Uganda and the World Trade Organisation

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only international body that oversees the rules of international trade. It is a strong advocate for free trade and promotes this trade philosophy by persuading countries to abolish import tariffs and other barriers. However, critics had chastised the WTO for discriminating against less developed and poor countries, and favoring the interests of rich and developed countries. These critics alleged that WTO negotiations were helpless towards agricultural protectionism and trade subsidies imposed by these rich and developed countries. Some quarters have even questioned the relevancy of less developed and poor countries in being a member of the WTO in Uganda. There have been calls for government to withdraw from the WTO and adopt trade protectionism to shield its infant industry and employment from unfair trade practices. This paper investigates whether Uganda has a stake in the WTO since it became a member, in terms of the impact of its WTO membership on its agricultural export and import quantities. This paper also considered situations where Uganda exercised its rights as a WTO member, as well as other benefits enjoyed by Uganda as a WTO member