The global trading system faces its deepest disruption in eighty years, the World Trade Organization chief warned as ministers gathered for crucial talks in Cameroon.
Opening the WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the world order underpinning multilateral trade has fundamentally and irreversibly changed.
She told delegates the scale of global challenges could no longer be denied, describing a system strained by conflict, economic instability and deepening geopolitical divisions.
Trade ministers from the organisation’s 166 member states arrived sharply divided, reflecting widening disagreements over trade rules, protectionism and responses to mounting global crises.
The four-day meeting aims to revive an institution weakened by stalled negotiations and political tensions, while war in the Middle East casts uncertainty over markets worldwide.
Okonjo-Iweala said disruptions to energy, fertiliser and food trade had already destabilised economies even before the latest escalation of conflict in the Gulf region.
Governments and international institutions, she added, are struggling to navigate intensifying geopolitical rivalries, accelerating climate pressures and rapid technological transformation reshaping global commerce.
These shifts have fuelled growing scepticism toward multilateral cooperation, challenging the post-Second World War system designed to prevent economic fragmentation and political catastrophe.
Okonjo-Iweala described current turmoil, including conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine, as part of a broader upheaval testing international cooperation and economic resilience.
She said hosting the conference in Africa carried symbolic weight, portraying the continent as central to future growth and dialogue during a period of global uncertainty.
WTO ministerial conferences are typically held every two years, with this gathering marking only the second time the organisation’s highest forum convenes on African soil.
