WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/145 
17 December 2005 
 (05-6159) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
  
SIERRA LEONE 
 
Statement by HE Dr Kadi Sesay
 
Minister of Trade and Industry  
  
 Permit me first of all on behalf of the Gove rnment of Sierra Leone to congratulate the 
Government of Hong Kong for the excellent manner in which it has hosted this Conference, and to 
thank them for the hospitality ex tended to me and my delegation. 
  Let me also congratulate Mr Pascal Lamy on his election as Director-G eneral of the WTO, 
and assure him of the support and cooperation of  the Sierra Leone government during his tenure as 
Director-General.  
 At this Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference, th ere is a real opportunity to achieve ambitious 
outcomes which will help to propel all of us towa rds a final agreement by the end of 2006.  That 
agreement should ensure genuine trade liberalization that will help to lift millions of our citizens out 
of poverty.  
 Due to its marginalisation in the multilateral trading system, Sierra Leone has not been able to 
effectively compete in international trade, nor en sure that the benefits of globalization and trade 
liberalization reach the majority of its citizens.  The Government of Sierra Leone is committed to 
changing this.  Sierra Leone, within its existing financial and institutional capacity, is seeking more 
elective engagement in the multilateral trading sy stem.  In February this year, Sierra Leone 
successfully undertook its first trade policy review in the WTO, and has begun participating in the 
Integrated Framework Process.  Furthermore, we are pursuing legal and institutional reform that 
would ensure more coherent trade policles (e.g. pr otection of intellectual property rights, competition 
policy), and improved trade infrastructure (e.g. cust oms and trade facilitation).  Through these reforms 
we intend to create an enabling environment conduciv e for investment and a vibrant domestic private 
sector that will kindle the domestic entrepreneur ial spirit and unleash the full potential of 
Sierra Leone's export sector. 
  Our commitment to the WTO, and the multilate ral trading system it supports, is strong.  
However, it is important that our  Membership of the WTO gives us opportunities to advance our trade 
agenda, which in turn will help us to achieve our  development aspirations.  We see challenges in the 
multilateral trading system on various fronts.  The firs t is improved market access.  On this issue we 
are constrained in two ways:  in the first place our  products face protectionism in developed country 
markets and in large developing country markets.   Where we do have market access through duty-free 
or other concessions, supply capacity constraints a nd non-tariff barriers to trade militate against us 
taking advantage of such markets.  We need he lp with developing quality products that meet 
international standards.  We also need reliabl e energy supply, good roads, improved communication 
facilities to ensure that our goods not only reach domestic and regional markets but also international 
markets.  WT/MIN(05)/ST/145 
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  The second challenge is the distortion of world trade through the provision of subsidies and 
other trade distorting measures by some WTO Members.  The third challenge relates to implementation issues in the WTO Agreements, whic h have an impact on our rights and obligations 
under those agreements and our performance within  the multilateral trading system.  Fourth, the 
coordinated delivery of targeted trade-related technical assistance and capacity building for least 
developed countries in the WTO needs substantia l improvement.  We need training and skills 
development to ensure that our policy makers unders tand WTO rules and can effectively participate in 
the multilateral trading system.  In this regard, we  are grateful for the substantial trade-related 
technical assistance from DFID, the Commonwealth  Secretariat, the Eu ropean Union, UNDP, 
UNCTAD, and ITC.  We look forward to further assistance from these and other organizations. 
 
 The challenges to our integration into the multilateral trading system, we believe, are not 
insurmountable.  The July Package provided a balan ced set of objectives, milestones and bench-marks 
from which it is possible to craft an agreement th at would serve the interests of both developed and 
developing countries in the WTO. 
 
 Therefore, in both agriculture, which we c onsider to be at the heart of the current 
negotiations, and in non-agricultural market access (NAMA), we seek meaningful market access for 
products of interest to Sierra Leone.  This imp lies an aggressive tariff cutting formula whereby those 
tariffs with the highest rates see the deepest cuts .  At the same time, we would hope Members show 
restraint in listings of sensitive products, in order th at market access is not undermined.  Sierra Leone 
also calls for duty-free and quota-free access for all LDC products in the markets of any WTO partner 
that can afford it.  Indeed we would stress that all trade distorting measures that adversely affect 
development must be addressed as a matte r of urgency by developed countries. 
  Although, as an LDC, Sierra Leone need not undertake any reduction commitments, in the 
spirit of the Doha Development Agenda, we announce our commitment to lower our bound tariffs to a 
level just above the ECOWAS Common External  Tariff, which Sierra Leone is currently 
implementing.   Any global benefits from further liberalizing the goods trade are unquestionably dwarfed by 
equivalent liberalization in services.  Sierra Leone, like some other countries, has substantial potential 
in this area.  As a complement to its engageme nt in the services negotiations, Sierra Leone will 
consider becoming a member of the WTO Informatio n Technology Agreement.  We urge Members to 
come up with substantial revised offers on services.  In the meantime, Sierra Leone and other LDCs 
should receive credit for autonomous trade liberaliza tion in services, without having to schedule them 
as binding commitments.  We intend to push for consensus on the Africa Group's proposals for 
special and differential treatment in services liberalization. 
  Negotiations on trade facilitation provide an opportunity for countries to improve supply 
capacity and ease border transactions to reduce the in cidence of trade diversion.  Countries like 
Sierra Leone must secure the necessary financial and technical support for improved capacities, such 
as modernization of customs procedures and fac ilities.  However, implementation costs should be 
minimal and consistent with Sierra  Leone's current stage of developm ent, capacity and institutional 
framework.  S&D treatment in this  area should extend further than longer implementation periods, to 
include exemptions on implementation of any measures beyond our capacity, unless the necessary 
assistance and intenational support is available for such implementation.  
 Finally, a word on technical assistance a nd capacity building:  Sierra Leone is now a 
beneficiary of the Integrated Framework for Trade- Related Technical Assistance for Least Developed 
Countries.  Together with "Aid for Trade" ;  the IF aims to leverage a dditional funds to address critical 
supply capacity and competitiven ess issues.  The success of these initiatives depends on the 
commitment from the core agencies and other bila teral and multilateral donors.   We support the call 
by the core agencies for a strengthening of th ese facilities, and endorse the assessment that both an  WT/MIN(05)/ST/145 
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 enhanced IF, and the "Aid for Trade"  package, would need substantially more financial resources to 
deliver their intended benefits to recipients.   The WTO as an Organization is at a tuming point.  Its credibility, strength and future shape will, in part, be determined by the outcomes of  the Doha Development Agenda.  This week in 
Hong Kong must see concrete steps towards conclusion of  a final agreement.  I urge all of us to be 
bold and take the necessary action that will help us to reach our goal.  
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