Africa's Economic Development
The Political Economy Unit's work is united around the issues of trade, investment and Africa's economic development needs in the era of the new international trade and investment regime. The unit seeks to: make the international trade and investment regime, including the WTO respond more sensitive to the needs of African countries; promote equity in international trade and investment; and develop a framework for Africa's developmental agenda.

The high recognition gained by TWN-Africa's economic policy work is exemplified by it being invited by the UN-ECA to be a founding member of the Africa Knowledge Network Forum (AKNF), a pan-African grouping of research and knowledge generating organizations initiated by the ECA to enhance the interaction between African intellectuals and policy makers. Also TWN-Africa is one of the organizations participating in the design of UNDP's proposed new Report on Trade and related activities.

The Political Economy unit co-ordinates the Africa Trade Network which was established in 1998 by TWN-Africa, and has 25 members from 15 countries in Africa. The ATN, which has observer status with the OAU and the UN-ECA and strong relations with UNCTAD, has been a key vehicle for TWN-Africa's work on issues of trade and investment policy in Africa. Through the ATN, TWN-Africa has given training to and provided information on trade policy matters to several civil society organisations, and mobilised African civil society participation in the international mobilisation on the WTO. It was also a key vehicle in organising the lobby and campaign by African civil society groups around the Seattle WTO Ministerial Conference. The ATN has observer status with the Organisation of African Unity, and has provided a means of increased interaction between civil society groups and African governments, including the annual Conference of African Ministers of Trade.

See stories and articles realted to Africa's Economic Development below:

Global Day against EPAs Marked in Accra
LES FONDS DE L’UE NE PEUVENT PAS REDRESSER LES TORTS DES APE
Pan-African Workshop on EPAs // ATN Strategy Meeting on EPAs...in September
L’Ambition de Nkrumah était de réaliser pleinement la dignité de l’Africain, réitère sa fille
L’Unité continentale et la justice sociale sont
Le Ghana – un modèle contesté
Sixth AGOA Civil Society Forum Opens in Accra
TWN-AFRICA & OXFAM PUT EU’S POLITICAL WILL TO TEST
EPAS SHOULD BE SUBJECTED TO ELECTORAL TEST
SIGN-ON-->ACT NOW TO STOP THE EPAs!
US$20 MILLION INDECE CELEBRATIONS BUDGET SPARKS CONTROVERSY
NKRUMAH’S AMBITION WAS THE FULL REALISATION OF THE DIGNITY OF THE AFRICAN SAYS DAUGHTER
CONTINENTAL UNITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ARE THE LEGACY OF NKRUMAH
GHANA – A CONTESTED MODEL
MESSAGE DE SOLIDARITE AVEC LES COMMUNAUTES DE LA REGION DU DELTA DU NIGER,
HOT NEWS!!-->>: Pan African ‘Stop EPA Peoples’ Forum’ in Accra
Qui raconte l’histoire de l’Afrique ?
Nous sommes prêts pour le référendum, dit le peuple Sahrawi
Dette, le legs illégitime des dictateurs africains
Les APE suscitent des protestations, railleries et huées lors du Forum Social Mondial
Unis dans la recherche des alternatives
TWN-Africa/OXFAM Joint Briefing Launched-->A Matter of Political Will
GHANA, THE PIN-UP MODEL STUCK IN THE THROES OF LABOUR UNREST
ACTIVISTS CALL FOR END TO PLUNDER OF AFRICA’S NATURAL RESOURCES
CAUGHT IN THE AIDS LOOP
IT WAS TIME WELL SPENT, PROFESSOR OYUGI
WSF007? LOVED IT!!!
WHO TELLS THE AFRICAN STORY?
LET US HAVE THE REFERENDUM, SAY SAHRAWI
EPAS DRAW PROTESTS, JEERS AND BOOS AT WORLD SOCIAL FORUM
UNITED IN THE SEARCH FOR ALTERNATIVES
Editorial--African Agenda10.1
Memorandum to the European Commission (EC) at WSF 2007, Nairobi
FORWARD WITH THE STRUGGLE TO STOP THE EPAs:Declaration of 9 Annual Meeting of the Africa Trade Network
Africa: Burdened With Too Much Oil
No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
Quelques demandes formulées par la Commission Européenne auprès des pays africains dans le cadre de l’AGCS
L’Assaut de l’AGCS de la Souvereineté
La Libéralisation des Services menace les commerçantes en Afrique
L’AGCS réduit les options de l’Etat dans
African Fishery at Risk from Climate Change
New War of Words in UN's North-South Battle
High Vaccine Cost Raised in Bird Flu Discussion
Aid for the Poor, Not for the Consultants
Extractive Sector Set to Lose More Under GATS
GATS and Higher Education in Africa
GATS Assault on Sovereignty and Democracy
GATS Reduces State Options in Public Services
Du poison pour la santé humaine
L’Industrie avicole en péril
Le Nigeria dit NON au dumping
Les aviculteurs africains traversent des temps durs
A la défense de l’industrie avicole en Afrique
Vacancy--Journalist at TWN-Africa
India would rather see Doha Round Fail than Accept Bad Deal
Thirty-Six Cases Show Growing Bio-Piracy in Africa
Africa Losing Skills to Europe
Editorial African Agenda 9.2
African Trade Union Sounds Alarm Bell on "NAMA disaster"
Countries receiving HIPC debt Relief Falling into Debt Again
Nigeria Says No to Dumping
Imported Poison
African Poultry Farmers Face Tough Times
Commentaires sur les Services dans les APE
Latest Events
Africa "Profoundly Disappointed" By Europe's anti-development stance in the EPA Negotiations
On Your Knees, Africa! -- A short story
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and the Travails of Africa’s First elected Female President
Africans propose draft CBD access and benefit sharing protocol

La proposition américaine sur l’agriculture est remise en cause, car elle est jugée insuffisante et ne tient aucun compte du TSD
CE QUE L’AFRIQUE ATTEND DE LA CONFERENCE DE HONGKONG
CE QUE L’AFRIQUE ATTEND DE LA CONFERENCE DE HONGKONG
LES PAYS AFRICAINS PRODUCTEURS DE COTON EXIGENT DES RESULTATS CONCRETS A HONGKONG
Government is Good at Intervening for Facilitation of Foreign Capital, but Weak in Regulating Interests of Domestic Capital
La CEDEAO fait des progrès, déclare son Secrétaire Exécutif
Stagnation ou Transformation ?
La marche de la CEDEAO vers un marché commun
Interview avec le General Gowon
Archived Reports (2002--)
LA CEDEAO adopte une feuille de route pour les négociations des APE et examine les arrangements du TEC
Les pays de l’Afrique Orientale et Australe se préparent pour les négociations des APE
OUA: L’ACCORD MENACE L’INTEGRATION AFRICAINE
Six raisons de s’opposer aux APE dans leur état actuel
Les accords de libre-échange: Un nouveau régionalisme ou une autre course aux clochers?
L’UE impose son programme de libre-échange à l’Afrique
NON AUX APE
Eastern and Southern Africa countries ready for EPA Negotiations
Agreement Threatens African Integration
Six Reasons to Oppose EPAs in their Current Form
FTAs- New Regionalism or another Scramble?
EU Imposes its Free trade Agenda on Africa
Recasting Colonialism as a Good Thing
INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL GOWON
The ECOWAS Story
Editorial:-->ECOWAS AT THIRTY – CAN DO BETTER
ECOWAS is Making Strides, says Executive Secretary
Behind this New Interest in Africa
Thirty Years of ECOWAS – Stagnation or Transformation?
Great Agreements, Tough Realties
Declaration of Havana, II South-North Consultation "Resistance and Alternatives to Debt Domination"
DECLARATION DE LA SOCIETE CIVILE AFRICAINE SUR LA CONFERENCE MINISTERIELLE DE HONG KONG
NEW!-->Declaration of African civil society on the road to 6th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation in Hong Kong
Memorandum of Civil Society to the 3rd Ordinary Session of the African Union Ministers of Trade, Cairo, Egypt, June, 5-9 2005
BAD ECONOMIC POLICY, DANGEROUS POLITICS Please Sign-On.../ /
"Get Bretton Woods bodies out of development policy making" --- former UNCTAD Chief Economist
WTO MINI-MINISTERIAL AT MOMBASA--Divergence in the Shadow of Palm Trees and Lions
The Case Against the EPAs
New!-->ECOWAS-EU EPA Status Report / ACCORD DE PARTENARIAT ACP-UE
NEW! -->African Trade Agenda Vol.2, No.2--February 2005
CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING ON IFIs, 23-26 Feb 2005, ACCRA, Ghana
African Trade Agenda Vol2 No.1--January 2005

Notice Board - Inauguration of the Pan African Parliament – 18-20 April 2004

New Law Blocks Import of Aids generics into Kenya
South Africa Seeks Accord on World
Hip, Hipc, Hurray
New Report Reveals Drop in Aid to Developing Countries
Interview with Jonathan Dimbleby
Africa, Tough Road To Unity