ECOWAS Parliament Advocates for Trade Barrier Removal

Members of the ECOWAS Parliament have pledged to advocate for the removal of trade barriers that impede the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across West Africa. This commitment arose following a two-day field visit and town hall meeting in Cotonou, where traders and manufacturers expressed concerns over persistent border bottlenecks, harassment, and limited access to finance.

Madam Guedegbe Marcos, owner of a pineapple juice processing factory, highlighted that exporting within the ECOWAS region is more challenging than shipping to Europe and Canada due to bureaucratic obstacles, particularly in trade with Nigeria and Ghana. Her factory, established with a loan of nearly four billion CFA francs from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), requires an additional one billion CFA francs for expansion.

Despite demand for its products, regional trade restrictions limit growth. Parliament members assured engagement with lawmakers to address these issues, following a tour of the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ), which hosts over 40 manufacturing industries.