ECOWAS
Economic Community Of West African States
Tanzania’s former President has warned Nigeria to resist pressure to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement, (EPA), with the European Union, because according to him, such contracts are counterproductive.
The Gambia government and European Union have restarted the process of signing a free trade deal, dubbed Economic Partnership Agreement – EU’s flagship trade agreement.
Several Nigerian lobby groups, including an organization of retired ambassadors, are putting pressure on the Nigerian government to reject the application because of the decades-old dispute over Western Sahara and Morocco’s geographical distance.
"We have looked at the agreement and we believe that the agreements are situated in the 19th century and we are now in the 21st century," Nigerian govt claims
To survive and grow its economy, Nigeria’s best option might be to protect its infant industries and grow them to a point where it can comfortably play on the grand waters of international trade. Until then, the EPA might be a right step in the wrong direction.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has again cautioned the Federal Government to be wary of the Economic Community of West African States – European Union Economic Partnership Agreement.
The EU has been pressuring the ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) to sign and implement EPAs that would be destructive for these countries.
Une zone de libre échange ne peut être une politique qui favorise l’industrialisation de l’Afrique. Et, le vrai problème de l’Afrique, c’est le manque d’industrialisation, selon El Hadji Alioune Diouf, expert en commerce international.
MEPs from the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee are in West Africa this week, to monitor the implementation of Economic Partnership Agreements.
Africans are insisting on actual economic development which is leaving European trade negotiators exasperated. Rick Rowden explains why their stand is historic and right.
The EU-West Africa’s Economic Partnership Agreement has planned to reduce to 0 the import duty on non-rice cereal imports from the European Union at the beginning of the liberalization period.
The Coordinator of the National Coalition "No to EPAs" in Senegal discusses two free trade projects in Africa: Economic Partnership Agreements and the Continental Free Trade Area.
Comparison of the loss of West African customs revenues.
After the Brexit it is useful to update the value of imports and losses of import duties of Nigeria from the EU28 minus the United Kingdom in case of the implementation of the regional EPA.
The conclusion is clear-cut: Ghana and Ivory Coast should have no interest whatsoever to implement the interim EPAs already ratified but should pressure the EU to request a new WTO waiver or to grant them the status of GSP +.
The Ghanaian Parliament did not realize that it was shooting itself in the foot, following the Government which preferred to give in to the powerful pressures of international agribusinesses rather than to hear the warnings of the whole range of Ghanaian civil society.
The Economic Partnership Agreement of West Africa was initialled in Ouagadougou on June 30, 2014 by the Chief negotiators but to date Nigeria, the Gambia and Mauritania have not formally signed it.
The States of West Africa and East Africa have been pressured to sign the Economic Partnership Agreements on the basis of false indications, not to say lies, of the European Commission.
The Interim EPAs of Ivory Coast and Ghana will disrupt in a number of ways the functioning of intra-regional trade in the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme
The European Parliament voted, with a 375-220 majority, to give its consent to the interim Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Ghana.
