. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(03)/ST/113
13 September 2003
(03-4900)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fifth Session
Cancún, 10 - 14 September 2003Original:  English
GHANA
Statement by the Honourable Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen
Minister of Trade, Industry and President's Special Initiatives
Let me join my colleagues in congratulating you on your election as the Chairman of this very
important Meeting.  My delegation has no doubt that you bring to the Chairmanship a deep
appreciation of the issues and the tasks that confront us.
We would also like to express our deep appreciation to the Government and people of Mexico
for their hospitality and the excellent facilitie s that have been placed at our disposal.
Permit me in the same vein to convey through you, to the Chairman of the General Council
and the Director-General the appreciation of my delegation, of their tireless efforts in the last two
years, and in particular, in the last two months to pave a clear road to our Cancún Meeting.  Thedifficulties encountered and the less than desired results obtained in some areas cannot detract from
their commendable efforts, and the efforts of the Chairpersons of the various negotiating Groups and
Bodies.
Two years ago in Doha, we delivered a mandate to the General Council to discharge a work
programme, that would enable us collectively address the challenges facing the multilateral trading
system.  The most fundamental of the challenges, Mr Chairman, is that the vast majority of the
membership of our body, the WTO, are developing and least-developed countries that standmarginalized in the multilateral trading system and are at the real risk of further marginalization.  We,
therefore, undertook in Doha, to address this imbala nce, this inequity and this fundamental weakness
of the multilateral trading system.
For two years, the institutional arrangements in Geneva have grappled with the mechanics
and the processes through which we can fulfil our commitments made in Doha.  However, theoutcomes of the Geneva processes have so far been disappointing.  This untenable situation places on
all of us enormous challenges to make a success of this meeting which provides an opportunity to
engender the necessary confidence and consensus amongst all Members of this Organization.
The Doha Development Agenda holds so much promise for all of us, especially for those of
us in Africa.  Its outcome by way of commitme nts and the multilateral rules resulting from the
negotiations should contribute to the promotion of Africa's development.
The current impasse in the negotiations therefore raises widespread anxiety, I believe, not
only for my delegation but for the entire membership of this Organization.
Agriculture remains the most important sub-sector of Ghana's economy accounting for
about 40 per cent of GDP.  Developments in that area of negotiations are of the utmost interest toGhana.  The inability to reach consensus on modalities for further reform is an unfortunate set-back in
the negotiations, especially considering the fact that  developments in agriculture influence progress in
some, if not all, of the other negotiating groups.WT/MIN(03)/ST/113
Page 2
Similarly, the area of non-agricultural market access (NAMA) is also of immense interest to
my delegation.  I need not repeat that tariff peaks, high tariffs and escalation have hampered our
efforts at industrialization.  Ghana is therefore expecting an outcome which will not only effectively
address these obstacles to market entry but will also facilitate the implementation of our current
programme of export-oriented industrialization.
While my delegation welcomes the resolution of the impasse on TRIPS and public health, it is
also our hope that this outcome will indeed lead to the attainment of the objectives set out in the
Doha Declaration in respect of this critical area.
I wish to also mention that there is the urgent need to resolve the implementation-related
issues, and more especially, the operationalization of the provisions on special and differential
treatment.
My delegation continues to hold the view that the Singapore Issues are not ripe for inclusion
on the negotiating agenda, and therefore the educative work on the subjects must continue.  This
Mr Chairman, is to enable an assessment of the implications of these subjects on our trade.
The Doha Development Agenda if properly handled should become a major opportunity for
progress and prosperity for all of us.  I concede that there are no easy answers to the problems
confronting us in these negotiations.  I believe that the fundamental principles that should guide usare, common understanding, collective responsibility, shared and balanced interests.
Ghana will, in these negotiations, undertake commitments commensurate with her level of
development that will give assurance of certainty and predictability of her trade and investment
regimes to her trading partners.  My delegation therefore expects our trading partners to reciprocate
this, by addressing issues which are most crucial to our developmental needs.
I would like to end by expressing the profound appreciation of my delegation for the immense
technical assistance that Ghana continues to receive from the WTO Secretariat, in particular, under
the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.  I also wish to express our appreciation for the
inclusion of my country in the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP), a
programme which has greatly contributed to the capacity-building efforts in Ghana.  We look forwardto more of such assistance in the future.
__________