A three-day meeting by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to strengthen regional cooperation in trade, agriculture, fisheries, and cross-border standards concluded in Accra on Friday. The meeting sought to review progress on key regional initiatives, align national and regional strategies, and adopt tools critical to accelerating economic integration across the sub-region.
In his opening remarks, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr. Kalilou Sylla, said the engagements were central to advancing the ECOWAS Vision 2050, which aims to build a resilient, peaceful, and prosperous region. He noted that despite insecurity and conflicts affecting parts of the bloc, West Africa had recorded a 4.3 per cent growth rate—higher than the global average—describing the region as “resilient due to the leadership of our Heads of State.”
Dr. Sylla stated that in line with attaining Vision 2050, the meeting explored opportunities to strengthen intra-African trade data systems, enhance member states’ technical capacities, and adopt the 2026 Workplan and the Regional African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to ensure harmonised implementation.
Other sessions focused on revitalising the ECOWAS Regional Agricultural Information System (ECOAGRIS), strengthening governance of the fisheries and aquaculture sector under a 2022 MoU, and advancing agreements to facilitate safer and more efficient trade along the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor.
The Commissioner highlighted the need for solidarity in the face of regional security challenges, lauding Ghana’s historical and strategic importance in West Africa’s integration journey. He encouraged member states to work collectively to overcome global trade restrictions by boosting intra-regional commerce and ensuring the free movement of goods for sustainable development.
In a keynote address, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, pointed out persistent challenges such as non-tariff barriers, inconsistent standards, high freight costs, and poor corridor infrastructure, which continue to keep intra-ECOWAS trade low—averaging just six per cent between 2022 and 2024. She urged Member States to use the meetings to “recalibrate, refocus, and implement solutions that increase access to markets and drive industrial growth.”
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr. Eric Opoku, called on West African leaders to urgently reposition agriculture as a powerful engine for economic transformation, job creation, and poverty reduction. He warned that with Africa producing 12 million new job seekers annually but absorbing only three million, the region faces a looming crisis unless strategic steps are taken to modernise agriculture, invest in value chains, and leverage the youthful population.
For her part, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ms. Emelia Arthur, emphasised the importance of coordinated regional action to strengthen fisheries governance, combat illegal fishing, modernise aquaculture, and enhance the competitiveness of fish products under the AfCFTA.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
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