The 4th Joint Meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Trade and Industry, held in Abuja from May 15–16, 2025, concluded with a strong call for economic diversification, industrial growth, and regional collaboration to address the evolving global trade landscape. Nigeria’s Minister of Trade and Investment urged Member States to fortify their industrial bases and cultivate new partnerships in response to recent disruptions.
During the meeting, Ministers reviewed reports from Trade, Industry, and Investment Experts across ECOWAS Member States, leading to the adoption and recommending of key regional instruments for approval by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers. These include:
- Trade: The ECOWAS Trade and Investment Strategy and the Cooperation Agreement between the ECOWAS Regional Competitive Authority (ERCA) and Member States.
- Industry: Fifty-eight (58) draft ECOWAS Standards (ECOSTAND) for the textile value chain, the revised ECOWAS Standards Harmonisation Model (ECOSHAM), an agreement on mutual recognition of inspection certificates, and the revised ECOWAS Quality Infrastructure Scheme.
- Investment: The ECOWAS Common Investment Market (ECIM) Council Procedures Manual and key recommendations to enhance regional investment collaboration.
Recognising the importance of trade policy harmonisation, digital trade promotion, and consumer protection, Nigeria’s Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, emphasised that these instruments will drive effective trade policy implementation, accelerate economic growth, and deepen regional integration.
The meeting welcomed representatives from 11 ECOWAS Member States, including Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Togo. In her opening remarks, Dr. Oduwole, speaking on behalf of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, acknowledged the delegates’ commitment to fostering industrial development and enhancing regional trade.
Senator John Owan Enoh, Minister of State for Industry, extended warm greetings to the delegations. He highlighted the meeting’s significance as an avenue for recalibrating economic strategies and building resilience through collaboration. He reiterated ECOWAS’s shared vision of strengthening industrial growth and economic prosperity through progressive partnerships.
Key recommendations from the 4th Joint Meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Trade and Industry include:
- Urging Member States to accelerate the ratification of the Fisheries Subsidy Agreement while reviewing past Ministerial Conference decisions and outstanding issues. ECOWAS Commission was directed to organise meetings to define regional priorities ahead of MC14.
- Advancing AfCFTA implementation, as 49 out of 54 AU Member States have ratified the agreement. The meeting urged Benin to accelerate its ratification process and directed the ECOWAS Commission to convene a joint meeting of Trade, Industry, and Transport Ministers to address cross-sectoral issues.
- Submitting revised trade commitments to the AfCFTA Secretariat by August 2025, facilitating negotiations for tariff concessions, and ensuring Member States report on implementation progress, including trade liberalisation, tariff schedules, and operational National Implementation Committees.
- Addressing the impact of US tariffs, instructing the ECOWAS Commission to develop a regional response strategy and support Member States in negotiations with the US, particularly concerning non-tariff barriers (NTBs) under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and AfCFTA.
- Endorsing the ECOWAS Trade and Investment Promotion Strategy, recognising its potential to boost intra-regional trade and align community interventions with global best practices. The meeting recommended the strategy for adoption by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.
This high-level meeting reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to regional integration, fostering economic development, and creating a robust framework for industrial expansion and trade cooperation. The Nigerian media and stakeholders are encouraged to engage with these developments and explore the far-reaching impacts of these agreements on businesses, industries, and communities across West Africa.
Signed
Dr Adebayo Thomas
Director, Press and Public Relations
May 16th, 2025
