The 4th meeting of the Regional Trade Facilitation Committee examined the implementation of trade facilitation reforms under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). More than 20 participants from 11 ECOWAS countries took part from 20 to 22 November 2023 in Abuja, Nigeria.
In three days of intense work, the status of implementation of existing trade facilitation instruments (WTO EFA, AfCFTA, etc.) was updated.The terms of reference of the sub-committees of the Regional Trade Facilitation Committee were validated. Issues relating to non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in the region and those relating to the free movement of goods in the region were also examined. The meeting also put forward proposals to strengthen collaboration between the national trade committees and the transport and transit committees.
The recommendations resulting from this meeting will be implemented in order to improve the free movement of products in the West African region, in line with the efforts of the ECOWAS Commission. Indeed, the ECOWAS Commission has been working on the design of regional instruments, tools and institutional bodies, as well as capacity building for stakeholders, with the aim of promoting coordinated and effective implementation of trade facilitation reforms in Member States, following commitments made under the WTO Free Trade Agreement, the African Free Trade Agreement and regional protocols.
The creation of the Regional Trade Facilitation Committee, the launch of the ECOWAS Trade Barriers Alert Mechanism, the development of regional trade and transport facilitation strategies, and the elimination of non-tariff barriers are just some of the results of the actions undertaken by ECOWAS.
During its 4th meeting, the Regional Trade Facilitation Committee discussed at length the regional trade and transport facilitation strategy developed by the ECOWAS Commission to promote coordinated implementation of regional trade and transport in the 15 Member States. In line with international best practice, the Regional Trade Facilitation Committee seeks to promote collaboration between the National Trade Facilitation Committees and the National Transport Facilitation Committees in the Member States, in order to create a synergy of action between these two committees and optimise both the human and financial resources required for their smooth operation.
