The proposed WTO agreement on government procurement poses a threat to the economies of developing countries, a Cabinet minister said yesterday.
Planning minister Anyang' Nyong'o said the World Trade Organisation rules that are expected to liberalise public procurement would overwhelm developing countries.
"We should tread carefully on the negotiations in this area," said Prof Nyong'o at the opening of a regional development conference in Nairobi.
Prof Nyong'o asked conference participants from Northern and Eastern Africa to include the issue in the agenda for a forthcoming summit in Tokyo.
The negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (Gats), which is supposed to open up trade in public goods and services, are currently under way at the WTO headquarters in Geneva.
Developing countries have been reluctant to make proposals on Gats, which is being pushed by developed countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Prof Nyong'o called for increased cooperation to tackle Africa's economic problems.
The two-day regional conference will determine Africa's priorities as part of the build-up and preparations for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad).
Senior government officials from 18 Eastern and North African countries are attending the meeting, organised by the Japanese Government.
A similar regional meeting for countries of southern Africa was held in South Africa last month.
Ticad, which has become an influential platform for rallying donors to support Africa, will be holding its 10th anniversary this year.
Its other co-sponsors are the Global Coalition for Africa, the United Nations and the World Bank.
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