ECOWAS PROTOCOLS
ON FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS AND PERSONS
PRESENTED BY
Dr M. SOLA AFOLABI
Business Environment Adviser
Borderless Alliance
Borderless Alliance Conference Lagos
February 26-28, 2014
OUTLINE
1- CONTEXT
2- REGIONAL INTEGRATION
3- PROTOCOLS
4- WAY FORWARD
5- CLOSING THOUGHTS
CONTEXT
1975
- CREATION OF ECOWAS COMMUNITY
- COOPERATION
1993-
- REVISED TREATY
- INTEGRATION
- SUPRANATIONALITY
2007-
- TRANSFORMATION TO COMMISSION
- REPLACE PROTOCOLS WITH SUPPLEMENTARY ACTS TO
THE TREATY
REGIONAL INTEGRATION
MAJOR PROTOCOLS
1- ETLS
2- ISRT
3- FREE MOVEMENT
4- CET
ECOWAS TRADE LIBERALIZATION SCHEME
(ETLS)
• ELIMINATION OF TARRIF AND NON TARIF BARRIERS
REMOVAL OF CUSTOMS DUTIES
 1975- RAW MATERIALS
 1990-INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS
ETLS (Contd)
1- RULES OF ORIGIN-MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF APPROVAL
2- PROHIBITION OF PRODUCTS
3- STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS
4- CAPACITY BULDING FOR NATIONAL FOCAL POWERS
5- LACK OF INFORMATION
INTER STATE ROAD TRANSIT (ISRT)
FREE INTRA-REGIONAL MOVEMENT OF GOODS AND
VEHICLES
MAJOR ISSUES
1- TRANSIT FEES
2-NATIONAL GUARANTOR
3-ROAD BLOCKS AND “FACILITATION” PAYMENTS
4- NON CONFORMING VEHICLES
5- NON COMPLIANCE WITH TRANSIT PROCEDURES
ECOWAS REGIONAL CUSTOMS CONNECTIVITY PROJECT
(ALISA)
FEATURES
- REPLACE NATIONAL GUARANTOR WITH …….
- ONE-POINT PAYMENT OF BOND AND TRANSIT FEES
- SCAN, SEAL AND TRACK VEHICLES AND GOODS
- CENTRAL DATABASE OF TRANSIT DECLARATIONS
- ELIMINATION OF BILATERAL DATA EXCHANGE PROTOCOLS
ECOWAS COMMON EXTERNAL TARRIF (CET)
TARRIF BANDS
1- ESSENTIAL SOCIAL GOODS…………...0%, 85 TARIF LINES
2- GOODS OF PRIMARY NECESSITY…….5%, 2146 LINES
3-INPUT AND INTERMEDIATE GOODS……10%, 1373 LINES
4-FINAL CONSUMPTION GOODS……………20%, 2165 LINES
5- SPECIFIC GOODS ……………………...……35%,130 LINES
MAJOR ISSUES
1- OTHER TAXES AND LEVIES
2-SMUGGLING
3-CLASSIFICATION-INADVERTENT OR DELIBERATE (MALICIOUS)
ECOWAS FREE MOVEMENT PROTOCOL
SCOPE
- RIGHT OF ENTRY
- RIGHT OF RESIDENCE
- RIGHT OF ESTABLISHMENT
MAJOR ISSUES.
 COMPLIANCE WITH PROTOCOL
 RECIPROCITY
 REDRESSE-DISCUSSION
 ARBITRATION, COURT OF JUSTICE
WAY FORWARD
 ACCELERATED IMPLENTATION OF PROTOCOLS AND ACTS
.
 MONITORING OF PROTOCOLS
 PUBLIC PRIVATE ADVOCACY PLATFORM
JOIN THE BORDERLESS ALLIANCE
CLOSING THOUGHTS
 FROM COOPERATION TO A WEST AFRICAN UNION
 WORLD CLASS TEXTS
 PROBLEM IS IMPLEMENTATION
WAKE UP
TO ACTIVATE THE DREAM
THANK YOU