Mark Warner was interviewed by The Africa Report about the Ethiopian government preparing to participate in the fifth round of the World Trade Organization accession negotiations, and said it is: “a signal that Ethiopia is getting back on track with market reforms and a more stable and open environment for foreign investment as Chinese investment begins to slow across the continent”. (April 16, 2024) Mr. Warner is a Canadian and U.S. lawyer who has practiced in Toronto, Washington, D.C., New York and Brussels and has advised governments on trade policy and trade negotiations. Mark has provided technical assistance / legislative drafting advice to African governments including Ethiopia and South Africa and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) on drafting / implementing competition laws and regulatory reform. He has also taught trade law at the University of the Western Cape, the International Law Institute African Centre for Legal Excellence in Kampala, Uganda and the Addis Ababa University Faculty of Business and Economics.

Mr. Warner also previously worked on trade and competition issues as counsel in the OECD Trade Directorate where he participated in the negotiations of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment and represented the OECD at meetings of the WTO Working Group on Trade and Competition Policy and the Working Group on Trade and Investment.

Mark was Legal Director of the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development & Trade advising on trade negotiations and dispute settlement and on economic development, research and innovation grants and loans to corporations. As Legal Director for the Ontario Ministry of Research & Innovation, Mr. Warner led Ontario’s legal team in creating the $250 million Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund, the $205 million Ontario Venture Capital Fund and establishing the Ontario Capital Growth Corporation.