CHAIRMAN of ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme Task Force, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, has stated that all economies within the sub-region are facing difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
According to him, the development has affected the African continent more than other continents, which has necessitated the promotion of intra-ECOWAS trade to support the continent’s economy.
Dr. Chambas was speaking as the guest speaker at the opening ceremony of a two-day sub-regional stakeholder workshop on promoting small scale cross border trade, rule of law and use of technology, the case of six countries in West Africa.
The workshop, which was organised by the POS Foundation in partnership with the Ghana International Trade Commission, and with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), was under the theme ‘Promoting Small Scale Cross Border Trade, Rule of Law and Use of Technology in West Africa’. It drew participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
He called for the removal of bottlenecks that are hampering the free movement of goods and services within the sub-regional bloc, which are affecting development.
He added that it is time for member states to encourage the use of technology and collaboration among all stakeholders in the ECOWAS sub-region, as well as look inward to see how they can draw strength from their own economies, produce more internally, trade more and try to take advantage of the opportunities for trade-led development.
Dr. Chambas also highlighted the need for ECOWAS to catch up with other regional integration groups such as the European Union (EU) and Asia whose intra trading is around 68% and 65% respectively.
