Ouattara says global trade remains powerful driver of growth, integrates economies

Côte d’Ivoire President Allassane Ouattara has highlighted that international trade remains a powerful driver of growth, as it expands markets, diversifies exports, facilitates the diffusion of technology, enhances business competitiveness, and integrates economies into global value chains. President Ouattara made these remarks at the presidential lecture of the 20 th anniversary of the Aid for Trade programme which also marked as the 10 th Global Review of Aid for Trade held on Thursday 29 October 2026 at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The occasion was marked with small firms, global rules, a dialogue with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and WTO on standards, regulation and trade facilitation. The Aid for Trade Global programme signifies strategic partnership as a catalyst for trade development across the globe.

The Aid for Trade initiative was launched at the 5 th WTO Ministerial Conference in Hongkong in 2005 to help developing economies benefit from market access opportunities offered by the multilateral trading system. President Ouattara says investment contributes to infrastructure development, modernization of productive systems and innovation, and the creation of sustainable jobs. Together, these two pillars can accelerate development trajectory, he stated. He however outlined that the benefits are neither automatic nor evenly distributed, emphasizing that an economy that mainly exports raw materials while importing high value-added manufactured goods risks remaining trapped in a position of dependency. President Ouattara outlined that attracting foreign investment is not an end in itself, that its contribution to development depends on its ability to create jobs, facilitate technology transfer, develop local…