‘Namibia in peculiar situation’

While Namibia has made commitments comparable with those of developed countries, it continues to face tariff peaks and tariff escalations in the developed country markets, Trade Minister Immanuel Ngatjizeko said in Hong Kong last week.

He said like other lower­middle income developing countries, Namibia finds itself in a peculiar situation within the context of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations. “It is clear that the current approach of a one-size-fits-all special and differential treatment for all developing countries does not take into account these peculiar realities,” he told delegates to the 6th Ministerial Conference at the WTO talks.Since Namibia does not have access to concessional facilities or debt relief “our only survival lies in deriving benefits from exports of goods and services in order to address development challenges facing our country,” he said.””It is our view that we should be innovative to ensure that WTO finds formulas that address concerns and expectations of all its members, taking into account their special circumstances,” the minister said.It was imperative, he said, that a solution be found for agriculture which should pursue pro-poor growth and development imperatives.The minister added that an environment, conducive for the diversification of developing countries through indiustrialisation, should be created.”As such, market access for industrial goods of export interest to developing countries is important within the medium and long term,” he said.Namibia would like to see a dialogue leading to concrete measures towards the services sector where developing countries would also benefit.”We want to see a breathing space to understand and deal with implementation issues effectively,” he said.”Trade capacity building, transfer of technology and development assistance are essential to overcome the supply-side constraints and barriers in the form of quality and standards, which hamper market access where they exist.””It is clear that the current approach of a one-size-fits-all special and differential treatment for all developing countries does not take into account these peculiar realities,” he told delegates to the 6th Ministerial Conference at the WTO talks.Since Namibia does not have access to concessional facilities or debt relief “our only survival lies in deriving benefits from exports of goods and services in order to address development challenges facing our country,” he said.””It is our view that we should be innovative to ensure that WTO finds formulas that address concerns and expectations of all its members, taking into account their special circumstances,” the minister said.It was imperative, he said, that a solution be found for agriculture which should pursue pro-poor growth and development imperatives.The minister added that an environment, conducive for the diversification of developing countries through indiustrialisation, should be created.”As such, market access for industrial goods of export interest to developing countries is important within the medium and long term,” he said.Namibia would like to see a dialogue leading to concrete measures towards the services sector where developing countries would also benefit.”We want to see a breathing space to understand and deal with implementation issues effectively,” he said.”Trade capacity building, transfer of technology and development assistance are essential to overcome the supply-side constraints and barriers in the form of quality and standards, which hamper market access where they exist.”