Could unrestricted market access to the QUAD Markets make the Doha Round useful for sub-Saharan Africa after taking Account of AGOA and EBA1?

A great deal of attention has been given to the integration of sub-Saharan African countries into the international trading system over the past five years. The QUAD countries (United States, Canada, the European Union, and Japan) have strongly reinforced their preferential trade agreements in favour of least developed countries (LDCs) from Africa and elsewhere, with specific initiatives from the EU and the US, and large extensions of the existing preference schemes by Japan and Canada. Yet, despite sharp reductions in the tariffs on African exports towards these markets, African exporters still face tariff barriers that are significant for key products. This study estimates the gains that sub-Saharan African countries could draw from genuine unrestricted market access (UMA) and also discusses the institutional framework in which UMA should be implemented. The analysis shows that, despite recent improvements in the preferences granted to African states, welfare gains associated to UMA would amount to USD 1.2 billion in sub-Saharan Africa, favouring primarily unskilled workers. This paper highlights the limited costs that UMA woul