WTO-MOCK SUMMIT GROUP BAYERO UNIVERSITY KANO-NIGERIA

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO

The Minister,

Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment,

Abuja-Nigeria

The Honourable Minister Sir,

WTO-MOCK SUMMIT GROUP BAYERO UNIVERSITY KANO-NIGERIA

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is responsible for monitoring and regulating international trade between countries. It operates through a series of Agreements which provide how member countries are not only to trade in the global market but by implication also how to operate their macro-economic environments. These Agreements have wider consequences on the economy of Nigeria, including agriculture, manufacturing, public health, management of the environment, etc.

However, there is little awareness about the WTO and these Agreements, even though we are feeling their impact. It is in effort to generate critical awareness about the WTO that I have introduced among my students the WTO MOCK SUMMIT. The Summit is playing the Minesterial Conference of the Organisation, the highest decision making meeting, bringing trade representatives of all member countries. The mock summit brings out the real positions of the member countries relationships with WTO, through research.

The mock summit started in 2004/2005 academic session and since then it holds every academic year. In March, 2013, we staged the ninth performance.

The Ministerial mock conference has always being programmed around controversial issues in international trade. We have already held such conference on:

1.     Trade in Agriculture

2.     Trade in Services

3.     Global Economic crisis and the prospect of the Doha Round

4.     Multilateral Trading System and Development of the Developing World – Special and Differential Treatment

5.     The World Trade Organisation: A case for reform

6.     Trade, Environment and Development

These are some of the issues which we have so far discussed at various summits held in the past. In the next few months we are going to hold the tenth summit on Intellectual property Rights and Development.

Meanwhile, the mock Minesterial conference has expanded to include other activities such as:

1.     WTO mock summit debate

2.     WTO mock summit soccer competition

At another level the mock summit, in the last nine years has grown bigger. Student participants are not only of Department of Political Science but of Mass Communication who come to provide professional media coverage and from other Departments performing various roles.

The mock performance of the WTO, in Bayero University, Kano is now moving from campus educational programme to that of national importance. In line with this:

1.     We have already formed WTO mock summit Alumni with many conceived programmes we wish to execute.

2.     We have National Trade Monitor Group and

3.     Some University campuses are sending requests to join us.

Thus, the objectives of the mock summit are broadened as:

1.     To create awareness on the activities of the WTO and the activities of the WTO and the way it impacts on the economics of the developing countries in general and Nigeria in particular

2.     To educate Nigerian students and spread the concept of WTO and its impact, especially on the daily lives of marginalised people of society

3.     To campaign on WTO policies and their impact on rural farmers, women, businessmen, and other various segments of the society.

4.     To promote ideas and alternatives development policies for free and fair trade

5.     To publish the proceedings of the mock summits for learning and research

6.     The mock summit played in the last nine years has become a reality through research on trade policies of member countries, and so whether in the university or not, we will remain a Research Group to encourage research and documentation in issues concerning trade and development

7.     To open a resource centre on trade issues and Nigeria’s development

8.     To open a website to access resources of the mock summit internationally.

9.     To collaborate with other groups globally with similar objectives

In the long-run we wish to go beyond mock summit to link up with similar global trade policy issue bodies and take part in their activities as well as to organise lectures, debates, workshops, seminars and conferences.

In the last ten years we have achieved some successes through our efforts but unable to consolidate for lack of financial and other supports necessary for this kind of venture (See attached the CD of the 2013 performance and two volumes of the speeches by the participants).

In view of this I pray that your office and that of the WTO Secretariat, through you will extend support of finance and facilities for this laudable programme to become of global standard.

Yours faithfully,

M. M. Yusif

Senior Lecturer and Director WTO Mock Summit Club

Cc:    The Vice-Chancellor – Bayero University, Kano

            HOD Political Science Department – Bayero University, Kano