A New U.S.-European Approach to Trade and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

We were at a critical turning point in trade and development policy with sub-Saharan Africa. The vehicles for large-scale international policy change, including the Doha Development Round and developed country agricultural reform, had, at least temporarily, ground to a halt. The deadline for meeting the Millennium Development Goals was fast approaching, yet we were nowhere close to realizing them. Poverty alleviation was starting to show signs of success in some parts of Asia, but sub-Saharan Africa continued to suffer from seemingly intractable poverty on a massive scale, and hunger was increasing.

Setting sub-Saharan Africa on a different course would require creating the conditions for sustainable, regionally-focused, market-led development. Yet too often international economic policies fell short of their potential to help move Africa in this direction. With the overlapping crises of food insecurity, climate change, and global financial instability, the need for viable solutions was then more pressing than ever.

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