The D-8 Economic Cooperation Organization (D-8) has taken an important step towards promoting intra-group trade with the conclusion of the ninth session of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) Supervisory Committee in Abuja, Nigeria.
Islamabad, 31 March 2026 – The Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) has taken an important step towards promoting intra-group trade with the conclusion of the ninth session of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) Supervisory Committee in Abuja, Nigeria.
The session, which was held in a hybrid format on Monday, was chaired by Ambassador Noura Abba Rimi, Permanent Secretary of Nigeria. Federalism The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment said in a press release issued on Tuesday.
Senior officials from G8 member countries – Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, EgyptIndonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, PakistanTurkey – participated in the session in person and virtually.
In his maiden speech to the Committee, G8 Secretary-General Ambassador Sohail Mahmoud stressed that the preferential trade agreement must evolve into a more effective and results-based instrument for economic cooperation. He called for a decisive shift from negotiations to implementation, stressing that “the credibility of the preferential trade agreement will ultimately be measured.”
Through its impact on real trade flows.”
He highlighted priority areas including rationalizing customs concessions in line with trade reality, removing procedural bottlenecks through enhancing trade facilitation and customs cooperation, and systematic integration of the private sector within the framework of the preferential trade agreement.
He further stressed that strengthening analytical capacity and mobilizing adequate technical resources will be critical to sustain momentum and ensure expansion of evidence-based agreement.
The Supervisory Committee conducted a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Preferential Trade Agreement and assessed recent trade trends among member states. While intra-G8 trade continues to show encouraging growth, the Committee acknowledged that its share remains below its potential. Participants stressed the urgent need to adopt more targeted, coordinated and measurable measures to open up larger trade volumes and diversify trade flows within the bloc.
One of the main outcomes of the session was progress in work on expanding the scope and depth of the PTA.
The Committee reviewed the progress of the Expert Working Group on Expansion of the D-8 PTA, formally adopted the terms of reference of the Environmental Working Group and the reports of its four meetings, and discussed the Working Group’s first technical report (“Initial Report”). These deliverables represent an important milestone towards transforming the PTA into a more comprehensive, modern and commercially meaningful framework.
The session also witnessed a shift in leadership within the Supervisory Committee. Member States expressed their appreciation for the leadership of the Federal Republic of Nigeria over the past two years and recognized its role in promoting the substantive agenda of the Committee. The Republic of Indonesia has been unanimously elected as the new President for the upcoming two-year session, reaffirming its commitment to further strengthening G8 trade cooperation before hosting the next Ministerial Council on Trade.
The next meeting of the Supervisory Committee will be held at a date The location will be announced
Incoming chair.