ECOWAS national units urged to support national committees for origin recognition (NCCOR) activities for effective implementation of ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS)

Supporting the activities of ETLS by ECOWAS national units in member states is one of the main outcomes of the regional meeting of National Committees for Community Origin Recognition (NCCOR) held in Accra, Ghana, from the 9^th to 12^th of September 2025 to assess the implementation of the Scheme with the view to improving intra-community trade in Made-in-ECOWAS goods.

The ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) is the Community’s principal instrument for the duty-free cross-border movement of Community goods in the ECOWAS region with the National Committees for Community Origin Recognition (NCCOR) as the national organs responsible for the management of ETLS in member states.

The general objective of the meeting included the following: evaluation of the implementation of the new Community rules of origin under ETLS; discussion of the challenges and obstacles to the free movement of community goods; certification of community origin; formulation of strategies to enhance the free movement of community goods in the region.

Opening the meeting on behalf of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Madam Massandje TOURE-LITSE, the Director of Customs union and Taxation Mr. Salifou TIEMTORE, underscored the important role of the NCCOR in member states in ensuring that goods originating in member states are able to circulate freely without the payment of Customs duties and taxes of equivalent effect. He reiterated the point that, effective implementation of ETLS is at the heart of the Community’s quest for industrial development and economic competitiveness in the face of the existing strong regional market in ECOWAS.

At the end of the 4-day encounter, member states pledged to undertake continuous ETLS training and sensitization of stakeholders including SMEs and also include ETLS in the basic training of Customs officers to equip them with knowledge of Community preferential tariff treatment, among others.

Additionally, member states requested the ECOWAS Commission to step up the implementation of the Community electronic certificate of origin (e-CO) in member states to reduce origin-related fraud and also upgrade ETLS website and portal for effective communication between focal points and enhancement of user experience.