PREVIEWPressured by western economies the WTO is to review of ‘most favoured nation’ trade provisionsTrade ministers are set to reopen the World Trade Organization’s fundamental principles on most favoured nation status at a March summit in Cameroon after WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala gave her support for the idea. Both the United States and the European Union have questioned the viability of the current MFN but for different reasons. The MFN sets a principle of equal treatment in trade terms between countries. The past 12 months have been deeply uncertain for African countries who have also been caught up in the Sino-American trade war. China launched its offer of tariff- and quota-free trade for almost all African states just weeks after the Trump ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs last April.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 16, 2026 11:02 UTC