Promoting Economic Development and Regional Integration: ECOWAS organises the sixth (6th) meeting of The Regional Trade Facilitation Committee (RTFC) in Lagos, Nigeria

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is organising the sixth (6th) meeting of the Regional Trade Facilitation Committee (RTFC) from 20 to 22 May 2025 in Lagos, Nigeria.  This meeting is part of the continuous efforts of the ECOWAS Commission to promote inclusive trade, economic growth and regional integration, in line with key priorities of Pillar 3 of the ECOWAS Vision 2050, which aims to deepen economic ties through enhanced trade and market connectivity.

This three (3) day meeting brings together representatives of the ministries in charge of trade,   customs administration, and the organized private sector of each ECOWAS member state, as well as representatives of the regional private sector bodies and the ECOWAS Commission, to examine the level of implementation of trade facilitation reforms. This includes reforms under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and issues relating to non-tariff barriers.

In his opening remarks which also launched the meeting, Mr. Usman Abdullahi, representative of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and  Secretary of the National Trade Facilitation Committee, appreciated ECOWAS for its support to Member States in implementing the trade facilitation reforms. He called for continued concerted efforts which are necessary to address global trends in trade and ensure the region achieves increased trade growth.

On behalf of Mrs. Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture of ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Kolawole Sofola, Director of Trade at the ECOWAS Commission, welcomed participants to the meeting and recognized the RTFC members for their commitment to facilitating cooperation and promoting trade between ECOWAS member states. He highlighted that while ECOWAS is celebrating its 50^th anniversary, it is also time for a deep reflection on ways to further improve regional integration by addressing implementation gaps, reducing time and costs to trade and harmonizing procedures for seamless trade.

Mr. Brice Niangou Adou, representative of TradeMark Africa (TMA), an aid-for-trade organisation based in Nairobi, Kenya, welcomed the partnership between TMA and ECOWAS to strengthen trade systems for the economic prosperity and development of the region. He urged participants to consider actionable recommendations that would build synergies within the region.

During this meeting, RTFC members will examine issues such as (i) the status implementation of the WTO  Trade Facilitation Agreement; (ii) the findings of the border assessments at Sèmè-Krake (between Benin and Nigeria) and Paga-Dakola (between Ghana and Burkina Faso) and; (iii) the outcomes of the Meeting of the Technical Sub-Committee on Women in Trade and the adoption of its Work Plan. The progress report on the resolution of NTBs will also be submitted for consideration to the RTFC members. Countries represented at the meeting will also share their experiences in trade facilitation, identify the best practices and determine common priority areas from national trade facilitation strategies.

The RTFC was established by the eighty-sixth ordinary session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in recognition of the importance of trade facilitation and its undeniable role as a driving force for economic development and regional integration. It provides advisory recommendations to the ECOWAS Commission on the implementation of all instruments associated with the simplification of export, import and transit within and outside the region. It also serves as a platform to ensure cooperation and coordination between Member States for the harmonised implementation of national, regional, continental and international trade facilitation reforms resulting from the various commitments.