Director at the ministry, told The Ethiopian Herald that Ethiopia has been working toward the accession of membership to WTO since 2003. The Ministry is consistently responding to the questions sent from the WTO, headded.
The countryis finalizing the fourth round negotiation process of accession to WTO, and the delay is mainly due to the much requirement from the member countries, Mussie noted.
Apart from creating a predictable market access for local producers, the membership would also promote a greater market competition among different countries, he said.
On the other hand, experts questioned that local producers may not with stand the quality and price competition; the government needs to verify whether the WTO’s trade policy would affect domestic industries, which allows the necessary protection to local producers.
In this regard, Mussie confirmed that the WTO trade policy safeguards the open competition of local producers, as a member, to access goods and services with better price, he said.
“Local service providers may possibly fail to compete with foreign suppliers. Thus, the ministry would work on how to advance the service sector in our country,”the director added.
According to Mussie, the poor service offer becomes the main factor for the country that may perhaps result the incompatibility with WTO’s trade policy. And the Ministry will further formulate apolicy which would be approved this yearby a national string committee, the Director pointed out.
As to him, the current reform being undertaken by the government is part of the requirement and, hereby, plays a pivotal role to enable the country get accession to WTO. In this case, the privatization of some of the government owned companies is a typical example, he explained.
Accessibility of predictable market, removal of trade sanction, increase in foreign exchange, reduction of corruption, discrimination and rent-seeking, technological advancement, ease of solving disputes, and possibility of gaining aid are among the advantages of member countries of WTO, the document from the Ministry asserted.
Wondafrash Assefa, Public Administration and Development Management Director, on his part, added that being a member of WTO would generate a predictable market and remove some of the trade barriers.
“Perhaps, it may put local producers into greater market competition. Thus, they need to improve the quality of their products in order to cope up with the competition, ” Wondafrash said.
The Ethiopian Herald March 9/2019
BY GETAHUN LEGESSSE
