Civil Society's Influence on the International Trade Regime: Implications for African Countries

The last decades have witnessed an increasing participation of civil society organisations in different areas of global governance. The international trade regime under the WTO has over the years been criticised as being unfavourable to the developing countries and has thus witnessed a significant interest from the part of the NGOs. This article examines how NGOs attempt to influence policies formation within the international trade regime and what implications they have on Africa. The article identifies and discusses the different strategies employed by these NGOs and carves out how they have shaped and strengthened Africa’s participation in international trade politics, as well as how they contributed to the introduction of the key issue of sustainable development within the discourse of international trade. The article concludes by pointing out that African states should view NGOs as important support partners and not as equally powerful or more powerful actors.