Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has thrown its full weight behind the introduction of sanctions for member states that violate regional trade protocols, with lawmakers arguing that stronger enforcement is long overdue if the bloc is to achieve meaningful economic integration.
The position emerged during the ongoing delocalised meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Joint Committee on Industry and Private Sector, Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research, Administration, Finance and Budget, and Public Accounts, currently taking place in Cotonou, Republic of Benin.
The call follows a recommendation from Dr Tony Luka Elumelu of the ECOWAS Business Council Secretariat, who urged the regional body to penalise countries undermining agreements designed to facilitate the free movement of goods, services and people across West Africa.
‘We Are Operating in Silos’
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Nigerian lawmaker Hon Bashiru Dawodu said ECOWAS member states must move beyond rhetoric and begin implementing protocols that promote regional trade and economic cooperation.
“We are about 400 million people in West Africa generating billions of dollars, but our challenge is that we are not integrated. We are all operating in silos,” Dawodu said.
“We already have the laws, but sometimes people need to be compelled to do the right thing. If countries know there are consequences for failing to comply, they will perform better.”
The lawmaker stressed that effective implementation of ECOWAS protocols on the free movement of people, goods and services remains indispensable to improving intra-African trade and accelerating economic growth across the region.
90% in Informal Sector
Dawodu also emphasised the critical need to integrate micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) into the formal economy, noting that a staggering proportion of businesses in West Africa continue to operate outside formal regulatory and financial systems.
“It is extremely important to integrate small and medium-sized businesses into the value chain. In ECOWAS countries, about 90 per cent of our people operate in the informal sector,” he said.
“Many traders are not captured within the formal economy, making it difficult for them to access financing and other opportunities. The essence of this meeting is to strengthen regional integration, facilitate trade in goods and services, improve infrastructure and create better financing opportunities for small businesses.”
‘The Same Barriers Still Exist’
Liberian lawmaker Hon Taa Wongbe struck a sombre note, lamenting that despite decades of regional integration efforts, traders and travellers continue to face the same roadblocks, border delays and administrative bottlenecks that have plagued the region for years.
Drawing from personal experience, Wongbe recalled travelling across several West African countries as a child and said many of the same barriers remain today.
“Unfortunately, after all these years, we are still experiencing the same challenges,” he said. “Our mothers and traders continue to spend days and sometimes weeks moving goods across borders. These delays make goods and services more expensive across our countries.”
The Liberian legislator proposed the establishment of a parliamentary fact-finding committee to undertake on-the-spot assessments of border operations across the region.
“I have consistently pushed for a committee that will travel across our borders and experience exactly what our people go through,” Wongbe added. “Once we see these challenges ourselves, we will be in a stronger position to push our governments to remove the roadblocks hindering regional trade.”
What Happens Next
With lawmakers and the ECOWAS Commission now aligned on the need for stricter enforcement measures, attention is expected to shift to the Authority of Heads of State and Government, which will ultimately determine whether sanctions become part of the bloc’s strategy for improving compliance with regional trade obligations.
Analysts believe stronger implementation of ECOWAS trade protocols could significantly boost intra-regional commerce, strengthen MSMEs, reduce poverty and unemployment, and enhance economic stability across West Africa.
