The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in collaboration with TradeMark Africa (TMA), has intensified efforts to address long-standing trade barriers along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor, one of West Africa’s busiest and most economically significant trade routes.
At a three-day SPS/TBT forum held in Accra, officials, private sector actors, and development partners explored ways to strengthen the standards, quality, and regulatory environment governing cross-border movement of goods, particularly food and agricultural products.
The Director of Strategy and Partnerships at TradeMark Africa, Anthe Vrijlandt, highlighted that despite regional commitments to free movement, traders still face technical barriers that slow trade and increase costs. She explained that challenges often relate to food safety and plant health inspections, which vary from country to country.
TMA and ECOWAS are working to design practical solutions to ease restrictions and promote predictable trade flows. Ms. Vrijlandt cited a recent benchmarking mission to East Africa that exposed West African officials to successful systems that could be locally adapted. She emphasized that the forum’s goal is to develop a concrete action plan with measurable outcomes, not discussions that end without implementation.
Incidents where perishable goods, such as bananas, were held at borders for weeks due to unclear or duplicated checks were highlighted as examples of the urgent need for standardisation. Ms. Vrijlandt explained two key approaches to reduce duplication: accepting results from accredited national laboratories across the region, and harmonizing standards so that once a product is tested in one country, it is accepted by all.
Mr. Midaye Koissi, Principal Programme Officer for Quality Standards at ECOWAS, added that the lack of harmonized standards remains a major obstacle to regional trade. Products tested in one country are often retested upon arrival in another, causing delays and additional costs for traders. ECOWAS has established a technical committee comprising representatives from all member states to develop regional standards. Once approved, these standards ensure that goods tested and certified in one country are recognized in others.
Chief Executive of the Chamber of Agribusiness, Mr. Anthony Morrison, highlighted the private sector’s critical role in cross-border trade. Businesses must comply with both national and regional standards, including rules of origin under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS). Meeting these standards allows agribusinesses to benefit from increased market penetration, improved product quality, and enhanced competitiveness.
“With more than 600 approved standards across ECOWAS and the African Union, producers must remain committed to meeting quality benchmarks,” Mr. Morrison emphasized, underscoring the importance of public-private collaboration in fostering seamless regional trade.
By Agnes Opoku Sarpong
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