ECOWAS warns capitalists’ influence hinders free trade among member states

The Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Kalilou Sylla, has disclosed that one of the major barriers to free trade among member states is the influence of capitalists in impeding the free movement of goods into their respective countries.

Dr. Kalilou noted this during a panel session yesterday at the 50th ECOWAS Trade and Investment Forum and Exhibition 2025, held at the Lagos International Trade Fair and themed: ‘Connecting businesses, creating value’.

He expressed that private industries at the forefront of business do not want other products to compete with theirs. Hence, they leverage relationships to influence government policies for border closures, becoming obstacles to the unified ECOWAS policy for free trade.

Dr. Kalilou stressed that Nigeria accounts for less than 20 percent in regional trade statistics. He appealed for regional integration and advised that Nigeria work with other member states to move forward. Regarding the informal sector, he lamented that there are no figures capturing the local women engaged in cross-border trade of agricultural produce.

Meanwhile, speaking on the low trade figures, the former UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), and current Chair of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) Task Force, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, stated that the ECOWAS treaty signed in May 1975 was designed to use trade as a vehicle to create wealth and opportunities for member states.

“The task force is to deal with the impediments to trade. When taxes were imposed on certified goods, the task force was mandated to address this challenge. Payment of customs duties approved by ETLS and other quantitative restrictions by member states on agricultural products,” he submitted, “are major functions of the ETLS Task Force.”

However, for trade increase and interconnectivity, Dr. Mohammed advised that new technologies could aid in scanning vehicles instead of offloading them, which may require additional taxes. He therefore called on ECOWAS Ambassadors in member states to be more involved in addressing the challenges faced by the community in their respective countries rather than exclusively focusing on formalities.

Furthermore, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Sierra Leone, Alpha Sesay, stated that trade administration and culture have been facilitated in Sierra Leone, along with good transit facilities. He, however, noted, “Non-tariff barriers, which go beyond Sierra Leone, are a regional challenge.” Alpha emphasized that all key players in transportation must align and be equitable to ensure the smooth mobility of goods.

The panel session, moderated by the Director of Trade, ECOWAS Commission, Kolawole Sofola, also featured Gambian entrepreneur and CEO of Jah Oil, Hamidou Jah, who explained that ECOWAS has always had good policies but lacked accurate enforcement.

Hamidou called for all key players to be more involved in the empowerment and enforcement of policies. He added that many officers at border posts are well informed of ECOWAS policies but do not adhere to them due to factors specific to member states. “We need to let go of nationalistic protections that disrupt trade and look at the competitive advantages of free trade in member states,” he said.

The session also featured questions from the audience, ranging from issues around informal trade and the inclusion of women and youths in trade, to ECOWAS having a unified certificate allowing free trade across member states with fewer duties and taxes. Other topics included incentives for countries through which goods pass and the need to access national policies of countries to increase trade figures in the region.