If we look back at the history of our species, one driver stands out above all others in lifting humanity from subsistence to sustainability: the global commercial platform.
For centuries, the ability to trade goods and services across borders has been the single greatest catalyst for wealth creation. It is the engine that has allowed humanity to thrive. But today, that engine is being deliberately sabotaged, and the consequences for the Global South—and humanity as a whole—are dire.
More Than Just Cargo
Global trade is often reduced to statistics about shipping containers and GDP. This misses the point entirely. Trade is the vehicle for human connection.
When the global community trades, we do more than exchange commodities. We share and benchmark political ideologies, economic models, and social norms. We transfer technological advances, align legal systems, and harmonise environmental protection practices.
Global trade creates a “race to the top.” It challenges nations to improve their standards of living. It has been the primary mechanism for the diffusion of innovation, medicine, and knowledge.
The Unfinished Business of Equality
We must be honest about the past. The playing field has never been truly level. Certain regions of the globe—specifically the Global North—accumulated massive advantages not solely through innovation, but through the dark mechanics of slavery, imperialism, racism, and corruption.
For centuries, resources were extracted from the South to build the industrial engines of the North. The Global South is now working to overcome these historical deficits, leveraging its resources, demographics, and creativity to reach the same level of development.
Just as the Global South is ready to compete and ascend, the rules are being changed.
The New Walls: Seclusion and Exclusion
It is unfathomable that in 2025, leading nations and economic blocs are pivoting toward protectionism. Under the guise of "national security" or "strategic autonomy," we are seeing a return to seclusion and exclusion.
We see this in:
Punitive Tariffs: Taxes designed to make foreign goods uncompetitive.
Non-Tariff Barriers: Complex regulations and standards are used as weapons to keep emerging market goods out of wealthy markets.
Economic Isolationism: A retreat from the very global systems that created modern prosperity.
This protectionism is a ladder-pulling exercise. After climbing to prosperity using global resources, wealthy nations are now trying to kick the ladder away, preventing the Global South from following the same path.
A Crime Against Our Collective Future
This trend does more than slow down GDP growth; it undermines the momentum to realise a more equitable economic advancement for all humanity.
When a nation erects barriers that intentionally stifle the development of others, they are not just protecting their own industries; they are actively suppressing the potential of human beings in other parts of the world.
We must be clear in our condemnation: All strategies, policies, and practices that intentionally fight global socio-economic progress are a crime against humanity.
To deny a people the right to trade is to deny them the right to develop. To enforce economic exclusion is to enforce poverty.
The Path Forward
True sustainability requires a connected world, not a fragmented one. We cannot solve global challenges like climate change, pandemics, or poverty in silos. We need a global commercial platform that is not only open but equitable—one that acknowledges historical imbalances and actively works to correct them through fair access.
For Africa and the Global South, the demand is simple: Let us trade. Tear down the non-tariff barriers. Remove the protectionist walls. Allow the engine of human wealth creation to work for everyone, not just the privileged few.
Anything less is a betrayal of our shared human potential. It is a crime against humanity.