Global trade is facing its most severe disruption in more than 80 years, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
She made the warning on Thursday at the opening of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where trade ministers from the organization’s 166 member states gathered for high-level discussions.
The four-day conference aims to revive global trade cooperation amid growing divisions between nations, stalled negotiations, and rising protectionist policies. It also seeks to address disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions, particularly the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This is the second time the WTO’s top conference has been hosted in Africa, following the 2015 meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.
Okonjo-Iweala emphasized the urgent need for global adaptation in a world shaped by conflict, climate pressures, and rapid technological change. She warned that traditional systems of international cooperation are under strain, with countries increasingly turning inward.
“The world order and the multilateral system we used to know has irrevocably changed. We cannot deny the scale of the problems confronting the world today,” she said.
She highlighted how geopolitical conflicts are compounding economic challenges, particularly in key sectors like energy, fertilizer, and food supply chains.
“Even before the conflict in the Gulf, trade in energy, fertilizer, and food was already destabilized,” Okonjo-Iweala noted.
The WTO faces mounting challenges, including weakening cooperation among major economies and rising unilateral trade actions that threaten the rules-based system.
Earlier this year, on January 7, 2026, the White House announced that former President Donald Trump had directed the U.S. withdrawal from 66 international organizations considered inconsistent with American interests.
okoWhile the WTO was not among them, the U.S. has imposed sweeping tariffs on multiple countries, affecting Africa in particular:
- South Africa: 30% tariff
- Nigeria: 14% tariff
- Lesotho: Up to 50% tariff
These measures have added to global trade disruptions, prompting calls for meaningful agreements at the Yaoundé conference to stabilize markets and restore confidence in the trading system.
John Denton, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce, warned that ongoing tensions and supply chain problems could trigger one of the worst industrial crises in living memory, particularly affecting energy, fertilizer, and food security in Africa.
“From a business perspective, this could yet become the worst industrial crisis in living memory,” Denton said
and then