WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/TPR/M/266 
17 September 2012 
 (12-4961) 
Trade Policy Review Body 
2 and 4 July 2012  
 
 
 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
 
CÔTE D'IVOIRE, GUINEA-BISSAU AND TOGO 
 
Record of the Meeting 
 
Chairperson:  H.E. Mr. Eduardo Muñoz Gómez (Colombia) 
 
 
  Page 
 
I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 3 
II. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF CÔTE D'IVOIRE,  
 GUINEA-BISSAU AND TOGO 4 
III. STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 6 
IV. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 9 
V. REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF CÔTE D'IVOIRE, GUINEA-BISSAU 
 AND TOGO, AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 29 
VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 35 
 
 
Note:   Advance written questions by WTO Memb ers and the replies provided by Côte d'Ivoire, 
Guinea-Bissau and Togo are reproduced in document WT/TPR/M/266/Add.1 and will be 
available online at:  http://www.wto.org/ english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm.    WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 3 
 
 
  I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1. The joint Trade Policy Review of Côte d'Ivoi re, Guinea-Bissau and Togo was held on 2 and 
4 July 2012.  The Chairperson H.E. Mr. Eduardo Muñoz Gómez (Colombia) welcomed the delegations headed by H.E. Mr. Dagobert Banzio , Minister of Trade of Côte d'Ivoire, and 
by H.E. Mr. Kwesi Séléagodji  Ahoomey-Zunu, Minister of Trade of Togo, and the discussant, 
H.E. Mr. Luzius Wasescha (Switzerland). 
2. The Chairperson recalled the purpose of the Trad e Policy Reviews and the main elements of 
the procedures for the meeting.  The report by Cô te d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissa u and Togo was contained 
in documents WT/TPR/G/266 and WT/TPR/G/266/Add.1, and that of the WTO Secretariat in 
document WT/TPR/S/266. 
3. Questions by the following delegations had been  submitted in writing at least two weeks in 
advance and had been transmitted to the delegations  of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo: the 
European Union;  the United States;  Canada;  and Japan.  The following delegations submitted 
written questions after the two-weeks deadline: Arge ntina;  South Africa;  Australia;  Brazil;  and 
Thailand.  
4. The Chairperson noted that the reports prepared  for this meeting by Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-
Bissau, Togo and the WTO Secretariat showed the importance of peace and democracy, and of the 
proper functioning of political institutions to trad e and economic growth.  Agriculture played a key 
role in the three countries, including in reduc ing poverty and creating jobs.  The countries had 
succeeded in strongly increasing food production when world food prices started to rise, showing that their producers could indeed respond rapidly to appr opriate policies. Côte d'Ivoire and Togo were 
transforming their economies to rely more on value a dded in agriculture, and on services, particularly 
those incidentals to transit trade. 
5. The reports emphasized the countries' supply-side  constraints, such as energy shortages, and 
poor transport and communication infrastructure, and described the numerous and relatively high 
taxes imposed on international trade, including expo rts.  He noted that Members would be interested 
to learn more from Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo about the measures being considered to 
create a more liberal trading environment and improve competitiveness. 
6. Overall, this Review provided an opportunity to exchange on matters of interest to all 
Members.  In his view, these included: 
 The membership of the three countri es in WAEMU and ECOWAS is widely 
acknowledged as having helped to contain th e socio-political conflicts that have 
afflicted them, and to preserve monetary a nd financial stability in otherwise crisis-
stricken economies;  a rapid return to constitutionality in Guinea-Bissau is urged. 
 Actions envisaged by the three countries to make their business environment more 
friendly and flexible so as to attract larg er FDI inflows and benefit from returning 
foreign assistance flows. 
 Further clarifications on the rationale be hind the imposition of high export taxes by 
the three countries on their main crops, and on plans to review these taxes. 
 Measures envisaged at the national and regiona l levels to address weaknesses in the 
three countries' standardization systems,  including the establishment of the common 
WAEMU accreditation and testing system and facilities. 
 
Plans to shift away from heavy taxation of  imports to moderate internal taxes. WT/TPR/M/266 
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  II. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPR ESENTATIVE OF CÔTE D'IVOIRE, 
GUINEA-BISSAU AND TOGO 
7. In my capacity as ministerial spokesman designated by WAEMU, and on behalf of my 
colleagues from Guinea-Bissau and Togo, I have the honour today, 2 July 2012, to deliver the introductory speech for this opening meeting of the trade policy review of three WTO Member States, 
Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo.  This grouped trade policy review is justified by the fact that 
our three countries are members of WAEMU, a grouping of eight West African States that have decided to form a customs union. 
8. Since its creation in 1994, WAEMU has undertak en major reforms which have made a great 
contribution to strengthening regiona l integration in West Africa.  Through this grouping the member 
States are pursuing the goal of fostering their economic and social development through the harmonization of their legislation, unification of  their domestic markets and implementation of 
common sectoral policies in key sectors of their economies. 
9. Economic development within WAEMU has been  severely affected by the socio-political 
crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, which accounted for 42.9% of the Union's GDP in 1999 as against 35% in 2010.  There was moderate economic growth in all the WAEMU countries, including Côte d'Ivoire, 
Guinea-Bissau and Togo, during the period 2006-2011.   Thus, the Union's economic growth rate in 
real terms in 2011was estimated at 1.4% compar ed with 4.5% in 2010, a slowdown which was 
primarily linked to the 4.7% contraction in Côte  d'Ivoire's GDP and the Sahel drought.  However, 
growth was bolstered by the sharp expansion of  mining activity and public investment in basic 
infrastructure. 
10. Intra-regional trade represents 14.6% of total expor ts and 8.6% of total imports.  In 2010, the 
volume of non-WAEMU trade stood at around 20 billi on dollars in the case of exports of goods and 
services, and 30 billion for imports. 
11. In view of the positive results obtained in tr ade policy harmonization and the implementation 
of regional regulations, in the near future a trad e policy review of the eight WAEMU countries should 
be introduced.  A comprehensive approach of that  kind would strengthen the impact of the trade 
policy review since the whole process would c ontribute not only to ensuring the profitable 
participation of our States in world trade but al so to strengthening regional integration and the 
efficiency of our common market. 
12. It is important to stress that our three count ries' trade policies are bound up with the common 
trade policy at WAEMU level.  Agriculture is of key importance to our countries' economies.  
In particular, Côte d'Ivoire has managed to develop and diversify its agriculture:  in addition to cocoa, 
of which it is the world's biggest producer, it cu ltivates coffee, hevea, fruit, cotton, oil palm, 
sugar cane and cashew nuts, of which it is the world' s biggest exporter.  Mining sector exports consist 
primarily of petroleum products (crude or refine d) and gold.  Large iron ore deposits have been 
discovered in the west of the country.  The services sector is highly diversified and booming. 
13. Its share of manufacturing exports, centred on the agricultural processi ng industry, declined 
sharply during the past decade, but Côte d'Ivoi re has considerable potential for increasing the 
value added of such exports.  The main destina tions of its goods exports are the European Union 
(40.2%) and Africa (30%), in particular the ECOWAS  countries.  The share of exports to Asia is 
growing (5.1% in 2005 and 6.5% in 2011). 
14. Since its previous review in 1995, and despite the protracted crisis it has experienced, 
Côte d'Ivoire has undertaken major, deep refo rms and increased the openness of all sectors of its 
economy.  Its eligibility under the AGOA since Oc tober 2011 and its acceptance under the Heavily  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 5 
 
 
  Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC), on 26 and 27 Ju ne 2012, are evidence of this.  It is also a 
transit and transhipment hub for the inland countries. 
15. The structural weaknesses of Guinea-Bissau's economy make it very vulnerable to external 
shocks.  The country is potentially rich in fish ery products, but the country has not been able to 
benefit from the multiplier effects the sector could ge nerate for the national economy.  It has major 
mining deposits which remain unexplored.  It also h as attractive opportunities in the field of transport, 
tourism and diversification of agricultural activities.  In less than a decade, it has made great strides 
in developing its food crop sector and cashew nuts,  which are its only export crop (81.4%, to India). 
16. Since its last TPR in 2006, Togo has pursued structural reforms to enhance its economy, 
leading to an upturn in growth.  These reforms also enabled it to reach the completion point of the 
HIPC in December 2010 and to envisage annual growth of over 4% in the short term and about 7% in 
the medium term. 
17. In June 2009, the Togolese Gove rnment adopted the Full Pove rty Reduction Strategy Paper 
(F-PRSP) and is preparing a second PRSP for accelerate d growth.  In order to bolster this growth, 
investment is underway in infrastructure, in par ticular the construction of the third quay of the 
Autonomous Port of Lomé, extension and modernizat ion of Lomé Airport, rehabilitation and building 
of roads and elimination of black spots on the ma in goods transport highways.  The development of 
agriculture, which accounts for 40% of GDP, remains a major, priori ty pillar in the Government's 
development strategy. 
18. Togo's exports include cotton, coffee, cocoa, f ood crops, in particular maize, cassava and by-
products, and fruit, in particular pin eapples.  In addition, thanks to its  deep-water port, it plays the role 
of transit country for the exports of the landlocke d countries.  Exports also  include phosphate, clinker 
and cement.  Iron ore and marble are al so just beginning to be exploited. 
19. The mining code is being revised to bring it into line with the WAEMU and 
ECOWAS community directives.  Products are b asically exported to the EU, Asia and ECOWAS 
countries.  As part of the reforms aimed at good governance and transparency, Togo has adopted a 
new investment code, with the establishment of a single investment promotion agency. 
20. Togo has joined the Extractive Industries Tr ansparency Initiative (EITI) to enhance 
transparency in the sector.  The delegation for th e organization of the informal sector established 
in 2008 and supplemented in 2012 by approved manageme nt centres help to structure this sector.  In 
the case of all these reforms, special emphasis is placed on quality promotion, with the establishment 
of the appropriate infrastructure to support ente rprises and the population in the quest for quality. 
21. All in all, the budgets of the three countries de pend heavily on revenue levied at the customs 
border.  However, structural reforms at the fiscal  level are envisaged within the Union to change 
this tendency.  The aim is in particular to achieve  a gradual shift towards domestic taxation.  Thus, not 
only our three countries but also and above all the Un ion as a whole need to be helped to pursue these 
efforts to overhaul and also to diversify their economic structure. 
22. In the context of Aid for Trade, the WAEMU countries, which have all to some extent 
experienced crises and which are mostly LDCs, clearly  need to receive special support to enable them 
to improve the value chains in their production sy stems and strengthen their economic and transport 
infrastructure. 
23. In closing, on behalf of our governments a nd WAEMU I should like to convey our thanks to 
our various bilateral and multilatera l partners for their technical and financial assistance, and voice the 
hope that the Doha Round, known as the Deve lopment Round, may be concluded so as to 
enable WAEMU to become integr ated into an economy that genui nely generates development and 
poverty reduction. WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 6  
 
  III. STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT (H.E. MR. LUZIUS WASESCHA 
(SWITZERLAND)) 
24. I should like to begin with a few preliminary remarks concerning the three countries taken 
together, and then continue with a brief overvie w of specific aspects relating to Côte d'Ivoire, 
Guinea-Bissau and Togo. 
25. Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo are me mbers of WAEMU and ECOWAS.  Overall, 
the national budgets of the three countries depend heavily on revenue levied at the border.  
This revenue derives from import duties and charges a nd internal taxes, as well as export levies.  
These levies reduce the income of producers of expor ted goods, raise the cost of imports of inputs for 
local enterprises and make products for local consum ption more expensive.  All this has a negative 
impact on internal economic development.  A gr adual shift towards a domestic taxation system, 
which is partially underway in two of the thr ee countries, would make it possible to reduce this 
dependence on import and export taxes and, hence, to increase the revenue of the productive sectors 
of their economies and thus foster economic growth. 
26. The economic environment has recently been mark ed in all three countries by serious socio-
political conflicts which have c onsiderably inhibited their trade and held back their economic 
development.  These conflicts al so had an adverse impact on the human development indicators, 
with the result that those of Gu inea-Bissau and Togo continue to be among the lowest in the world 
and below the average for sub-Saharan Africa.  Th e coup d'état of April 2012 in Guinea-Bissau could 
well further worsen this situation. 
27. Socio-political instability and the democratic de ficit have led in all three countries to the 
partial suspension of official development assistan ce, which accounts for a substantial proportion of 
their respective GDPs.  Given the persistenc e and scale of the budget deficits, the success of 
socio-economic programmes depends to a large exte nt on external financing.  The slowdown in 
investment and inadequate maintenance have le d to the widespread deterioration of basic 
infrastructure, with frequent cuts in electricity an d water supply, and the dilapidation of ports, roads 
and railways. 
28. FDI flows have thus remained below their potential since 2005, not only on account of the 
socio-political turbulence but also because of the ab sence of a community investment code, still under 
preparation within WAEMU.  The harmonizati on of economic regimes within WAEMU would 
contribute to the establishment of a business environm ent that is more stable and transparent and, 
hence, more propitious to long-term investment  decisions.  Another factor inhibiting foreign 
investment is the status of the "single windows", which are not in a position to be fully useful for 
business start-up formalities since the officials running them frequently have no power of signature.  Thanks to its independence vis-à-vis  national governments, the BCEAO has continued to ensure the 
stability of the Union's banking and monetary system. 
29. The formulation of trade policy with regard to  other countries falls exclusively within the 
sphere of competence of the WAEMU Commission.  To finance its activities, each of the member 
countries imposes a 1% levy on imports from non-WA EMU countries.  Thanks to the Commission, 
the harmonization of the member States' trade po licies has increased considerably since 1994.  
Nevertheless, intra-community trade remains limited to 6.5% in Côte d'Ivoire, 10% in Guinea-Bissau 
and 20% in Togo.  Furthermore, this proportion has not increased over the last five years.  Greater openness would also underpin the economi c development of the three countries. 
30. Looking now at sectoral policies, agriculture is  of key importance to all three economies.  
Nevertheless, until very recently, increasing output a nd productivity does not appear to have been a 
real governmental priority;  hence the lack of pr ogress in terms of food security, revenue and living  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 7 
 
 
  conditions of the rural population.  Given th eir heavy reliance on imports for the supply of 
basic foodstuffs such as cereals,  the three countries have attempted to contain the strong 
inflationary pressures caused by the rise in worl d food and energy prices in 2008.  The emergency 
measures taken by each country have generally been  unilateral and sometimes in contradiction with 
WAEMU rules.  It has therefore proved necessar y to introduce a community-wide rapid response 
mechanism.  Mining policy continues to be geared towards the interests of foreign enterprises in the 
three countries. 
31. State-owned enterprises dominate the services sector s in all three countries, particularly as 
regards ports and airports, water and electricity distribution, banking, insurance and telecommunications.  This is mainly due to the difficulty of reforming these sectors and making 
them profitable. 
32. Following this overview which applies to each of the three countries under review, I should 
now like to spend a little time on specific features of each country.  I do not have the time to go into any detailed analysis, and shall therefore focus on a few key points. 
33. Côte d'Ivoire has, in particular, been able to  develop and diversify its agricultural sector for 
the cultivation not only of cocoa, of which it is the world's biggest producer, but also of coffee, 
rubber, fruit, cotton and palm oil.  With respect to its mining sector, the main exports are petroleum products and gold.  Its share of manufacturing expor ts, centred on the agricultural processing industry, 
declined sharply during the last decade, but it has considerable potential for increasing the value 
added of such exports.  Côte d'Ivoire should explore ways of increasing this value-added. 
34. In less than a decade, Guinea-Bi ssau has managed to develop its food crop sector, of which 
cashew nuts are the only significant export product, exported unprocessed almost exclusively to India.  
Agriculture remains small-scale.  Its value added co uld be enhanced by attrac ting foreign investment 
aimed at greater local processing of these products.  To this end, the legal and economic framework 
for attracting investment in accordance with interna tional criteria has to be established.  That seems 
hardly achievable in the present conditions follo wing the military coup d'état on 12 April 2012. 
35. Fishing and fisheries products represent more than 7% of Guinea-Bissau's GDP.  Fishing 
fleets do not receive State subsidies or aid, and a na tional deep-water fleet does not exist.  The fishery 
sector is thus essentially informal and canoe-based.  The revenue earned from fishing agreements and 
licences granted to foreign registered vessels amounts to one third of the State's revenue.  This dependence inhibits the implementation of sustai nable management measures for the sector.  While 
action to combat illegal fishing is a stated Gove rnment priority, its capacity for surveillance of 
territorial waters and intervention in the case of violation is inadequate.  The Government should 
therefore envisage cooperation arrangements in orde r to establish more sustainable management of 
fishing zones, and place emphasis on organizing its national operators. 
36. Togo has continued to expand the relative importan ce of its services sector since the last TPR 
in 2005, in particular for port services and services re lated to regional transit trade.  Its other main 
activities are agriculture, which has developed remarkably since 2008, and the production of 
phosphate and cement.  Togo's exports go primarily to  Africa, in particular Burkina Faso, Benin, 
Niger, Ghana and Nigeria.  It should seek further diversification of its markets. 
37. Togo has also made significant progress in the area of microcredit and financing of small and 
medium-sized enterprises.  Thanks to a nationa l agency to promote and guarantee SME funding, 
since 2006, 80% of the cases dealt with receive  bank financing without any claims under the 
guarantee having been made against the State so far.   The guarantee substantially reduces the rates at 
which SMEs can borrow money, and this he lps to increase their price competitiveness. WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 8  
 
  38. In conclusion, the grouped review of Côte d'I voire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo reveals that the 
three countries, despite very difficult socio-po litical, economic and structural conditions, have 
managed to improve some aspects of their economi c policy since 2005.  Of course, a great deal 
remains to be done for these countries to be able fully to take advantage of increasingly open world 
trade in such a way that trad e can become a main engine of their national development.  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 9 
 
 
  IV. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 
EUROPEAN UNION 
 
39. The EU has a long-standing and important re lationship with the countries whose trade 
policies we are now reviewing.  Two of them pl ay a major part in regional integration among 
West African countries;  Mr Essozimna Gnassingbe, President of Togo, currently heads WAEMU, 
and Mr Ouattara, President of Côte d'Ivoire, is President of ECOWAS.  The enormous importance of 
the legislation and measures adopted at regional le vel for the trade policy of the countries of the 
region is clear from the Secretariat report. 
40. As is shown by the Secretariat report and its  country annexes, the political and social 
instability of the last ten years has taken a very severe toll on the living standards of the populations 
and on the development prospects of the countri es concerned, and more generally also on the 
economy of the West African region.  Thus, Côte d' Ivoire's share of regional GDP fell from 43% of 
the total in 1999 to 35% in 2012.  The human de velopment indicators of Togo and Guinea-Bissau are 
among the lowest in the world, and below the sub-Saharan average. 
41. The EU is a very important trading partne r and donor for the countries concerned and it 
supports their integration process.  In this connection it notes that the Heads of State at the WAEMU conference on 6 June last included in thei r conclusions the need to speed up the reforms 
undertaken by member countries as well as the deci sion to have an annual review of the reform 
process undertaken by each country at their future an nual meetings.  The EU welcomes the fact that 
the exercise we are launching today in Geneva may help  to foster major reforms that will contribute to 
the economic development of the countries concerne d by promoting their regional and world trade. 
42. The EU endorses some of the comments made by the Secretariat, namely as regards the 
serious distortions of competition stemming not onl y from the many advantages granted to firms in 
the free zones set up within the countries but also  from the regulations providing exemptions from 
customs duties and taxes which are only partially covere d by WAEMU.  This is at the expense of fair 
competition among the players operating in the same s ectors, leading to a sub-optimal allocation of 
resources and indeed stifling growth potential.  Likewise, the use of  reference values for imports and 
for regional trade causes problems. 
43. The three countries are involved in the negotia tions for an economic partnership agreement 
between the EU and West Africa.  The aim of the agreement is to foster better utilization of the 
countries' economic potential, and to support them in their efforts to carry out reforms and adopt rules 
allowing them to participate bette r in regional and world trade.  It should also lead to greater 
predictability of the rules applying to economic ope rators, which is one of the principles underlying 
our work here in the WTO, and hence encourag e investments, which are the initial spur of 
entrepreneurship and initiative. 
44. The EU notes that, among the common features these three countries shar e, there is the fact 
that agriculture accounts for much of the population' s income as well as of export earnings.  It would 
therefore seem advisable for regional organizati ons and member countries to look closely at the 
impact of the various taxes applied to these products  and the level of customs duties on their declared 
growth strategies and objectives.  The EU stresses th e need to step up the effort to adopt harmonized 
legislation in the sanitary and phytosanitary field in order to develop regional trade and exports, 
as well as to notify these measures to the WTO in th e interests of transparency and effectiveness. 
45.
 Among the questions which the EU transmitted in advance to the Secretariat for this review, 
there is that of the planned 35% tariff band on cer tain products which the ECOWAS is working on:  
the EU would like to know what policy the countri es concerned would adopt  should the imposition of WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 10  
 
  this tariff lead to a higher customs duty than the ta riffs already bound in the WTO at a lower level for 
these same products. 
46. In the case of Côte d'Ivoire, th e EU welcomes the fact that a se cond review of its trade policy 
can now take place after 17 years of WTO member ship and of commitment to international and 
regional trade.  This exercise should help Côte d'Iv oire to identify measures to enable it better to 
exploit the enormous potential that made it one of  the most promising of the sub-Saharan economies 
in the 1980s.  It should be noted that political inst ability and the troubles of 2010 led to a clear fall in 
per capita GDP since 2009, following the previous period of moderate growth. 
47. The EU has granted Côte d'Ivoire aid amoun ting to €477 million for the period 2011-2013, 
which should provide technical assistance for the water and energy sectors, vocational training, 
health, transport and various agricultural activities (s ugar, bananas).  This aid also includes financing 
for activities relating to the process of reconciliati on, human rights issues and humanitarian projects. 
48. As the Secretariat Report stresses, aid is impor tant but cannot by any means alone tackle the 
challenges which the country faces for its sustainabl e development.  Clearly, trade plays an essential 
role in Côte d'Ivoire's growth, accounting for 80% of  its GDP according to the 2010 data.  The EU is a 
major trading partner for the country, although its share in its trade has declined over the last 
five years, passing from 36.2 to 25.8% of its total imports and from nearly 50% to 40% of its total 
exports. 
49. Côte d'Ivoire's economy is largely based on agri culture, a source of income for two thirds of 
the population, as the Government report notes.  Furthermore, it accounts for 75% of export earnings.  For example, Côte d'Ivoire is the world's first e xporter of cocoa beans, whose share in total exports 
has risen from 20% in 2007 to 27%.  Given the ke y importance of agriculture for the country's 
economy, sanitary and phytosanitary standards and ru les become an important aspect in the trade 
policy review of Côte d'Ivoire, as reflected in the questions which the EU transmitted to the 
Secretariat.  Thus, the EU would be very interested  to have details concerning the use of the concept 
of "scientific basis" in the current sanitary and phytosanitary legislation, as well as concerning what 
measures are planned for providing comprehensive access to the legislation regulating imports of 
products of animal or vegetable origin. 
50. The EU welcomes the encouraging developments  that have taken place since the previous 
trade policy review of Togo, which have led the EU to resume its aid to the country.  The EU committed €124.8 million of development aid under the 10
th EDF for the period 2008-2013.  This 
amount was subsequently raised by €48 million in r esponse to the world economic crisis and to cope 
with other needs such as food security and access to drinking water.  The reopening of its delegation 
in Lomé in 2010 shows the importance that the EU a ttaches to the process of reconciliation, reform 
and democratization in the country.  In this co nnection, it believes that the holding of credible, 
transparent and peaceful elections by the end of 201 2 will be important for growth and for bolstering 
the confidence of investors and economic operators. 
51. The EU is Togo's main trading partner, primarily owing to its role as its first supplier, with a 
share of 40% of Togo's total imports.  Togo's exports  go primarily to its African partners, such as 
Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana.  The EU hails th e efforts made by Togo since its previous trade 
policy review to restore growth, which has reached  an annual average of 3.34%.  The reduction of 
Togo's debt in the framework of the Heavily Inde bted Poor Countries Initiative has also played a 
decisive part in this situation.  The EU welcomes the Government's intention to examine the impact of 
free zones and tackle the difficulties encountered by the national competition agency as measures 
which should help to pave the way for conditi ons of fairer competition which will encourage 
economic operators operating in the same market se ctors.  Among the questions which it transmitted 
to the Secretariat, the EU notes the Government's d esire to make Togo a country of transit to facilitate  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 11 
 
 
  regional trade.  To this end, the Government is preparing a single window based on an electronic 
system that should ensure the traceability of the move ment of the goods concerned.  The EU would be 
interested to know more about this single-window project and the related measures envisaged by the 
authorities. 
52. In the case of Guinea-Bissau, in response to the events of 2010 the EU suspended its aid, 
except for humanitarian assistance.  It did so in conformity with the Cotonou Agreement.  
This suspension will last until the essential conditions laid down in Article 9 of the 
Cotonou Agreement have been restored, in particular  as regards human rights, democratic principles 
and the respect for law that were swept as ide by the coup d'état of last April. 
53. The EU notes that the economy remains entirely dependent on exports of cashew nuts, 
making it extremely vulnerable to external factors.   The country has a rising external deficit and 
depends heavily on imports of energy and agricultu ral products, the prices of which are volatile and 
have soared. 
54. Efforts could be made to develop some sectors,  in particular fisheries, a sector that has 
received substantial financial s upport from the EU, or mining, but the country remains partially 
affected by a large informal sect or.  Traffic in illicit substances  such as drugs and money laundering 
also fuel some instability, despite the aid provide d by UNODC with the financial support of the EU 
among other donors. 
UNITED STATES 
55. The reports circulated for this meeting outlined  critical areas of improvement and helped us 
understand recent developments in Côte d'Ivoire , Guinea-Bissau, and Togo. The reports also 
highlighted reforms that are underway, and noted some  of the challenges facing the three countries as 
they strive to participate more effectively in the gl obal trading system and to use trade as a means to 
stimulate greater economic gr owth and development.   
56. All three share membership in  the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) 
and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), highlighting their commitment to 
regional economic integration and their efforts to break down trade barriers to regional trade.  The 
United States strongly supports regional economic in tegration in sub-Saharan Africa, both in general 
and as it pertains to UEMOA specifically.  We s upport these undertakings with the expectation that 
they advance and complement the multilateral trading system.  Accordingly, in 2002 we entered into a 
Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, or TI FA, with UEMOA to raise the level and strength 
of our dialogue with UEMOA on trade and economic  issues.  Under the TIFA, the United States and 
UEMOA are working together on critical trade a nd investment issues, including discussions about 
regional and multilateral trade concerns, strengthe ning and diversifying UEMOA's trade, and the 
utilization and implementation of the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). 
57. The United States notes the progress that the gove rnments of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, 
and Togo have made towards a market-based economy.  We particularly appreciate these efforts in 
the face of the region's political challenges and the limited financial resources available in each of 
these countries.  We note, for example, the govern ments implementation of reforms to improve the 
business environment and promote investment.  These measures have contributed to steady growth in 
the national economy over the past six years.  As the three Governments undertake efforts to further 
improve the business environment in their countries,  we encourage them to incorporate business-
enabling measures and trade capacity building into th eir respective national development plans.  We 
note each government's continued efforts to redu ce macroeconomic imbalances, to diversify and 
broaden their economies, and to create a more favour able investment environment for private sector 
development.  In our view, broad-based privat e sector participation in a competitive economy is WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 12  
 
  another mechanism that fosters growth, so we are en couraged that the three Members plan to continue 
to restructure key sectors of their economies.   
58. While acknowledging these governments' advances, we also believe that much work remains 
to be done to foster a more open trading a nd economic environment that promotes greater 
competitiveness, export diversification, and, perh aps most importantly, much-needed investment.  
Future success in these countries will depend on c ontinued improvement of the business climate, 
attacking corruption, promoting a fair judicial  system, and implementing transparent rules and 
regulations in critical sectors of the economy su ch as cocoa and cashew production.  We also 
encourage each country to actively revive stalle d reform efforts and priv atization programs, as a 
renewed commitment to such reforms would he lp improve the commercial environment and 
encourage investment in these countries.   
59. We also hope for increased political stability in the region, as this will help support and foster 
the economic reform efforts in each of these countries.   Therefore, we urge continued attention to 
resolving the region's political challenges, in particul ar in Guinea-Bissau, as they  continue to threaten 
economic growth, development, a nd bilateral and regional trade. 
60. Most of the exports from Côte d'Ivoire, Guin ea-Bissau, and Togo to the United States enter 
the U.S. market duty-free either on a most favoured nation (MFN) or a preferential basis.  Since its 
launch in 2000, AGOA has provided opportunities for real people and businesses, and contributed to 
the growth of African economies through expanded a nd diversified trade, and we are encouraged by 
AGOA's positive trends.  Beyond market access, we know  there is much more that we can do together 
with our African partners.  In recognition of these countries' need for trade capacity building 
assistance to maximize the benefits of trade prefer ence programs, help diversify their economies, and 
improve their respective trade environments, the Un ited States offers trade capacity building programs 
and trade-related technical assistance through its West  African regional U.S. Agency for International 
Development (USAID) mission in Ghana and thro ugh USAID bilateral programs.  In addition, 
USAID's Global Competitiveness Hubs in Accra, Gh ana and Dakar, Senegal provide specialized 
support for businesses in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissa u, and Togo, and help these countries to take 
advantage of trade opportunities provided under AGOA.   
61. As noted in the Secretariat Report for each of  these countries, there are significant obstacles 
and costs for traders in each of these countries, as they go about their daily business of moving goods 
to market and participating in the international trading system.  We look forward to constructive 
engagement on trade facilitation issues, including  in the WTO trade facilitation negotiations, to 
promote measures to reduce red tape and customs and cross-border inefficiencies, which can 
significantly impact each Members' - and Africa' s - regional and global trade competitiveness.   
62. In closing, while we recognize the capacity co nstraints that may confront each government's 
participation in the multilateral trading system, we are also mindful of the critical, positive role that 
increased trade openness can play in their economies .  Making pro-trade domes tic reforms consistent 
with the WTO framework, combined with trade li beralization efforts, are a proven framework for 
garnering foreign investment and generating economic growth.  We l ook forward to continue to work 
with all three Members and wish all three a successful review.   
JAPAN 
63. I am going to make my comments first on the common challenges and issues of those three 
Members and then separately on each of them.  I w ill to start with the common challenges and issues 
of those three Members.  Côte d'Ivoire, Guin ea-Bissau and Togo recently experienced political and 
social unrests affecting their economic development and trade expansion, and has made efforts to  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 13 
 
 
  settle them. Japan hopes that these Members will deve lop their economic infrastructures with the help 
of international organizati ons and our other Members. 
64. With regard to harmonization policies, Japan commends promotions of the harmonization of 
their trade policies as member states of the WA EMU (West African Economic and Monetary Union) 
and the harmonization of their busin ess environments within the fr amework of the Organization for 
the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHA DA). Japan expects their trade will expand after 
their further harmonization and the effective implem entation of common rules. However, according to 
the Secretariat's Report, in customs evaluations, th e three Members still apply reference values, which 
are prescribed in the customs codes of WAEMU. W ithout their request for a waiver, this is not 
consistent with the WTO Agreement. Japan hopes th e three Members will address  this problem within 
WAEMU. 
65. The national budgets of the three members depend heavily on revenue levied at their customs 
borders, according to the Secretariat's Report. Guinea- Bissau in particular depends for more than 50% 
of its government revenue on revenue levied at its customs border. In this regard, Japan encourages 
three members to diversify sources of their govern ment revenues through a gradual shift of their 
revenue source towards increases in domestic tax. 
66. Now let me turn to Côte d'Ivoire. According to  the Secretariat's Report, with abundant natural 
resources and a relatively young population, Côte d'I voire has great potential for sustainable economic 
growth. However, in addition to its unstable social  situation and an underdeveloped infrastructure as I 
said above, it faces high external debt. Japan hopes th at Côte d'Ivoire will exploit its great potential 
through further liberalization of trade and investment. 
67. As for its trade and investment regimes, many companies in Japan are highly interested in 
investing in Côte d'Ivoire. And we commend Côte d'Ivoire's efforts to improve its investment 
environment. In this regard, Japan welcomes that Côte d'Ivoire's Cabinet adopted a new bill about 
investment on June 7, 2012. However, Côte d'I voire is supposed to establish a Business Facilitation 
Centre (CFE) aiming at the simplification of admi nistrative procedures. Japan encourages the Côte 
d'Ivoire to make the efficient use of the CFE and existing frameworks like the CEPICI.  
68. On sectoral policies, I would like comment on Cô te d'Ivoire's general agricultural and mining 
policies.  Agriculture is an important activity in Cô te d'Ivoire and contributes to a substantial part of 
its GDP. However, agricultural productivity remains low. Côte d'Ivoire has recognized this problem 
and adopted a plan to reform several agri cultural subsectors in November 2011 and its 
implementation began with the coffee-cocoa subsect or. Côte d'Ivoire needs to continue this 
reformation.  
69. On the other hand, Côte d'Ivoire is a candida te for the Extractive Industries Transparency 
Initiative (EITI). Japan, as an advocate of EITI, welcomes that Côte d'Ivoire is promoting 
improvements in transparency in orde r to become a compliant country.  
70. Now, I would like to make some comment s on Guinea-Bissau. The abundant mineral 
resources in Guinea-Bissau's subsoil remain virtually  unexploited. As for supplies of energy including 
electricity, food, manufactured products, and transp ortation services, it relies heavily on imports from 
foreign countries. So, Guinea-Bissau's economy is extr emely vulnerable to extern al shocks. This trend 
is aggravated because raw cashew nuts represent almost all of Guinea-Bissau's exports. Japan hopes 
that the government of Guinea-Bissau will try to remedy this situation. 
71. On sectoral policies, I would like to comment  on agricultural policies. According to the 
Secretariat's Report, although 32% of Guinea-Bissau's  total surface is arable, only some 20% of that 
area is in fact cultivated. So, Jap an welcomes Guinea-Bissau's curren t efforts to develop agriculture. WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 14  
 
  In particular, Japan would like to see improvements in the land possession system which is not stable 
and discourages foreign investment.  
72. Finally, I would like to turn to Togo. Acco rding to the Secretariat's Report, Togolese 
economy progressed in GDP at a generally sustained pace. However, it continues to be focused on 
agriculture, and its performance remains heavily de pendent on weather factors and the world price of 
cotton. Japan hopes that Togo diversifies its industry. 
73. I want to comment on Togo's agriculture and its transport services. With regard to agriculture, 
the production of food cr ops, pulses and tubers in particular, have increased on average by over 
20% annually over the period 2005-2010, as a result th e Government of Togo's efforts to improve 
agricultural production and invite private investment . The Government of Togo should continue in 
that direction. 
74. As for transport services, according to the Secretariat's Report, the export of transport 
services, which is mainly provided by the Autonomous Port of Lomé (PAL), is important for Togo and is developing rapidly. Jap an encourages Togo to improve its competitiveness through efforts 
including the liberalization of transport services. 
75. To conclude, Japan would like to reiterate its  hope that Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and 
Togo will keep their political and economic situati ons stable. Japan believes that each government's 
efforts, which have already improved their situat ions, will ensure their sound economic and trade 
development. 
ARGENTINA 
76. The reports highlight the scale of the difficu lties faced by Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and 
Togo.  To begin with, the three countries have e xperienced serious socio-political conflicts which 
have seriously inhibited their trade and held back their economic development. 
77. In this connection, and as the Secretariat repor t rightly states, we consider that greater 
integration within the West African Economic a nd Monetary Union (WAEMU) so as finally to have, 
for example, common rules on investment and ha rmonized economic regimes, would help create a 
more stable and transparent environment propitious  to long-term investment decisions.  Another 
concern is the lack of diversification of expor ts, making them extremely vulnerable to exogenous 
factors;  indeed, in the case of Guinea-Bissau, all its exports are concentrated in a single product and a 
single destination.  We would therefore encourage any policy aimed at further diversifying exports 
and the destinations to which they are shipped, as well as at raising their va lue added.  This would 
certainly lead to more and better integration into international trade, and mo re and better development 
of their economies. 
78. Looking at the picture country by country, we are genuinely pleased at the fact that 
Côte d'Ivoire appears to be leaving behind it a d ecade of socio-political convulsions that have done so 
much damage to its development and competitiveness,  and is now heading for a period of structural 
reforms that are fundamental for good governance and progress.  We wish the Government every 
success and strongly hope that its estimates of achie ving an annual average growth rate in the order 
of 6% for 2012-2015 will be fulfilled. 
79. We congratulate Togo on having reached the completion point of the Heavily Indebted Poor 
Countries Initiative, having thus freed up internal  resources for financing major development projects 
and social programmes.  The fact that relations  between Togo and its deve lopment partners have 
returned to normal is very pos itive because it will enable the countr y to design and implement major  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 15 
 
 
  reforms, many of them of structural importance, wh ich we hope will have the desired success and lead 
to greater economic growth and poverty reduction in the country. 
80. As for Guinea-Bissau, we also welcome the f act that it has likewise reached the completion 
point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initi ative, representing a huge reduction in its debt, 
which at the end of 2011 stood at 17.5% of GDP acco rding to the data in the Secretariat Report, far 
below the level of 2009, when the figure stood at 121.9%. 
81. While debt reduction and other foreign aid programmes cannot replace production or trade as 
the ultimate sources of economic development, they ca n contribute to it by enabling poor countries to 
devote their scant financial resources to more essen tial needs and the implementation of the essential 
structural reforms for the better devel opment of the countries and their peoples. 
82. Lastly, with regard to Argentina's bilateral trade with this region, we note that in the 
period 2006-2011 it rose by 23%, to reach nearly US $13 million, although this was largely due to the 
rise in our exports to Côte d'Ivoire.  The lack of di versification of the products  and destinations of the 
three countries' exports has not been favourable to  increasing trade, although there have been some 
encouraging signs.  Argentina has for the first time begun to import products from Togo (in 2011 and 
the first four months of this year) while our imports  from Côte d'Ivoire have also increased.  Thus the 
potential exists and there are specific sectors that deserve attention where gr eater cooperation could be 
achieved.  We therefore hope that the trade flows between the two regions will continue increasing, so 
as to properly reflect the growth potential that exists in this respect. 
SOUTH AFRICA 
83. Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire were established in May 1992 
and its Ambassador was among the first to be accre dited to post-apartheid South Africa. The two 
countries signed their first bilateral Agreement,  a cooperation Agreement regarding the technical 
Management of the Abokouamerko Game Park in 1990.  
84. In 1998 his Excellency Mr. Henri Konan Bedie, th e then President of the Republic of Côte 
d'Ivoire, undertook an official state visit to the Rep ublic of south Africa, at the invitation of former 
President his Excellency Mr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mande la.  The two presidents, desiring to contribute 
to the prosperity of their two countries, laid  particular emphasis on the importance of the 
strengthening and development of  economic and trade relations, as well as of technical cooperation 
between the two countries. 
85. In this regard, an agreement on the promoti on and reciprocal protection of investments 
between the two countries was concluded.  In orde r to promote and further strengthen the bilateral 
economic and technical cooperation between them, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire are currently 
engaged in negotiating a Memora ndum of Understanding regardi ng the economic and technical 
cooperation. In term of the MoU, South Africa comm its to cooperate and assist the Ministry of Trade 
in Côte d'Ivoire with scoping and designing program s for designated development projects in that 
country.  Both countries commit to intensify efforts to promote trade between their countries, with a 
view to expanding the volume of trad e and reducing the trade imbalance.  
86. Economic integration remains the key strategy  that will enable Africa to accelerate the 
transformation of their economies and expand their mark ets.  Côte d'Ivoire involvement in the various 
regional groupings, inter alia , WAEMU and ECOWAS is clearly in support of this noble agenda of 
regional integration. WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 16  
 
  87. Lastly, we share the Secretariat's observation that  Côte d'Ivoire with its abundant of natural 
resources, a relatively young population, a coastlin e extending 550km, many water courses and heavy 
rainfall has a great potential for sustainable economic growth. 
BRAZIL 
88. Brazil is greatly pleased to participate in this Trade Policy Review. We welcome the 
significant progress that the countries have made in their integration process within the West African 
Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the West African States (ECOWAS). 
89. As highlighted in the Secretariat report and poin ted out by other delegations this morning, the 
three countries have been faced with very difficult social and political situations that have certainly 
played a considerable part in inhibiting the e xpansion of their trade flows and held back their 
economic development. 
90. Yet, despite volatility in growth rates, all countries have managed to increase, although only 
moderately, their GDP per capita from 2005 to 2011. This shows the potential of these economies especially if we bear in mind that this was done in a period of political instability and international 
economic crisis that certainly affected West African Countries as well. 
91. Although starting from a modest base, trade fl ows between Brazil and the three countries 
have increased impressively over the past five years (46% Côte d'Ivoire, 100% Guinea Bissau and 
243% Togo).  Brazil is convinced there is still pl enty of unexplored potential for substantially 
enhancing bilateral trade relations with the thr ee countries, both in terms of volume and of the 
composition of the trade basket.  Brazil also sta nds ready to further enhance economic relations as a 
whole. Strengthening South-South Cooperation is an important means to foster the sharing of 
technologies and practices developed under similar social and economic conditions. 
92. As of today, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency  coordinates more than 250 projects – in 
various stages of implementation – in 36 African countries. Although the Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa represent the first line for Brazili an operations, we have a diversified portfolio of 
beneficiaries that continues to increase. 
93. Cooperation in Africa is a priority for Brazil. It is a strategic re lationship that aims at reaching 
balanced and full development for the benefit of the populations of the beneficiary countries. As a 
developing country itself, Brazil is well aware that this cooperation, in order to bear fruit, must be 
based on a dialogue where both parties are actually listening to each other. 
CHINA 
94. China is glad to note that over the period under Review Togo has achieved a positive annual 
average growth of 3.34%, while Côte d'Ivoire h as begun its moderate economic recovery.  However, 
as is noted in the Secretariat Report, "their economie s remain vulnerable to external shocks".  Those 
three countries are highly dependent on agriculture , livestock and related activities, and hence their 
economic performance is conditioned on external fact ors including weather.  The biggest challenge 
for economies of this king is to overcome the sus ceptibility to external shocks.  The only advice we 
could give is to keep the reform momentum combin ed with diversification efforts. For our part, the 
rest of us should try to listen to and addr ess the appeals of small and vulnerable economies 
wholeheartedly.  
95. China and those three countries have been enjoyi ng close and friendly relations ever since the 
establishment of diplomatic ties. China's bilateral trade with Togo amounted US$1,908 million in 2011, representing an increase rate of 37% year-on- year. Trade volume with Côte d'Ivoire reached  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 17 
 
 
  US$703 million in the same year, showing a 7% year-on-year increase.  In 2011, trade volume 
amounted to US$19 million.  Furthermore, commercial presence of China in the three countries is also on the rise.  
96. China has committed to grant duty-free and quota -free access for 97% tariff lines of products 
originating from the least-devel oped countries, and we are confident that this will encourage more 
import from Togo. In addition, China will also take  proper measures to promote the export of Côte 
d'Ivoire to China. The Chinese government will con tinue to encourage enterprises with strength and 
credit to undertake investment and other kinds of  cooperation in those three countries.  Meanwhile, 
China will keep providing economic and technical assi stance to those three countries commensurate 
with its capacity. 
97. China, Côte d'Ivoire, and Togo also enjoy good cooperation under various multilateral and 
regional frameworks. China appreciates that the l ack of human and financial resources hinders their 
effective participation in the work of the WTO,  and calls upon development partners to help 
overcome this challenge by providing necessary assist ance. As a firm supporter of the Doha Round 
trade talks, China supports the le gitimate appeals by developing count ries and in particular LDCs in 
this Round, and China is ready to work with all Members towards a balanced and development-
oriented outcome.  
SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF TAIWAN, PENGHU, KINMEN AND MATSU 
98. Firstly, regarding the general situation of Côte d' Ivoire, it is gratifying to know that after its 
ten-year struggle with severe socio-political instab ility, the government at last managed to implement 
a crisis exit program in 2011. It also started on a "National Development Plan" to improve the 
economic and financial environment in the same y ear, aiming to make progress towards realizing the 
"Millennium Development Goals". We sincerely hope that these efforts will lead to economic 
recovery and help it reach its target  of 6% annual growth in 2015.  
99. In the case of Togo, we are pleased to note that its economy has enjoyed average annual 
growth of 3.34% over the last five years (2007-2011).  In 2009, the Togolese Government adopted the 
"Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper" as a developm ent plan.  We hope these measures will strengthen 
Togo's position as a commercial centre in West Africa,  and enable its economy to soon reach an 
annual growth rate of 4%. 
100. The economy of Guinea-Bissau, as we see from its  report, has been undermined by chronic 
socio-political instability since 1998. Agriculture and fisheries continue to be the dominant sectors, 
and Guinea-Bissau remains very dependent upon im ports for its electrical power, food and transport 
services. Therefore, we agree with the governme nt's plans for improving the general business 
environment, building the production infrastructure and aiming for diversification of its exports.  
101. As for our own trading relationship with these three countries, in 2011 the total value of our 
two-way trade with Côte d'Ivoire was about US $27 million, with Togo it was just US$26 million and 
with Guinea-Bissau US$300,000. In fact, we do have an  office in Abidjan promoting trade relations in 
the region. Certainly, the potential exists for gr eater economic cooperation in the future, which we 
hope to achieve through continued dialogue.  
102. Just one further point, we would like to enc ourage these three countries to make good use of 
the WTO's trade-related capacity building and technical assistance, and we would ask the WTO to provide them with more Aid for Trade resources. These can help to change the trading environment 
and raise the standard of living of their people. WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 18  
 
  INDIA 
103. India enjoys cordial and friendly relations with Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo 
marked by wide ranging cooperation in various fiel ds. There has been a regular exchange of high 
level visits and business to business interactions reflecting the importance attached by India to 
enhancing cooperation with the three countries. All three countries are connected by the Pan African 
E-Network project to Indian institutions for impar ting quality education in various disciplines through 
tele-education and provi ding online medical consultation th rough tele-medicine services.   
104. Coming first to Côte d'Ivoire, we note that its  economy is mainly reliant on cocoa coffee, 
cotton, rubber and timber. It is the world's leading producer of cocoa and sixth largest producer of coffee. The agricultural sector and agri-food industry are today supplemented by petroleum 
production and service sectors, notably telecommunicati ons. Cote d'Ivoire has substantial deepwater 
offshore petroleum deposits and exports electricity to the countries of the sub-region. It also has 
phosphate mining, production and crushing of clinker, produc tion of iron ore and marble. 
105. Socio-political and military crises since 1999 have adversely impacted Côte d'Ivoire's 
economy. We hope that implementati on of the crisis exit programme initiated by President Ouattara 
would help the Ivorian economy to recover and achieve  the targeted growth rate of 6% over 2012 to 
2015.  
106. In this context, we welcome the governmen t's intention to implement an economic and 
financial programme for 2011-14 based on the promo tion of investment aimed at achieving strong, 
sustained and job creating growth, combating pover ty and realizing the mi llennium development 
goals. We are encouraged to note that the policy of liberalization and privati zation is being continued 
and extended to all sectors of the economy with due focus on simplificati on and rationalization of 
administrative procedures. We have also noted with  interest Côte d'Ivoire 's National Development 
Plan (NDP) 2012-15 which will serve as a framework for dialogue with development partners to 
support the agricultural and rural community through implementation of targeted programmes.  We encourage Côte d'Ivoire to continue its efforts to streamline its foreign investment regime with a view 
to creating a business friendly environment for foreign inv estors and attracting FDI. 
107. India's trade with Côte d'Ivoire during 2010-11 amounted to US$345 million, including 
exports worth US$94 million and imports totaling US$250 million comprising cashew nuts and wood and wood products.  A number of Indian companies have acquired a presence in Côte d'Ivoire in 
recent years. Concessional lines of credit have been  extended to Côte d'I voire for development 
projects in the areas of agro-processing, electricity transmission and transportation. 50 training slots 
were provided to Côte d'Ivoire under the ITEC programme during 2011-12 for capacity building in 
various fields. We believe that stabilization of the political situation in Côte d'Ivoire will help to 
realize the full potential of our bilateral relationship. 
108. Moving to Guinea-Bissau, agriculture contributes a major part of GDP with its economy 
mainly relying on farming and fishing. 70% of th e population in Guinea-Bissau  lives in rural areas, 
underscoring the importance of the primary sector as the leading source of employment. Phosphate 
and bauxite resources are present but have not been  exploited commercially. Socio-political instability 
has undermined the economy which has remained vul nerable to external shocks. Guinea-Bissau's 
economy is dependent on a single cash crop, cashew nuts, cultivated using traditional methods and depends on imports for practically all its needs relating to electricity, food, transport services, 
manufactured goods and hydrocarbons.  
109. We are encouraged to note that the governme nt recognizes the need to improve its business 
environment, strengthen its institutional capacity, pr omote diversification of  the economy and exports,  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 19 
 
 
  support processing of agricultural products locally and develop infrastructure for promoting economic 
growth generating employment, reducing poverty and fostering socio-economic development.   
110. India's trade with Guinea-Bissau totaled US $62.49 million in 2010-11 including imports 
worth US$59 million. Cashew accounts for more than  90% of the export earnings of Guinea-Bissau of 
which almost the entire crop is exported to India for processing. During 2011-12, 30 training slots 
were offered to Guinea-Bissau for capacity building.    An expert team from India visited Guinea-
Bissau to assist in a solar power project.   
111. Moving next to Togo, the Togolese economy remains dependent on the primary sector, which 
accounts for some 40% of GDP and continues to drive growth. It is also the largest provider of jobs, 
employing 70 to 80% of the work-force.  Togo is also abundant in mineral resources like phosphates, 
limestone, clinker and cement.  In the last fi ve years, the Togolese economy achieved a positive 
annual average growth rate of 3.34%.   
112. We welcome the adoption of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper by the Togolese 
government to serve as a basis for preparing sect oral development plans and public investment 
programmes for 2009-11.  We are encouraged to note that the Government attaches particular 
importance to social investments aimed at improving the living standards of households and intends to 
pursue and strengthen the ongoing polit ical and economic reforms.   
113. We welcome the steps taken by the governme nt of Togo to promote foreign investment 
through the adoption of a new investment law in  January 2012 and a new law on free trade zones 
adopted in November 2011. A single investment prom otion agency, the Agency for the Promotion of 
Investment and the Free Zone, was created in 2012.  We also welcome the government's steps to 
improve the business climate, through improvements in  the performance of the single window system; 
development of industrial infrastructure;  creation of a regulatory framework conducive to investment;  
improvement of the national quality programme (accr editation, standardization and quality promotion 
system); revitalization and support programmes for pr ivate sector development;  and signature of an 
SME Charter. We also appreciate Togo's keenne ss to strengthen and improve its position as a 
commercial centre and country of transit in West Africa.    
114. On the bilateral front, India's trade with Togo amounted to US$295 million in 2010-11, an 
increase of 27% from the previous year. This comprised exports to Togo worth US$204 million and imports of US$92 million. In 2009-10, 15 Togolese officials were trained under the capacity building courses conducted by the Indian Institute of Fore ign Trade.  In 2011-12, Togo has been allotted 
35 slots under the ITEC scheme. Several lines of cr edit have been extended to Togo for projects in 
health equipment, power generation and distribution,  farming and cultivation and rural electrification. 
Prime Minister of Togo visited India in March 2011 along with a 50-member delegation to explore 
bilateral cooperation opportunities.  
115. To conclude, we hope that all three countries under review will continue to follow their 
policies of economic reform and focus on diversifi cation of their economies in order to reduce their 
dependence on agriculture and vulnera bility to price fluctuations.   
116. We have noted in the TPR reports, the technical  assistance requirements outlined by Côte 
d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo to achieve their growth and development targets and we hope that 
they will receive the cooperation from Member countries to help overcome the challenges and 
successfully integrate into th e multilateral trading system.     WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 20  
 
  MOROCCO 
 
117. In recent years Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo have undertaken a number of bold and 
continuing reforms so as to keep in step with the development of international trade and adapt to the 
requirements and meet the challenges of the modern world. 
GUINEA-BISSAU 
 
118. Guinea-Bissau's economic performance in 2011 was remarkable.  In macroeconomic terms, 
GDP growth reached 5.1% (compared with 3.5% in 2010) thanks to exports, in particular those of 
cashew nuts.  These accounted for nearly 81% of th e country's exports in the period 2009-2010, and 
90% in 2011, owing to an exceptional harvest.  Howeve r, the debt crisis in Europe means that world 
cashew nut prices are expected to fall and consequent ly growth should ease to 4.6% in 2012 and 4.9% 
in 2013. 
119. The country is committed to pursuing the reform s supported by all donors, in particular the 
creation of a private investment promotion agen cy bringing together all the bodies that frame 
private sector activity.  These reforms include the preparation of a national strategy for economic 
diversification and transformation based on two major pillars:  identifying and developing sectors 
with a potential for boosting exports, growth a nd jobs, and promoting investment by strengthening 
and upgrading infrastructure. 
120. Progress has been made primarily thanks to th e establishment of a single window for business 
formalities financed by the African Develo pment Bank in cooperation with UNDP and the 
World Bank in 2011.  It has been functioning satisfa ctorily since May 2011.  This progress has moved 
the country to 176
th place out of 183, a five-poi nt improvement, according to Doing Business 2012 . 
121. The country should take the necessary appropria te measures in the trade area to promote 
economic growth, generate job cr eation, reduce poverty and promot e socio-economic development. 
TOGO 
 
122. Togo's trade policy is aimed at providing a s ubstantial contribution to economic growth.  
Thanks to the macroeconomic policy measures take n, the Togolese economy should return to a real 
annual growth rate of over 4% in the short term, and in the medium term rise towards the 7% needed 
for poverty reduction and achieving the MDGs. 
123. This growth is accounted for by higher agricu ltural output and the main tenance of industrial 
activity.  However, domestic demand has proved vuln erable, owing to two consecutive hikes in fuel 
prices and the rise in imported food prices.  The budg et deficit is estimated at 3.8% of GDP as against 
2.8% in 2010 because of the policy pursued since 2009 to mitigate the effects of the world crisis. 
124. Budget performance in 2011 was globally satisfa ctory.  Revenue outstripped forecasts, 
reflecting sustained economic activity.  However, the budget balance will continue to deteriorate 
in 2012 (-4.1% of GDP) and 2013 (-4.5%).  Growth could pick up to reach 4.2% in 2012 thanks to 
public investment. 
125. Monetary policy was geared to preserving financ ial stability in the subregion and structural 
measures to support supply.  The monetary situ ation has developed favourably and financial 
intermediation has strengthened.  The average infl ation rate should fall in 2012 to 2.6%, compared 
with 3.7% in 2011.  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 21 
 
 
  126. Morocco welcomes the efforts made by the Togolese Government to improve the business 
climate.  In January 2012 the National Assembly  adopted a new investment code.  The reforms 
undertaken with the support of development partners will be pursued in 2012.  A major step has been 
taken in the fight against corruption by the creation of the Court of Audit and national audit office.  
The modernization of public administration thro ugh the "e-Government" project began in 2012 and 
will stretch over three years.  However, the State has often lagged behind in its implementation of the 
administrative and institutional arrangements requi red following the adoption of the laws and 
regulations instituting reforms. 
127. In the World Bank's report Doing Business 2012 , Togo was ranked 162nd compared 
with 158th in 2010, out of a total of 183 countries.  This deterioration is attribut able to the weight of 
certain shortcomings such as the weak  capacity to protect investors. 
128. The new Investment Code adopted in January 2012 provides for equality of treatment for 
national and foreign investors, but includes incentives to encourage the employment of 
Togolese workers on a priority basis.  The Investme nt Code lays down the principle of freedom of 
management and freedom of movement of capital and respect for private property. 
129. It provides for the creation of an investment promotion agency that will act as a 
single window for all investors.  The Business Formality Centre has be en reorganized into a 
single window for internal trade. 
CÔTE D'IVOIRE 
 
130. With a contraction of 5.9% in real GDP in 2011, the Ivorian economy has been badly affected 
by the adverse effects of the post-electoral crisis  and the strong projected growth rates (8.6% and 
5.5% respectively for 2012 and 2013) depend on c onsolidating peace and restoring the country's 
production capacity. 
131. Attaining these growth rates will require, firstly, speeding up the reforms set out in the 
2012-2014 extended credit facility arrangement w ith a view to improving governance and the 
business climate, and efficiency in the financial, energy and coffee-cocoa sectors, and secondly, 
success of the political dialogue for reunification and reconciliation.  The return to institutional normality, the strengthening of the democratic process and progress in reunification and reconciliation bear witness to renewed social peace.   Nevertheless, consolidating and maintaining 
this peace by strengthening dialogue and improving th e security climate are major challenges for the 
country's economy. 
132. Morocco welcomes the considerable progress made  by the Ivorian Government with respect 
to governance and the strategic orientations ai med at employment and technical and professional 
competence-building. 
133. Improving the business climate is one of the major reforms.  According to the World Bank's 
Doing Business 2012  report, reforms relating to business st art-up progressed in 2011.  In addition, 
a tax on firms (contribution for national reconstructi on) was eliminated.  However, the same report 
notes that regulatory practice remained unfavourable.  Côte d'Ivoire has gone down six places in terms 
of "paying taxes" and two places in "protecting inv estors".  All in all, in the general ranking with 
respect to ease of doing business, Côte d'Ivoire comes 167
th out of 183 compared with 170th in the 
previous report.  The adoption of the law reformi ng the land register in 2012 should make it easier to 
obtain property title and make property ownership mo re secure even if the country has gone down one 
place in the ranking for dealing with construction permits. WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 22  
 
  134. The Ivorian Government has implemented an economic and financial programme relating to 
investment promotion, trade policy, and the draf ting and adoption of a global development strategy 
for the financial sector in order to make its trade policy more flexible. 
135. Côte d'Ivoire's commitment to the internati onal environmental dialogue  is illustrated by the 
setting up of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development as well as accession to a 
number of treaties, internationa l agreements and conventions. 
136. The reforms undertaken by Côte d'Ivoire in  key economic sectors and the drafting of a 
national development plan, which toge ther should raise it to the rank of an emerging country by 2020, 
bear witness to its determinati on to participate in international trade.  Morocco welcomes the 
measures taken by the governments of all three co untries to make their institutional and regulatory 
environment favourable to the development of trade. 
137. The data on the three countries' economies pr ove that the outlook is reassuring despite the 
present turbulence of the world economic environment.   Their economic growth is also the result of 
targeted reforms in the areas of FDI, the busin ess climate and the identification of growth centres 
geared to economic development. 
138. Their economic performance has further rea ssured foreign economic operators, whose 
investments are growing at a promising rate, tha nks to national economic reforms.  Along the same 
lines, these advances constitute effective and amb itious tools for establishing the mechanisms of a 
modern, open and competitive economy. 
139. The three countries are well aware that economic modernization is impossible without 
opening up to the outside world, and they have ther efore sought to diversify their trading partners by 
participating in a number of trade -related regional agreements.  In this respect, the WTO and partner 
countries should provide appropriate technical assist ance to these countries, as provided for in the 
existing WTO agreements, so as to enable them to  participate in and profit from the international 
trading system. 
140. In the present circumstances, Côte d'Ivoire , Guinea-Bissau and Togo need considerable 
technical assistance in the sectors covered by the WT O and its various agreements.  It is necessary to 
mobilize the resources that will enable these countries to take advantage of the good results they have 
obtained in recent years and pursue their reform and modernization policies so as to participate 
advantageously and constructively in  multilateral trade.  I should like  to congratulate the governments 
of these three countries on what they have achieve d in recent years as well as on their unswerving 
determination to participate in multilateral trade. 
LESOTHO ON BEHALF OF THE AFRICAN GROUP 
141. As Members of the ECOWAS and the WAEMO th e three countries form part of a credible 
building block towards the vision of the African Common Market.  The African Group notes with satisfaction efforts to further reforms on a broad fr ont of trade-related policies and practices despite 
the enormous the social and political challenges that have been traced.  The Group appreciates the 
commitment of the three to rule-based multilateral tr ade, and also hopes that the three countries will 
benefit from the regional corridors.  The Group also  notes the improvement in the external debt 
management in particular but also pu blic debt management in general. 
142. The direct need for building productive capacities clearing supplies constraints in trade 
facilitation in general, diversification of the econo my, especially the export basket and diversification 
of markets elsewhere.  The Group encourages the three countries to use more of the available 
technical assistance and capacity building from vari ous credible sources and also to access Aid for  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 23 
 
 
  Trade.  The Group encourages to step up reforms, in national policies, strategies, plans and programs 
of action towards the integration of their trade fam ily into the rules-based multilateral trading system.  
The Group hopes that the three will move towards achieving rapid, stable and inclusive economic 
growth, withdrawn balance and sustainable so cio-economic development so that the human 
development index can be raised in those countries. 
MOZAMBIQUE 
143. My delegation wishes to register its recogniti on to the efforts Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau 
and Togo have been exerting for the consolida tion of peace and reconciliation in their respective 
countries as a basic premise for the trade and business to flourish; and for the promotion of favourable 
environment for economic development.  
144. My delegation wishes to commend Guinea-Bissau , a country of the CPLP, a country with 
which we shares common history and culture, for its first Trade Policy Review.  Mozambique note with satisfaction that the country embarked upon a process of reforms implementation since 2004 which led to the adoption of the Strategy for Po verty Reduction. We are mindful that these reforms 
were also undertaken in the context of efforts designed to bring answers to economic and social 
structural weaknesses.  
145. It is with high regard that we learn the implem entation of reform has led to the adoption of the 
Medium Term Strategy for 2011-15. The Medium Term Strategy is viewed as a comprehensive 
framework aimed at reversing the tide of economic deterioration and to bri ng about prosperity and 
reduction in the level of poverty.  
146. My delegation is pleased to see encouraging si gns out the implementation of the Strategy 
which reflect itself in the domain of exports of products. If this trend is maintained, this will 
eventually help to jump start the process of economic recovery.  
147. We are aware of the formidable challenges faced by Guinea-Bissau in many areas of concern 
to development, especially the infrastructure, inde x of poverty, credit costs, which tend to limit the 
country's development potential. Mozambique praises the country's initiatives to put in place trade 
laws that are compatible with the evolving tradi ng system, notably through the development of a wide 
range of regulations in different fields.  
148. We hold the view that Guinea-Bissau must be assisted in implementing some of the WTO's 
agreements such as the Customs Valuation Agr eement. Mozambique encourages Guinea-Bissau to 
continue its efforts aimed at the diversification of  its economic base, by redirecting its investment 
primarily to infrastructure, agriculture, services, industry and tourism. 
149. We are confident that the country will succeed in the implementation of reforms and in the 
implementation of national devel opment policies. We encourage Guinea-Bissau to continues with 
polices that further its involvement in regional in itiatives, and those actions that are likely to 
contribute to the attainment of the right aspirations of becoming active player in the regional and 
global trading system. 
150. We also encourage Guinea-Bis sau to seize the opportunity given by the debt cancellation 
initiatives to move on with policies that allows the country to harness the wealth of its vast natural 
resources, and boost economic activities, especially in a country that is targeting poverty reduction, as 
one of the most important government actions in the context of the implantation of the Millennium 
Development Goals.  WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 24  
 
  NIGERIA 
151. Nigeria is happy to note from the Secretaria t Report that although the three countries have 
made significant progress in different areas, it is re grettable that Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and 
Togo have all experienced socio-political conflicts, wh ich have considerably inhibited their trade and 
held back their economic development. This co ncern was also acknowledged in the Government 
report. These conflicts also had an adverse impact  on the human development indicators, especially 
those of Guinea-Bissau and Togo, which continue to  be among the lowest in the world and below the 
average for sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, the ensu ing instability has led to the partial suspension 
of official development assistance (ODA), which ac counts for a substantial proportion of the GDP of 
the countries under Review. 
152. As highlighted in the Secretariat Report, impor ts continue to be subject to a number of 
burdensome charges, such as the CET, under which 41% of the 20% duties constitute international 
tariff peaks. The competition regimes of Côte d'Ivoi re and Togo have not yet been brought into line 
with the community regulation. The Secretariat Repo rt also acknowledged that, despite their potential, 
the economies of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau an d Togo remain vulnerable to external shocks, 
including the various knock-on effects of the economic  crisis as a result of the global financial crisis. 
The report further stated that the ability of Cô te d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo to achieve 
sustainable medium-term growth is largely dependent not only on their pursuing prudent macroeconomic policies, but also on the reforms undertaken, with a view to improving the business 
environment. 
153. In this regard, Nigeria agrees with the reco mmendation contained in the Secretariat Report on 
the need for the intensification of efforts, both na tionally and regionally, in order to strengthen the 
legal framework and public administration, eliminati on of energy deficit, and the deepening of the 
financial system. Nigeria believes that fast-tr acking the harmonization of the WAEMU and ECOWAS 
regulatory frameworks would serve as catalyst to th e reform process. We would, therefore, like to 
hear from Côte d'Ivoire and Togo what efforts they  are making to eliminate the current duality and 
overlapping policies and membership between WAEMU and ECOWAS. 
154. As highlighted in the Secretariat Report, partic ipation in the activities of the WTO is limited. 
Although both Côte d'Ivoire and T ogo have missions in Geneva, that is not the case with Guinea-
Bissau, coupled with the lack of adequate human and financial resources. These are factors that hinder their effective participation in the work of the WTO. Nigeria, therefore, welcomes the establishment 
of a Mission in Geneva by WAEMU. This action wo uld assist in coordinating and strengthening their 
cooperation. It is regrettable that since 1997, Gu inea-Bissau has been de signated as an "Inactive 
Member", as a result of which the country is denied access to training or technical assistance. 
155. At the regional level, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo are members of WAEMU and 
ECOWAS. Nigeria is also a founding member of ECOWAS and has contributed significantly to the development of the sub-region. It is significant to note that since its establishment in 1975, the 
ECOWAS and its institutions have undergone deep tr ansformation both in structure and strategy, in 
order to respond to the regional and global cha llenges facing the sub-region.  ECOWAS was 
established with a view to promoting cooperation and integration within the West African sub-region. 
156. The mechanisms to achieve this objective in clude: removal of customs duties and taxes 
having equivalent effect; establishing a common ex ternal tariff, harmonization of economic and 
financial policies, and creation of a single monetary  zone in the sub-region. However, commitment to 
various protocols meant to facilitate the achievement  of the vision of ECOWAS has been very low 
and implementation targets have not been met. Th is largely explains the dismal trend in intra-
community trade. A difficulty of the governments in the sub-region, to explore veritable alternatives  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 25 
 
 
  to tariff revenue has also continued to impose ser ious constraints on both intra-and extra community 
flow of trade.  
157. The Secretariat report has also acknowledged th e low level of intra-community trade among 
the three countries. While 52% of Togo's total e xports are to the WAEMU area, only 11% of Côte 
d'Ivoire's exports go to the WAEMU area. In th e case of Guinea-Bissau, the figure is only 2%. We 
note from the Secretariat Report that obstacles to trade are less significant in WAEMU as compared 
with ECOWAS.  
158. We, therefore, commend  the efforts undertaken  by the WAEMU Commission since 2005;  
among others to identify with a view to their elimin ation: irregular practices such as: abusive or illicit 
administrative obstacles imposed on community pr oducts; abusive inspection formalities; minimum 
import quantities in order to benefit from duty-fr ee status; importation of originating products 
dependent on purchase of national products; withholding of prior im port declarations; and practices 
such as escorts and other measures aimed at extor ting money on the Union's main roads. However, 
once again, Nigeria would like to ask why the sa me success achieved by the WAEMU has not been 
the case with ECOWAS, more so as the WAEMU cons titute a significant proportion of the ECOWAS 
member States. 
159. As highlighted in the Secretariat Report, the imports of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and 
Togo, from other ECOWAS countries, over the period 2006-2010, account for an average of 28%, 23% and 13%, respectively. With respect to exports , the share of intra-ECOWS trade is 25%, 3% and 
70% for the respective countries. 
160. It is significant to note that WAEMU has made commendable advances in setting up the CET 
and adopting attendant measures to the community tr ade liberalization scheme.  However, Nigeria is 
concerned that the effective implementation is well be low target. In this regard, the top priority for 
WAEMU, therefore, should be the effective im plementation of the CET and consolidation of 
measures to facilitate trade among the countries, includi ng cross-border trade. This is more so as we 
note from the Secretariat Report that Togo is highly dependent on the ECOWAS market for its 
exports, and consequently is one of the countries that stands to benefit the most from any trade 
facilitation measures that leads to the elimination of  abusive taxation in intra-ECOWAS trade. In the 
context of this poor performance of intra-ECOW AS trade and the existing opportunities, Nigeria 
would like the countries under review to explain the in itiatives that they are taking, or intend to take, 
in order to improve intra-regional trade perform ance as well as deepen regional integration. 
161. In conclusion, Nigeria wishes to call on Member s and other development partners to continue 
their support on programmes that enable the effici ent implementation of common policies on trade, 
tariffs, financial market integration and other areas, within WAEMU and the ECOWAS sub-region. 
Areas where international support is needed urge ntly include: simplification and harmonization of 
administrative procedures; port transit; infrastruct ure corridors; regional programmes to facilitate 
inter-state road transport and transit; and the inte rconnection of customs and ports computer systems. 
162. Nigeria wishes to express its willingness to con tinue to work with Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-
Bissau and Togo and strengthen the close ties which exist between our countries, WAEMU and ECOWAS. Nigeria has demonstrated its strong commitment to the promotion of democracy and democratic values in ECOWAS. This is evident in the country's support for democratic efforts and its 
consolidation in the countries under review. Nigeri a has depended and strengt hened its engagement 
with ECOWAS in the areas of security and economic  cooperation and has continued to play an active 
role in ECOWAS by participating actively in a ll its activities to ensure the realization of the 
organization's integration programmes, while promoting regional peace and security essential to 
economic prosperity and development.  WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 26  
 
  BENIN 
163. The delegation of Benin wishes to extend a wa rm welcome to Geneva to the members of 
the delegations of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo.  We are pleased to participate in the trade 
policy review of these three countries with which Be nin not only has historical, cultural and social 
affinities but also shares a common economic and monetary destiny as a result of our membership in 
the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and 
Monetary Union (WAEMU). 
164. The trade policy review of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo is highly important for all 
the member States of these two above-mentioned orga nizations and especially for Benin, insofar as 
the economic health and trade performance of these countries play a part in the viability of 
West African regional integration. 
165. The delegation of Benin therefore welcomes the efforts made by the governments of the three 
countries to improve the business climate through courageous reforms, despite sometimes very 
difficult economic, social and political constraints. 
166. This is also the occasion for us to hail th e progress made and results achieved since their 
previous trade policy reviews, and to wish them ev ery success in their ambitious efforts to pursue the 
reforms already underway. 
167. There can be no doubt that much remains to  be done, despite the undeniable advances 
achieved, and that these countries' efforts may fa il to reach their full potential if they are not 
accompanied judiciously and efficiently by signif icant support from development partners, including 
in the framework of South-South cooperation. 
168. The delegation of Benin therefore wishes to stress the need to provide these countries with 
appropriate support to enable them to become bette r integrated in the world economy by using trade 
as an instrument for wealth creation and developmen t, poverty eradication and regional integration.  
The delegation of Benin therefore calls on donors to pursue and strengthen their support of all kinds to 
these three countries to complement the efforts already made at the national level. 
GHANA 
169. Ghana wishes to congratulate Côte d'Ivoire , Guinea-Bissau and Togo who are all Member 
States of the West African Economic and Moneta ry Union (WAEMU) and Economic Community of 
West African States (ECOWAS) on the occasion of th eir trade policy reviews.  Ghana associates itself 
with the statement made by Lesotho on behalf of the African Group.  
Côte d'Ivoire 
170. Côte d'Ivoire being a neighbour to Ghana remains a strategic partner to Ghana in its 
development drive. As the only developing country in  the WAEMU, the role of Côte d'Ivoire in its 
socioeconomic development cannot also  be underestimated. It is in this regard that Ghana wishes to 
commend Côte d'Ivoire for making major strides to wards stabilizing the political situation and kick-
starting the economy since the end of the last post-election crisis. 
171. There is the need for Côte d'Ivoire to dive rsify economies beyond natural resource extraction 
and agriculture to become one of the emerging economies by 2020. The case for diversification remains more persuasive today than ever before  because of continued volatility of primary product 
prices and the uncertainties about long-run price trends.  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 27 
 
 
  172. Diversification not only broadens the scope for employment creation and poverty reduction, 
but it also increases a country's economic resili ence to external shocks, promote technological 
upgrading and knowledge ac quisition, and thereby making income  more stable and predictable. 
173. To break further into manufacturing, Cote d'I voire will need to strengthen its competitiveness 
by enacting more policy reform to ensure mo re competitive markets for transport and trade 
facilitation, undertake infrastructure investments that reduce the costs of inputs, and increase 
productivity to promote value addition. Given the cen tral role of the private sector, the continued 
importance of improving the investment climat e and reducing the cost of doing business for 
companies and the informal sector are essential.  Consequently, more innovative approaches to 
monetize the assets, build the cap acity, and enhance the productivity of small and informal 
enterprises, particularly in the agriculture sector should be explored.  
Guinea-Bissau 
174. Ghana also takes note of the very challenging economic situation that Guinea-Bissau finds 
itself in. It is noted that the chronic sociopoliti cal instability of Guinea-Bissau has left its economy 
extremely vulnerable to external shocks. 
175. Again, it is noted that Guinea-Bissau's econom y depends on a single crop (cashew) cultivated 
and exported without any value add ition. This obviously makes the economy very vulnerable and it is 
incumbent that rigorous steps are taken to curb the socio-political instabilit y so that the necessary 
prudent measures could be taken to grow the econom y through diversification. Guinea-Bissau should, 
especially, take advantage of its abundant  fishery and other natural resources.  
176. It is the hope of Ghana also that despite the very challenging situation that Guinea-Bissau has 
found itself in for the past few years, every effort would be made by its authorities to restore their 
current economic situation to normalcy. 
Togo 
177. Togo is a direct neighbour to Ghana hence its growth and development issues are of a direct 
importance to Ghana. Since its last trade policy re view in 2006, Togo has pursued efforts to restore 
economic viability through structural reform which ha ve paved the way for a return to growth with 
the economy achieving a positive annual average growth rate of 3.34%. 
178. Togo like most economies in West Africa is primarily agriculture based with little or no value 
addition to products of export thereby making it  vulnerable to international commodity price 
fluctuations with other attendant consequences. Ac cordingly, Ghana very much encourages Togo to 
pursue diversification in order to ensure that  its economy is positioned for continuous growth.  
179. Ghana would like to encourage Togo to conti nue on the path of economic reforms and to 
unleash it trade and industrial potential to compleme nt the overall growth ambitions of the ECOWAS 
sub-region. It is further observed that Togo plays a very important role in as far as transit trade is 
concerned in West Africa. We would accordingly, wish to further encourage Togo to ensure an 
effective implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Libe ralization Scheme to ensure that the sub-region 
achieves its integration goals in compliance with the relevant WTO rules. 
SENEGAL 
180. As everyone knows the three countries under Revi ew have a shared des tiny with Senegal.  
We are in the same regional integration communities in Western Africa, that is WAEMO and ECOWAS.  Furthermore, we have a common currenc y and Central Bank, and that is why Senegal WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 28  
 
  feels very concerned by the situation of these th ree destination.  Above and beyond political and 
institutional ties, our shared history has created ve ry longstanding human relationship ties, and ties to 
exchange due to our geographical proximity, a nd ethnic, linguistic and cultural similarities. 
181. Before I conclude I would like to note some con cerns raised particularly by the Discussant.  
Concerning the community tariff policy applied by the three countries on entry duties, we would like 
to say that WAEMO has relatively lo w customs duties, the highest rate is at 20%, which seems fairly 
reasonable for countries some of which are part of the LDC group of countries.  No one can ignore the 
important role that customs revenues play in th e regular revenues of developing countries.   
182. As for export charges, these are exceptional and only applied to certain strategic commodities 
which these countries are trying to gain additional reve nues so as to attenuate the deterioration of the 
terms of trade or the volatility of the prices on the world markets.  That is why, for countries who 
have just left behind very serious domestic distur bances we ask the understanding of our development 
partners to work hand in hand with them as they move towards development, giving their recovery 
policies all the possible chances to success, which will help them to drive further development of the 
entire Western African region. 
  WT/TPR/M/266 
 Page 29 
 
 
  V. REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF CÔTE D'IVOIRE, GUINEA-BISSAU 
AND TOGO, AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 
183. On this second day of the TPR of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo, it gives me genuine 
pleasure to speak on behalf of my colleagues from Gu inea-Bissau and Côte d'Ivoire.  I shall try to 
address the questions and concerns voiced by the representatives of WTO Members at the 
first meeting of this TPR exercise. 
184. First of all, however, I should like to thank, on  behalf of the delegati ons of Côte d'Ivoire, 
Togo and WAEMU, all the representatives present here  for the interest they have shown in this 
exercise and for their valuable contributions supplementing the reports produced by the WTO Secretariat and our governments.  WAEMU w as created with a view to encouraging the 
economic and social development of the regi on through the harmonization of legislation, 
the unification of domestic markets and the implementation of common sectoral policies in the key sectors of our economies. 
185. This integration stems from our concern to ov ercome the obstacles inherent in our narrow 
domestic markets in order to enable producers to  achieve economies of scale and benefit from the 
development of regional infrastructure, the stre ngthening of trade links among our countries through 
the effective elimination of all barriers to the free movement of goods and services, and the harmonization of the relate d regulatory frameworks. 
186. WAEMU has therefore adopted a regional approach of advancing by stages in such key areas 
as tariff-cutting and harmonization, reform of the legal and regulatory frame work, rationalization of 
payment systems, restructuring of financial sect ors, harmonization of investment incentives and 
tax regimes, community-wide frameworks for i nvestment and competition, and so forth. 
187. In attaining the objectives set out in Article 76 of the Treaty establishing WAEMU, the latter 
respects the principles of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade relating to preferential trade 
regimes.  It also takes account of the need to contribute to the harmonious development of African 
and world trade, foster the development of productive capacity within the Union, and protect the 
Union's producers against the dumping and subsidy policies of other countries. 
188. Broadly speaking, the objective of WAEMU's co mmon trade policy has been to consolidate 
the regional market put in place by the Customs Union which came into force on 1 January 2000.  The aim is not only to strengthen the process of regional integration and ensure that the 
WAEMU market works optimally, but also to ensure th at its member States participate efficiently and 
advantageously in the multilateral trading system. 
189. In replying to the questions and concerns rai sed by Members at the first meeting, we shall 
group our comments under three headings, namely the macroeconomic framework, trade policy and 
sectoral policies. 
190. It should be stressed that despite the so cio-political crises which our countries have 
experienced, they have made efforts in recent y ears to improve the business climate by drawing up 
and adopting new investment codes.  Since 2010, Cô te d'Ivoire has established a national committee 
to monitor fiscal transition in accordance with a community Decisi on.  The committee is responsible 
for monitoring implementation of the national fiscal transition programme in the light of the indicators provided for by Decision No. 34/2009/CM/UEMOA of 17 December 2009 adopting the criteria and indicators of fiscal transition within WAEMU. 
191. In order to promote investment within WAEM U, a regional programme for the improvement 
of the business climate is being drawn up and should be  adopted in the course of the present year.  WT/TPR/M/266 
Page 30  
 
  The programme should lead to the adoption of a set  of measures whose implementation will improve 
the rankings of the WAEMU member States in the World Bank's Doing Business  report. 
192. Since their last review, despite the crises they have each experienced, our three countries have 
reformed the trading environment through instituti onal measures relating to economic, financial and 
political governance.  The aim of these reforms has been to bring the busin ess framework into line 
with multilateral or regional requirements, focu ssing on simplifying import and export procedures and 
formalities and lowering the related costs, greater transparency and predictability in commercial or 
financial transactions, and Governme nt tendering practices in public procurement.  These reforms are 
underpinned by laws or regulations and the establis hment of streamlined arrangements to speed up 
formalities. 
193. In order to boost economic growth, our govern ments, working together with the private 
sector, have adopted several reforms to improve the business climate, in particular by the establishment of an attractive investment regime that  fully provides for the protection of domestic and 
foreign investment while fully respecting reciprocal interests, the rules of international cooperation 
and sound governance. 
194. It appears that this desire to move forw ards in this framework has sometimes led 
to duplication.  Mindful of this, the government s are working to rationalize all these measures.  
In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, the Government  decided to merge the CEPICI and the Business 
Facilitation Centre in a single body with new functions.  Measures have also been taken to prevent tax 
competition among States.  A community mining code ha s been adopted and an investment code is in 
the process of being adopted. 
195. The community competition legislation entered into force on 1 January 2003.  It is aimed at 
greater transparency in the regional market by pr ohibiting a number of harmful practices such as:  
understandings, agreements or association decisions  by firms as well as concerted practices for the 
purpose or with the effect of restricting or distorting free competition;  abuse of a dominant position and practices that may be assimilated to such a buse;  anticompetitive practices attributable to 
member States;  and public aid that is  incompatible with the common market. 
196. The WAEMU Treaty gives the Commission excl usive powers in these areas, under the 
control of the Court of Justice of the Union.  Ho wever, provision is made for the implementation of 
appropriate cooperation between member States a nd the WAEMU Commission.  Thus, taking into 
account the recommendations of the review of  WAEMU's competition legislation through the 
UNCTAD mechanism for the voluntary review of competition policy, discussions are underway to 
revise the institutional framework w ith technical assistance from UNCTAD. 
197. The WAEMU Customs Union entered into force on 1 January 2000.  A number of 
accompanying measures were adopted to support this  Customs Union, including establishment of a 
community customs code, anti-dumping code, customs valuation code and so forth. 
198. WAEMU adopted the principle of the use of minimum values, together with the degressive 
protection tax and special import tax, as transitional measures in the context of the establishment of 
the WAEMU/CET, leading to a considerable degree of external tariff disarmament since the average 
rate fell from 13.6% to 11.2% following the establis hment of the Customs Union that entered into 
force on 1 January 2000. 
199. WAEMU is currently conducting a comprehensive study to evaluate the rules of the 
Customs Union and the accompanying measures with a view to introducing trade protection measures 
that are compatible with the WTO rules.  This study will also look at the crucial question of the  WT/TPR/M/266 
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  implementation of a free trade regime within the Un ion with a view to the unrestricted free movement 
of goods within WAEMU. 
200. In the context of the implementation of a customs union within ECOWAS, the region has 
opened discussions with a view to the adoption of a common external tariff (CET) with five bands corresponding to rates of 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%  and 35%.  The 35% rate of the fifth band is 
higher than the rates applied by WAEMU member States and some other ECOWAS States. 
201. To find a solution that is consistent their member States' WTO commitments, the ECOWAS 
and WAEMU Commissions are studying the renegotiation of the tariff concessions bound by ECOWAS member States in the WTO.  A joint WAEMU/ECOWAS information mission will travel 
to the WTO Secretariat next week, from 9-11 July 2012. 
202. WAEMU adopted Additional Protocol 04/96 on the ru les of origin of the Union, Article 3 of 
which states that, upon its entry into force, "all quantitative restrictions, non-tariff barriers, 
prohibitions or other measures of equivalent effe ct relating to imports and exports of products 
originating or manufactured in member States shall be removed". 
203. As regards trade and transport facilitation, a ma jor effort is being made to implement the 
programme of community action for road infrastructure.   These include in particular the installing of 
juxtaposed control posts and the Irregular Practic es Observation Centre, two WAEMU projects with 
which Ghana is associated. 
204. With respect to the Observation Centre for Irregul ar Practices on the main international road 
corridors, I should like to thank USAID and the World Bank for supporting WAEMU in the publication of half-yearly reports on abuses, irre gularities and abnormal practices relating to the 
transport of goods and persons along these corridors. 
205. In order to facilitate trade formalities within WAEMU, the Commission and the 
member States are working to set up single window s to speed up formalities for economic operators. 
206. In this connection, Togo has issued an inte rministerial decree to establish the necessary 
structures to study and follow up implementation of the single window for foreign trade.  
The steering committee has endorsed the work of the project team and chosen among the 
various options proposed.  The essential choice is to pass directly to the implementation of a virtual 
single window, while allowing non-computerized opera tors to have access through work stations 
made available to them by the single window. 
207. With regard to the export levies imposed on certain products, the decision has been taken to 
adopt an ad valorem regime in accordance with the commitments made to development partners. 
208. With respect to sanitary and phytosanitary  measures, Regulation No. 07/2007/CM/WAEMU 
of 6 April 2007 on the health safety of plants, animals and foods within WAEMU lays down the general principles and organizationa l provisions and procedures to ensure the health safety of plants, 
animals and foods both at community and national le vel.  The Regulation is consistent with the 
WTO rules. 
209. The Regulation establishes the structures and m echanisms for cooperation regarding sanitary 
safety within WAEMU, and applies to all stages of production, processing and distribution of plants, 
animals and foods that are traded. 
210. The Regulation establishes a "precautionary principl e" whereby in the event of risk of serious 
or irreversible harm from the standpoint of health safety and in the absence of scientific data that WT/TPR/M/266 
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  would enable a country to evaluate the risks,  it may take risk prevention measures pending the 
obtention of sufficient information. 
211. It must be acknowledge that, owing to lack of  resources, the governments have not been able 
to implement the structures to ensure that thei r regulatory frameworks are consistent with the 
community one.  WTO Members should therefore provide WAEMU countries with technical 
assistance in this area. 
212. Togo appointed a national notification authority in 2011.  The authority has set to work 
and made notifications relating to the integrated database and certain WTO agreements.  It is currently working to fulfil Togo's other notification oblig ations, including those relating to sanitary and 
phytosanitary measures, subsidies and countervailin g measures.  The Commis sion has invited member 
States to notify Regulation 07/2007/CM/WAEMU of 6 April 2007 to the WTO SPS Committee. 
213. Intellectual property rights are governed by the Bangui Agreement.  In the case of Togo, the 
legislation on copyright and related rights is being revised to bring it into line with the 
TRIPS Agreement and the revised Bangui Agreemen t.  Authentication hol ograms are aimed at 
combating piracy. 
214. With regard to sectoral policy, it should be stress ed that, with a view to promoting growth and 
development, our countries have adopted either Poverty Reduction Strategy  Papers or national 
development plans focussing primarily on agriculture, mining, energy and services.  Agriculture is the 
pillar of our economies and alone accounts for the o ccupation of 70% of the population and 30% or 
even 40% of export earnings on average in our countri es.  Sustained efforts are being made to develop 
food crops and livestock and fishery products, with  a view to combating hunger effectively and 
eventually achieving food self-reliance and, hence, food security. 
215. Food security remains a major challenge for WA EMU.  The Conference of Heads of State 
and Government held in Lomé in May 2012 adopt ed a strategy for boosting the agricultural sector 
(agriculture, livestock and fisheries) with a view to achieving sustainable food security. 
216. Boosting WAEMU agriculture will enable its memb er States to speed up their attainment of 
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through:   improved access to inputs, equipment and 
sustainable land management;  improved agricultural water use;  technical support for small producers 
and application of research results;  protection of vulnerable agropastoral households and their 
livestock;  food quality improvement and diversifi cation;  and improved access to food in rural and 
peri-urban areas.  The Regional Agricultural Development Fund was established to implement 
WAEMU agricultural policy. 
217. At the will of the Heads of State, there are tw o regional integration processes in West Africa, 
ECOWAS and WAEMU;  the latter is far more a dvanced in its implementation of its economic 
area (common monetary, trade, competition and sectoral policies, as well as harmonization of internal taxation).  There is a framework for permanent concertation, the joint WAEMU/ECOWAS 
technical secretariat, which seeks to ensure the convergence of their policies and programmes.  
Thus, in establishing its common external tariff and some sectoral policies ECOWAS has built on the 
achievements of WAEMU. 
218. The relevance of the questions that have been  raised illustrates very well the scale of the 
action that WAEMU member States must undertake to bring themselves into line with their 
WTO commitments.  Large-scale technical and financ ial resources will be re quired to implement the 
necessary action.  Accordingly, at the close of this  trade policy review of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau 
and Togo I should like to make a pressing appeal to  the WTO Members and Se cretariat for technical  WT/TPR/M/266 
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  and financial assistance for capacity-building, to en able us to participate better in the multilateral 
trading system. 
DISCUSSANT 
219. This two-day review exercise has shown that  Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo are 
deeply committed to fulfilling their obligations in  fostering the multilateral trading system as 
WTO Members.  They take economic integration, at  both regional and world levels, very seriously. 
220. The lively discussions during these two meetings illu strate the great interest on the part of 
other countries in the development of the region and pa rticularly that of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau 
and Togo.  A recurrent theme in the 15 statements made is gratitude to the three countries for their 
steadfast commitment despite adverse conditions at global level and the domestic challenges since the 
previous review.  As a fraternal friend who a ppreciates the progress made without overlooking the 
potential for further improvement, I feel encourag ed to summarize some key points that arise from 
this trade policy review. 
221. Socio-political stability is the cornerstone of all development, whether human or economic.  
Official development assistance and the flow of FDI depend directly on stability.  Economic actors 
are guided by their perception of future prospects, which is in turn based on what is happening today 
and what happened yesterday.  There are often "sof t" factors such as confidence, reputation, stability 
or volatility that decide whether or not investment takes place. 
222. The predominance of the agricultural sector is bot h a risk as well as an opportunity.  The risk 
lies in the volatility of raw material prices and al so the harmful consequences of climate change.  
On the opportunity side, your countries possess a wea lth of raw materials which is the basis for an 
entire food industry.  Greater attention to more advanced processing prior to export would therefore 
be a promising avenue to explore. 
223. The mining sector, so rich in petroleum products and gold, especially in Côte d'Ivoire, 
could be more geared to the needs of local enterprises so that pre-export value added could 
be optimized. 
224. Tax revenue is the main source of finance for ev ery State.  However, the major challenge is 
to find a tax policy that does not disregard the needs of a thriving economic development.  Accordingly, a gradual shift from taxing imports and exports towards more domestic taxation is 
essential to encourage economic growth. 
225. Aid for trade has not been mentioned often during the last two days.  Nevertheless, aid for 
trade is increasingly becoming the main tool wher eby countries like Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and 
Togo align their partners' aid for achieving their priority development goals.  This presupposes 
that each country is aware of what aspects of tr ade development it wishes to emphasize within its 
national development strategy.  The Enhanced Inte grated Framework is the right instrument for 
achieving this goal effectively and efficiently. 
226. Lastly, I should like to express the hope that Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo will 
continue on the path of the reforms they have pursu ed since the previous review, and I look forward to 
seeing their success in achieving ever greater economic integration at the next review. 
EUROPEAN UNION 
227. We have a few follow-up questions for Côte d'I voire, in particular as regards competition law 
and sanitary and phytosanitary standards.  In the case of competition law, since WAEMU has been WT/TPR/M/266 
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  given considerable powers in this domain, we should like to know more precisely how cooperation 
between the WAEMU agency and the two national agencies is organized.  With regard to 
SPS standards, the EU would like to know if and when  Côte d'Ivoire intends to notify the measures it 
applies to the WTO. 
UNITED STATES 
228. Thank you very much Mr. Minister for the comments that you rose this morning.  They were 
very helpful in better understanding the trade po licy reform efforts as well as the challenges you 
continue to face. We do not have  any additional follow-up questions for you today, but definitively I 
wanted to take this opportunity for express on behalf  of the U.S. delegation our congratulations to you 
and your entire dele gation on a successful trade policy review.   
CÔTE D'IVOIRE, GUINEA-BISSAU AND TOGO 
229. I should like to stress that the questions raised by the EU are of major concern to our Union 
and our countries.  In the case of Côte d'Ivoire, cooperation among the agencies does effectively exist, 
since WAEMU is the primary framework for managi ng competition issues.  As regards competition, 
the Competition Directorate is empowered to investigate and punish individual anti-competitive 
practices whereas the Competition Commission is responsible for punishing collective 
anti-competitive practices. 
230. With regard to the second part of your ques tion on SPS standards, a national workshop will 
be organized, financed in fact by WAEMU, after which the appropriate notification will be sent to 
the WTO. 
231. The question of subregional security is a majo r issue, because without security there cannot 
be stability, and it will be difficult to trade among oursel ves or with the rest of the world.  The other 
major question, which is an important one, is th e diversification of our products and markets.  
The question of fiscal transition is simply a structural  matter.  A major issue th at we wish to stress and 
which must be taken into account is that of fraud.  Fraud conditions is a structural factor in our 
economies and destroys them;  trade facilitation an d the war on fraud are therefore major concerns 
in our region.  WT/TPR/M/266 
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  VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
232. This joint Trade Policy Review of Côte d'Ivoi re, Guinea-Bissau and Togo has allowed us to 
situate the three countries' trade and trade-relate d policies and practices in their socio-economic 
context. We are grateful for the active particip ation of the delegations headed respectively by 
H.E. Dagobert Banzio, Minister of Trade of Cô te d'Ivoire, and H.E. Kwesi Séléagodji Ahoomey-
Zunu, Minister of Trade of Togo. I would also like to thank the discussant, H.E. Mr. Luzius 
Wasescha, Permanent Representative of Switzerland,  and Members of the TPRB for contributing to 
our fruitful exchange of views, as well as the WAEMU Commission for its assistance to its members under review.  
233. Members commended Côte d'Ivoire and Togo on the return of democracy, and expressed the 
hope that this would soon be the case in Guin ea-Bissau. The end of political violence has allowed 
Côte d'Ivoire and Togo to focus on economic deve lopment and on trade policy and its contribution to 
growth. The three countries' membership of WA EMU and ECOWAS has helped to contain the 
negative impact of socio-political conflicts, by contributing to their resolution and by preserving 
monetary and, to a lesser extent financial stab ility in otherwise crisis-stricken economies.   
234. Members welcomed the three countries' commitm ent to the multilateral trading system and 
encouraged them to intensify their participation. The statements, questions and replies voiced in the 
course of this Review have highlighted some key areas for further actions or improvements, 
including: 
 Conformity with WTO provisions: Members encouraged the th ree countries to simplify 
their tax systems and, in particular, Côte d'Ivoire  to bring its bound and applied rates in conformity 
with WTO provisions. The countries were also ur ged to refrain from relying on minimum import 
prices, and Côte d'Ivoire to eliminate quantitative r estrictions with a view to complying with their 
multilateral obligations.   
 Trade facilitation : harmonization of and further dismantling of barriers to intra-WAEMU 
trade were suggested as ways to facilitate trade and enhance integration.  
 Agriculture and fishing:  Noting that the three economies re main centred around agriculture 
and, in the case of Guinea-Bissau, fishing, Member s enquired about on-going agricultural investment 
programmes. Members also called for a review of the high export taxes on the main crops of Côte 
d'Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau.   
 Energy and mining:   Efforts within ECOWAS to resolve the serious regional energy crisis 
were appreciated, and clarification was sought about steps taken by Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau 
to align national mining legislation with WA EMU provisions and to adopt ITIE standards.   In Guinea-
Bissau, recent minerals discoveries open up prospects in terms of additional revenue but raise both 
Dutch Disease and environmental concerns.   
 
 Export subsidies :  Members asked about the export processing zone legislations of Togo and 
Côte d'Ivoire, questioned their impact, and called fo r WTO notification of the three countries' subsidy 
programmes.  
 SPS and TBT:  Noting that sound TBT and SPS regimes ar e crucial to meet foreign import 
requirements and thus  promote exports,  Members asked how common WAEMU accreditation and 
testing systems and facilities could be put in pl ace. They urged the three countries to meet their 
notification requirements.  WT/TPR/M/266 
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   Intellectual property: Information was sought on Guinea-Bissau's legislation, and the 
compatibility of national provisions in Côte d'Ivoire and Togo with the Bangui Agreement.  
 Services:   Participants asked about the possibility for enterprises in the three countries to 
ensure their risks abroad, and indi cated that the opening of port, airport, electricity and water utilities 
to private investors would help to restructure and make them efficient.   
 Aid for Trade:  the relationship between trade policy in development strategy and the role of 
Aid for Trade to achieve development goals was emphasized.   
235. In conclusion, this Review has contributed to  our better understanding of the regional, as well 
as national components of the trade regimes of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo. Members urged the three countries to pursue their trade liber alizing reforms, to improve their multilateral 
commitments on goods and services and their busin ess environment with a view to enhancing 
transparency and predictability. Once again, I tha nk the delegations of the countries under review, the 
discussant and Members for contributing to an inform ative and interesting review. I also wish to 
express my appreciation to the three delegations for their oral and written responses and to the 
interpreters for their usual excellent work.  We  look forward to receiving outstanding replies. 
 
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