The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, received a delegation from the Task Force on the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, led by its Head, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, in the presence of Dr. Kalilou SYLLA, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture.

Dr. Ibn Chambas informed President Touray of the end of the current team’s mandate in December 2025 and presented the conclusions of the ETLS Task Force’s last meeting held in Abidjan in early July 2025, as well as the recommendations that were made to make it more operational.

The ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) is a major economic achievement in the construction of the Common Market and regional integration in West Africa. It was established to facilitate the achievement of one of the Community’s primary objectives, namely the creation of a Free Trade Area.

The TF/SLE’s mission is to ensure the effective free movement of persons and goods within the Community through arbitration and amicable settlement of disputes between Member States, and through advocacy and mediation with the high political authorities of the States.

It should be noted that on the same day, the President Touray received H.E. Andrey Podelyshev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation accredited to Nigeria and to ECOWAS, for talks on matters of mutual interest.