Have you ever been in a relationship where someone says they love you yet they don’t allow you into certain parts of their lives? That happens in trade policy…..

Open markets

One of the greatest achievements for any negotiator is leaving a negotiation room with an agreement. The cameras capture the handshake, a moment history will remember. The newspapers set bold headlines, celebrating the power of diplomacy.

Negotiating market access is a journey. Sometimes it is like an adventure with several twists that leave you at the edge of your seat. Nonetheless, amid the twist one compass must guide; National interest. Offers may seem tempting across the table but it must never compromise your country’s core position. After all, every sovereign state has its own interests, determined to protect, and pursue what matters most. That is the beauty of negotiation, no one is very certain of which positions will align.

Entry denied

Now here is the part of the twist in the adventure. We negotiate access, only to later find entry denied. Why? Why invest time and resources negotiating outcomes that may never be implemented? The optimist’s rule tells us to keep faith. In any area of life, forces beyond the negotiation table, unseen dynamics or shifting realities alter the playing field.

I have come to understand something. The businessman and business woman who seems detached from the policy room discussion holds more power than the negotiator. When they raise their voices, grounded in real experience, armed with facts; by their word, even the most eloquently negotiated deal can be compromised. Similarly, when the consumer demands higher standards for what they will accept in their own market, the negotiator must pause.

Lessons from love

Does that mean we should stop negotiating? Absolutely not.

If marriages that once seemed happy fall apart, does that mean we should stop marrying? Of course not. We learn, we adapt, and we grow. When your spouse denies you entry, do you walk away? No. It is a call for you to: Review yourself, refine yourself, return and see what a renewed heart can attract.

That’s why I love trade policy. It is romance in the market place. When we negotiate market access, we must accept varying outcomes. Sometimes our entry will be granted. Other times it will be denied. In this case the question we must ask is; how do we enter and maintain the accessed market?

The power of competitiveness

Build competitiveness. A competitive nation can not be ignored. Remember this ; opening your market does not mean exposing your economy, it means strengthening it for the world.

On competitiveness, another time, I will share how I learned the power of competitiveness. It was not in the boardroom, but as a girl trying to win the heart of a young man. Indeed, Trade policy and love really do align.”

Reflection

Every entry denied, in trade or in life, is an invitation to grow stronger. What are you doing today to make yourself or your country too competitive to be ignored?

With love

Elizabeth R. Auma Kiguli