Member nations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have called for urgent political support to eliminate barriers along key regional corridors.
If this is done, it will enhance intra-regional trade and facilitate the free movement of ECOWAS citizens.
The member states also emphasised the importance of adhering to existing Community Texts, which are aligned with international best practices and agreements, to strengthen regional integration and economic cooperation.
The call was made at a technical workshop aimed at considering recommendations for enhanced facilitation of trade and transport under the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway project and was contained in a statement by the ECOWAS Office.
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According to the statement, the move is in commemoration of ECOWAS’ 50th anniversary in 2025 as an enviable economic community with a full-fledged freedom of movement of persons and a functioning regional free trade area.
The statement also noted that one of the major components of the preparatory phase of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development Project is the preparation and implementation of a comprehensive trade and transport facilitation strategy to provide seamless movement of goods, persons and vehicles along the corridor.
“The envisioned framework will cover all measures aligned with regional, continental and international trade facilitation agreements, eliminate border control delays and harassments, as well as other non-tariff barriers and multiple control checks on sections.
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“The framework will also seek to ensure the full operationalization of regional facilitation measures such as the new Transit Procedure (which replaces the erstwhile Interstate Road Transit Scheme), improve regulation of cross-border transportation, standardise and customs procedures and fully interconnect systems, and digitalise the application of the ECOWAS Brown Card for cover cross-border vehicles as well as all other related interventions.”
Speaking, the Director of Transport at the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Chris Appiah, indicated that once completed, the Corridor Trade and Transport Facilitation Framework will contain a comprehensive set of measures to be implemented together before and after the construction of the 6-lane dual carriage supranational highway from Abidjan to Lagos.
He said, “This is expected to contribute significantly to enhancing intra-regional trade and free movement of community citizens, vehicles and related services under the ECOWAS regional integration agenda while positioning Member States properly to benefit from trading under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.”
