Di World Trade Organization meeting wey hold for Yaounde, Cameroon don end with serious deadlock early Monday morning. Di big issue na di e-commerce moratorium wey don expire, meaning countries fit begin to collect customs duties for digital goods like downloads and streaming services. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala confirm say di tax freeze don finish, but she still dey hope say dem go restore am soon.
Di meeting wey last for many days no reach agreement to extend di moratorium, as Brazil block di proposal wey USA and other countries dey push. Dem dey try to extend di tax-free period for electronic transmissions, but Brazil stand ground say dem no go gree for long extension. Dis na serious blow to WTO wey dey struggle to remain relevant for global trade matters.
Expectations bin dey low before di meeting start, but di failure to even agree small extension show how divided di organization don become. Di marathon talks for Cameroon make some progress on drafting reform plan for di WTO, but agreements still dey pending. Cameroon Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, wey be conference chair, say talks go continue for Geneva by May.
Britain Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle describe di deadlock as “major setback for global trade.” Di meeting bin dey see as test for WTO relevance after one year of trade turmoil and major disruptions because of Iran war. Ministers no fit agree to extend di moratorium more than two years after Brazil objections, according to diplomats wey dey inside di meeting.
USA dey push for permanent extension of di tax freeze, while Brazil originally want just two years. Diplomats work throughout Sunday to close di gap between di two countries, dem draft proposal for four-year extension with one-year sunset buffer wey go end by 2031. Brazil later propose four-year extension with review clause halfway, but dem no support am.
Developing countries dey oppose long extension, dem argue say di moratorium deny dem potential tax revenue wey dem fit invest back for their countries. One US official say Brazil don oppose “near-consensus document,” adding say “It’s not U.S. vs Brazil. It’s Brazil and Turkey v 164 members.” Meanwhile Brazilian diplomat talk say “the U.S. wanted the sky,” and say Brazil just want to dey prudent.
Another diplomat present talk say US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer make delegates “uncomfortable” as he suggest say “would be consequences” if USA no get long-term moratorium extension. Business leaders dey lament di outcome of di talks. International Chamber of Commerce Secretary General John Denton talk say e “particularly concerning at a time of real strain on the global economy.”
John Bescec, Microsoft director of customs and trade affairs, talk say: “Business was expecting more certainty and predictability … Instead, we got the exact opposite.” Getting deal on e-commerce moratorium bin dey see as key to secure support for WTO from USA, wey under President Donald Trump don retreat from global multilateral institutions.
Draft reform plan dey emerge from di Cameroon meeting. Draft of reform roadmap wey Reuters see provide timeline for progress and set out key issues to address almost reach agreement before talks run out of time. Discussions go continue for Geneva on improving decision-making for consensus-based system wey long don dey stymied by few countries.
Di reform debate dey come amid efforts to rework WTO rules to make subsidy use more transparent and make decision-making easier. USA and European Union argue say China in particular don take advantage of current rules to their detriment. Meanwhile, separate football match between Cameroon and China PR end with 2-0 victory for Cameroon for international friendly match.
Karl Etta Eyong score first goal for Cameroon by 2nd minute, while Saidou Alioum add second goal by 8th minute. Match dey play with full intensity, but di WTO meeting for same country don overshadow sports event. Cameroon team show good performance, but di real action for Yaounde na for conference room where trade ministers dey battle over digital future.
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