ISDS Case Map
ECOWAS
The United States is exploring a trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA) with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), acting United States Trade Representative (USTR) Demetrios Marantis announced March 29.
A senior official of Ghana's Ministry of Trade and Industry has warned West Africa sub-region against entering into trade agreement with the European Union blindly.
The much disparaged European Union’s Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) got a fresh beating Tuesday in Lagos, as the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) told a gathering of Industry stakeholders, including EU’s Ambassador to Nigeria, David Macrae, that the EPA Road Map should be put on hold and that the entire negotiation process be subjected to a complete review.
The European Union has rebuffed claims that the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement with the West African region and Nigeria within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is out to undermine the region's nascent manufacturing sector.
Trade and Industry Minister, Ms Hannah Tetteh has called all stakeholders in the West African sub-region to show extra commitment to the integration agenda and the implementation of various ECOWAS protocols.
The Hannah Tetteh-led Ministry of Trade and Industry is pushing Ghana to sign up the ever-controversial Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the 27-member European Union (EU).
The Economic Justice Network (EJN) has accused the Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh, of stabbing ECOWAS in the back by indicating that the country can no longer linger on the idea of signing and ratifying the interim agreement on Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Negotiations between ECOWAS and the EU on the Economic Partnership Agreements, EPAs reached a deadlock at a meeting held in Brussels, last month.
The 11th Meeting of the joint ECOWAS-UEMOA Committee for the Management of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) opened in Cotonou, Benin Republic on December 5, to review the draft CET Nomenclature, based on the 2012 version of the Harmonized System and the draft ECOWAS CET prepared by the two regional blocs in Banjul, The Gambia, last April.
In preparation for our participation in the Ecowas MMC meeting on EPAs that is currently underway in Accra, The West Africa CSO Platform on the Cotonou Agreement (POSCAO) and the Economic Justice Network of Ghana (EJN) met on Sunday 27th November 2011 to review the state of affairs in the West Africa – EU EPA negotiations and to update West African CSO positions and contributions to this process. The POSCAO/EJN meeting which was hosted by the Secretariat of the Africa Trade Network, also based in Accra adopted a number of positions which we now share with you.
