The state of food security in West Africa is highly influenced by ease of cross-border trade. Food trade regulations are scattered in several protocols and supplementary legislations enacted by ECOWAS Member States.
For the private sector, these numerous regulations (some from the inception of ECOWAS and some as recent as last week) are difficult to find, covered in legal language and not easily understood.
The GIZ, ECOWAS Agricultural Trade Programme, alongside , USAID and World Bank, commissioned Africa Trade Academy Dode Seidu and Jules Bertrand Damiba to compile and simplify the agricultural trade regulations in ECOWAS, into a a Reference Manual.
From 2-6 December 2024, a training of trainers on the Harmonised Manual on AgriFoodTrade Regulations was conducted in Abidjan with Chambers of Commerce, Women CrossBorder Traders Associations, and Business Support Organisations in Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral Sector in ECOWAS Region.
Content covered in the Manual and training include:
👊 ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme with rules of origin and origin certification requirements
👊 ECOWAS Customs Code and Common External Tariff
👊 ECOWAS Regulations on Customs Valuation
👊 ECOWAS Free Movement of People Protocol
👊 ECOWAS Regulations on Axle Load
👊 ECOWAS Regulations on Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary And Technical Standards.
Many thanks to ECOWAS Agricultural Trade Programme and it’s partners as well as all the participating private sector organisations.
