African countries have been urged to demand new global trade rules during the forthcoming World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference to be held in Nairobi in December to ensure that the continent benefits from global trade.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Secretary General Mukhisa Kituyi says African countries should push for new rules that empower the continent to gain from the global trade, since the current ones favor developed nations that enjoy ample infrastructure coupled with immense resources.

The November 2001 Declaration of the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, provides the mandate for negotiations on a range of subjects, and other work including issues concerning implementation of the present trade agreements.

Kituyi asserted that the current trade rules popularly known as Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights under the Doha Declaration do not reflect adequately the problems of Africa, thus remain irrelevant to the needs of the continent.

He says Africa’s regional trade blocs need to strengthen their bargaining power on the global platforms to maximize on trade opportunities.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed says Africa would join the negotiations as a team to improve its stake in the global trade.

She says African leaders will capitalize on the Lagos Plan of Action, where regional entities were formed as the first building blocks towards a continental Free Trade Area.

Nearly 7000 delegates are expected to attend the Ministerial Conference, now in its 10th edition, and the first ever to be held on African soil.