WTO and EIB forge partnership to boost sustainable trade and investment

Africa, Business, International

Luxembourg — March 4, 2026 (NPA) — The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Secretariat and the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen sustainable trade and investment worldwide, with a particular focus on developing countries.

The agreement, signed by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and EIB Group President Nadia Calviño during the EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg, establishes the EIB-WTO Trade and Investment Facilitation Initiative. This initiative will support regulatory reforms, investment planning, and project preparation aimed at unlocking new opportunities for developing economies.

The partnership builds on the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement, endorsed by 128 WTO members, which sets the first global framework to ease foreign direct investment flows. Under the MoU, the WTO and EIB will collaborate to assess countries’ needs, design reform strategies, and mobilise funding — including blended finance and private capital — to support investment projects.

In its pilot phase, the initiative will target selected African countries, focusing on critical sectors such as green and digital transitions, health, education, sustainable growth, and job creation.

“This partnership aligns policy reform efforts with catalytic financing, and thus promises to unlock private investment in strategic sectors, beginning with a pilot group of African countries,” said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

EIB Group President Nadia Calviño emphasised Europe’s commitment to fair global trade, noting that the agreement “will help partner countries attract more and better-quality investment, while supporting reform and creating new trading opportunities for EU businesses.”

Beyond financing, the WTO and EIB will also collaborate on research and analysis of global trade and investment trends to guide policy decisions.