Jane Salihu
The ECOWAS Parliament has called for stricter enforcement of regional trade protocols, saying effective implementation of existing agreements is critical to unlocking West Africa’s economic potential, promoting cross-border trade and accelerating regional integration.
The call came on Tuesday 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 in Cotonou, Republic of Benin.
The lawmakers’ position followed a recommendation by Dr. Tony Luka Elumelu of the ECOWAS Commission’s Business Council Secretariat, who urged the regional bloc to impose sanctions on member states that fail to comply with trade protocols designed to facilitate the free movement of people, goods and services.
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, Nigerian lawmaker, Hon. Bashiru Dawodu, said West African countries must move beyond adopting policies to fully implementing them if the region is to benefit from its enormous economic potential.
He noted that despite a population of about 400 million people and abundant economic opportunities, the region has remained fragmented because member states continue to operate independently instead of embracing full regional integration.
According to him, enforcing compliance with ECOWAS trade agreements would encourage governments to remove obstacles hindering trade and investment across the sub-region.
“We have the laws, but implementation remains our biggest challenge. Sometimes there must be consequences for non-compliance. If countries know there are sanctions for failing to implement agreed protocols, they will be more committed to doing the right thing,” Dawodu said.
The Nigerian legislator stressed that the free movement of people, goods and services remains fundamental to achieving sustainable economic growth in West Africa.
He also called for greater inclusion of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in regional trade, noting that a significant percentage of businesses across ECOWAS still operate in the informal sector, limiting their access to finance, regional markets and government support.
Dawodu said integrating MSMEs into regional value chains would improve access to funding, strengthen infrastructure and expand opportunities for cross-border commerce.
Also speaking, Liberian lawmaker Hon. Taa Wongbe urged ECOWAS governments to demonstrate stronger political commitment by dismantling unnecessary border barriers and faithfully implementing agreements aimed at promoting regional trade.
He lamented that traders and travellers still experience long delays and multiple checkpoints while moving across borders, despite decades of integration efforts.
Drawing from personal experience travelling across several ECOWAS countries, Wongbe said the persistent roadblocks continue to increase transportation costs and make goods more expensive for consumers throughout the region.
To address the challenge, he proposed the establishment of a parliamentary fact-finding committee to undertake inspection visits to border posts across member states.
According to him, firsthand assessment of the difficulties faced by traders would strengthen the Parliament’s engagement with governments and help drive practical reforms.
The lawmakers maintained that stronger enforcement of ECOWAS trade protocols would enhance regional integration, improve the competitiveness of businesses, create employment opportunities and reduce poverty across West Africa.
They urged member states to match their commitments with concrete action, insisting that only full implementation of regional agreements would deliver the economic transformation envisioned by the ECOWAS community.
