Intra-African Trade: The President of ECOWAS Commission meets with Board Members of TradeMark Africa

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray met with a delegation from the TradeMark Africa (TMA) led by the Board Chairman and former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, on Friday, March 21, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria to discuss the progress of the implementation of the MoU signed by the two organisations.

TradeMark Africa (TMA) is a leading African Aid-for-Trade organization, with the mission to grow intra-African trade and increase Africa’s share in global trade. TMA operates on a not-for-profit basis and is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Ireland, the Mastercard Foundation, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The ECOWAS and TMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 7^th May 2024. This MoU covers collaboration between ECOWAS and TMA towards improving trade facilitation, opening transportation corridors, reducing trade barriers and promoting economic integration within West Africa.

Since then, an integrated work plan has been developed to cover specific activities, and a Technical Assistant has been embedded at the Commission to provide technical support to the Commission and coordination of TMA interventions.

In his welcome address, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, appreciated the work TMA is doing in Africa stressing that trade is essential for the development and reduction of poverty on the continent. “Africa has all takes to trade within the continent and all over the world”, he added.

H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, the Board Chairman and former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, stressed the importance of trade as the most important agent for development. He highlighted the importance of one unified trading block and integration of Africa as indicated in the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

As part of this partnership, TMA has supported the installation of 100kWh solar system with li-ion battery storage at Akanu-Noepe Joint Border Post with plans to install solar powered streetlights as well as a pedestrian walkway. They have also supported integrated and coordinated border management assessments for key border crossing points with a view to improving customs cooperation frameworks and border management procedures.

At the level of the Commission, TMA is collaborating with relevant ECOWAS Directorates on priority programmes including operationalization of Joint Border Posts and National and Regional Trade Facilitation Committees, establishment of a simplified trade regime framework, automation of border procedures and will support ECOWAS efforts to eliminate non-tariff barriers and help build ECOWAS capacity to implement trade facilitation measures as well as support regional Standards Quality Infrastructure (SQI) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) policy.

The MoU between ECOWAS and TMA is expected to last for three (3) years, which can be extended.