By Jane Salihu
The ECOWAS Parliament has called for the harmonisation of customs procedures, taxation, import regulations and business registration across West Africa to remove barriers facing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and deepen regional integration.
The parliament said a uniform and predictable business environment would boost cross-border trade, attract investment and position MSMEs as the engine of growth in the sub-region.
The call was contained in a communiqué adopted at the end of the delocalised joint committee meeting of its Committees on Industry and Private Sector, Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research, Administration, Finance and Budget, and Public Accounts held in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Presenting the communiqué on Friday, Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee, Alhagie Darbo, urged member states to fully implement regional trade and investment protocols, dismantle non-tariff barriers and invest in trade-support infrastructure to improve ease of doing business.
Darbo also called for stronger national monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance with community policies on trade and industrial development.
According to the committee, member states should adopt legal, regulatory and fiscal policies that encourage entrepreneurship, support formalisation of informal businesses, promote local value addition and improve competitiveness of MSMEs.
The parliament further advocated reforms in market governance to protect traders through transparent allocation and management of market facilities, accessible tenancy arrangements and elimination of practices that hinder legitimate businesses.
It also urged governments to expand financial inclusion by improving access to affordable finance, particularly for women-owned and youth-led enterprises, to enable their effective participation in regional value chains.
The lawmakers tasked the ECOWAS Commission with accelerating implementation of the ECOWAS MSME Development Policy (2021-2030) through enterprise support centres, entrepreneurship development programmes, business advisory services and digital skills training.
To ease cross-border commerce, it recommended establishment of export support and assistance centres along major trade corridors and strategic border posts to help exporters comply with trade requirements and reduce administrative bottlenecks.
The parliament also called for speedy harmonisation and implementation of ECOWAS product standards, certification and quality assurance systems to ensure uniform requirements for goods traded within the sub-region and enhance access to continental markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
In addition, it urged member states to strengthen implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme by simplifying trade procedures, creating awareness among businesses and eliminating barriers discouraging cross-border trade.
The committee further recommended promotion of regional value chains by encouraging industries to source semi-processed raw materials and intermediate products within the ECOWAS region instead of relying heavily on imports from outside Africa.
To support industrial expansion, the lawmakers advocated development of inclusive industrial and agricultural clusters capable of attracting investment, improving productivity and enhancing access to finance for regional enterprises.
The parliament also tasked the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development with expanding access to affordable financing through innovative instruments such as credit guarantee schemes, concessional loans and risk-sharing facilities targeted at MSMEs, especially those owned by women and young entrepreneurs.
It urged the bank to support investment in industrial and agricultural clusters by developing financing mechanisms that would enable producers and value-chain operators to increase production and integrate more effectively into regional markets.
The parliament reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening oversight of the implementation of ECOWAS trade, investment and industrialisation policies and called on member states to demonstrate stronger political will for regional economic integration.
It resolved to transmit the recommendations to relevant ECOWAS institutions and intensify advocacy at national levels to ensure implementation.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Small and Medium Enterprises and member of the ECOWAS Parliament, Pascal Agbodike, said Nigerian lawmakers at the regional parliament would engage the National Assembly to facilitate implementation of the resolutions.
Agbodike said concerns raised by stakeholders over challenges at Nigeria’s borders would be comprehensively addressed through legislative engagement and policy reforms.
He expressed optimism that faithful implementation of the resolutions by member states and regional institutions would improve the business climate, boost intra-African trade and unlock the potential of MSMEs as drivers of economic growth in West Africa.
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