WTO Safeguards in Africa: Limited Use, Compliance Challenges and Capacity Constraints

Abstract

Safeguards are one of three World Trade Organization (WTO)-sanctioned trade remedies that countries may use to protect their domestic industries against various forms of increased international competition. However, few African countries make use of the instrument, with only Egypt, Madagascar, Morocco and South Africa as active users, while three more countries have each conducted a single safeguard investigation. There are some WTO inconsistencies in the way each of these countries conduct safeguard investigations, but nothing that cannot be addressed without too much effort. Other African countries, especially the more industrialised countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, should finalise their safeguards legislation and request technical assistance from the WTO and the African countries actively using the instrument to rapidly upskill to allow themselves to use the instrument. Safeguards can be instrumental in protecting domestic industries against increased imports and allow them the opportunity to adjust to such increased competition, thereby enabling African countries to participate more fully in international trade and beneficiate raw materials domestically, all of which could contribute to Africa’s economic growth.