ISLAMABAD, Mar 31 (APP):The Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) has taken a significant step towards strengthening intra-group trade as its 9th Supervisory Committee (SC) session of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) concluded in Abuja, Nigeria. The session, held in a hybrid format on Monday, was chaired by Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi, Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, said a press release issued on Tuesday. …
D-8 moves to boost intra-group trade at 9th supervisory committee meeting
ISLAMABAD, Mar 31 (APP):The Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) has taken a significant step towards strengthening intra-group trade as its 9th Supervisory Committee (SC) session of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) concluded in Abuja, Nigeria.
The session, held in a hybrid format on Monday, was chaired by Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi, Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, said a press release issued on Tuesday.
Senior officials from the D-8 Member States—Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Türkiye – participated in the Session, both in person and virtually.
Secretary-General of the D-8, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, in his maiden address to the committee, underscored that the PTA must evolve into a more effective and results-driven instrument for economic cooperation. He called for a decisive shift from negotiation to implementation, emphasizing that “the credibility of the PTA will ultimately be measured by its impact on real trade flows.”
He highlighted priority areas including the rationalization of tariff concessions in line with trade realities, the removal of procedural bottlenecks through enhanced trade facilitation and customs cooperation, and the systematic integration of the private sector into the PTA framework.
He further stressed that strengthening analytical capacity and mobilizing adequate technical resources will be critical to sustaining momentum and ensuring evidence-based expansion of the Agreement.
The Supervisory Committee conducted a comprehensive review of the PTA’s implementation and assessed recent trade trends among Member States. While intra-D-8 trade continues to show encouraging growth, the Committee acknowledged that its share remains below potential. Participants emphasized the urgency of adopting more targeted, coordinated, and measurable actions to unlock greater trade volumes and diversify trade flows within the bloc.
A key outcome of the Session was the advancement of work on expanding the scope and depth of the PTA.
The Committee reviewed progress made by the Expert Working Group on the expansion of the D-8 PTA, formally adopted the EWG’s TOR and reports of its four meetings and discussed the EWG’s first technical report (“Initial Report”). These outputs mark an important milestone toward transforming the PTA into a more comprehensive, modern, and commercially meaningful framework.
The Session also marked a leadership transition within the Supervisory Committee. Member States expressed appreciation for the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s stewardship over the past two years, recognizing its role in advancing the Committee’s technical agenda. The Republic of Indonesia was unanimously elected as the new Chair for the next two-year term, reaffirming its commitment to further strengthening D-8 trade cooperation ahead of hosting the upcoming Trade Ministerial Council.
The next Session of the Supervisory Committee will be convened at a date and venue to be announced by
the incoming Chair.
