With rebasing, Kenya loses World Trade Organisation funds

Civil Society Lobby Group representatives's 'Our World Is Not For Sale Campaign, Biraj Patnak, India, protest as delegates leave after negotiation meeting was postponed on friday evening during the first World Trade Organization's 10th ministerial Conference in Africa at Kenyatta International Convention Center, Dec 18, 2015. PHOTO: JONAH ONYANGO/STANDARD.

Africa’s least developed countries (LDCs) have received close to Sh7.6 trillion in aid from donor countries to help boost their trade. This is under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Aid-for-Trade initiative which was launched in 2006.

But some countries, such as Kenya and Ghana that rebased their economies and were elevated to middle-income status, will now miss out on this package. LDCs in Africa currently number 34 after Kenya and Ghana were knocked out of the United Nations’ list.