Seychelles to be 161 Member of WTO

The African island nation of Seychelles moved one step closer to becoming the WTO’s 161st member, with the General Council signing off on the country’s terms of accession. Seychelles’ Minister of Finance, Trade and Investment Pierre Laporte came to Geneva for the occasion.

“For Seychelles, as it is the conclusion of a long and arduous accession process, and for the WTO, as the first non-least-developed African country to join the Organization after the grandfather clause,” Laporte said on Wednesday.

“The Seychelles Government and its people have been looking forward for so long to be part of this international family,” he added, noting the benefits it would bring to the economy of the small island developing state.

The Working Group tasked with the accession negotiations had finalised the draft terms in October; negotiations for Seychelles’ joining began in 1995.

The accession terms must now be ratified domestically in order to complete the process, with the deadline set for 1 June 2015. The island country’s membership will then be formalised 30 days after it submits its instrument of ratification to the WTO.