ISDS Case Map
ECOWAS
Twenty six African countries seeking to merge their economies into a single trading bloc that controls a combined wealth of $ 624m and a market of 527m people moved to a definitive stage after their leaders approved plans to establish a free trade area early this week.
Members of the Ghana Agricultural Producers and Traders Organisation (GAPTO) have called on the governments of the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) not to conclude the Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with European Union (EU) in June, this year.
The European Commission (EC) will give Nigeria 600 million euros to assist it in the areas of trade and regional integration, the head of the EC delegation to Nigeria, Mr. Dennis Theulin said here Friday.
West Africa civil society platform of the Economic Partnership Agreement has said unrealistic timetable constituted the main constraint facing the Economic Community of West African States in reaching a conclusion on the agreement.
Civil society organisations have asked governments of ECOWAS countries to suspend all trade-related negotiations with the EU.
Ghana would by September next year cease to adhere to the rules and conditions of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement that it signed with the European Commission in December 2007 when the ECOWAS-EU policy comes into force.
The ECOWAS Trade Commissioner, Mohammed Daramy, has given some of the many reasons why Nigeria refused to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which deadline expired on December 31, 2007.
West African states are working at salvaging regional relations with a renewed attempt to collectively negotiate an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union.
From Ken Ukaoha, National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS)
West African countries agreed on Monday on an 18-month timetable to negotiate and sign a regional economic partnership agreement with Europe by June 2009, top officials said.
