African civil society organizations on Tuesday demanded that the ongoing trade talk between African countries and European Union be shelved, warning it could unleash a development disaster unless urgent action is taken.

The 16 eastern and southern African nations are currently locked in talks with the EU on a new market access treaty known as the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), which will replace the existing Cotonou Accord in the 2008.

The organizations said the EPAs negotiations between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries which require developing countries to rapidly open up their markets to European corporations are threatening jobs, industries, government revenues and public services in some of the poorest countries in the world.

"Kenya aims at being an industrialized nation by 2020. For this to happen, crucial sectors of the economy need to be revised and promoted. And attempts are underway. But they will all be nullified if Kenya signs an EPA with the EU," warned Peter Aoga from EcoNews Africa, one of the civil society organizations.

"We are deeply concerned at the lack of transparency and democracy in the World Trade Organization system and processes, its rule-making, negotiations, monitoring and dispute settlement,"he added.

The activists who released a new research study carried out by EcoNews Africa and Traidcraft said the ongoing negotiations would seriously undermine Kenya's industrialized plans and the revitalization of critical sectors in agriculture and manufacturing, such as dairy, sugar cotton, textiles.

"At a critical time, when Kenya is trying to re-build its manufacturing sector and diversify its production, Kenya needs to have sufficient policy change to pursue its own economic and development policies -- without being pushed by EU to open up its markets," said Steve Ouma from the Kenya Human Rights Commission.

He said the east African nation's trade with its neighbors in East African Community and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa is on the increase and this could be the final death knell to the local industries if Kenya is to compete with cheapest European goods on the regional markets. The activists cited the dairy sector which they said was severely threatened a few years ago through surges in imports of dry milk powder.

"The dairy industry supports 3 million people in Kenya and we have a great potential to expand our dairy exports in the regional markets. The local production will continue to need protection against dumping of subsidized dairy products. Opening up to the EU would be devastating for the sector," said Justus Monda from Ngoma Campaign.

Source: Xinhua