ISODEC urges govts to enforce ECOWAS trade protocol

Accra, April 27, GNA - The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) on Thursday urged ECOWAS member States to demonstrate commitment towards the full implementation of sub-regional protocols on free movement of people, goods and services.

"We challenge West African Governments to develop mechanisms to support and facilitate Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) Trade Liberalization Scheme and use the Common External Tariff systems as a measure to safeguard the regional market," Mr Sylvester Bagooro, ISODEC Programme Officer in Charge of Trade, stated at a press conference in Accra.

ISODEC; General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU); Market Access Promotion Network and Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana jointly organized the press conference, in collaboration with the Trade and Farmers groups from Burkina Faso to outline social activism on ECOWAS Trade Week celebration.

The Week being celebrated on the general theme: "Regional Integration: The Key to Poverty Reduction," is to create awareness and sensitise people on the importance of liberalised trade among ECOWAS member States in general and between Ghana and Burkina Faso in particular.

The celebration would also focus on the creation of awareness on the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Goods, People and Services and to strengthen collaboration among ECOWAS member governments, civil society and producer organizations.

The ISODEC further called for the reduction of Motor Traffic and Transport Unit of the Ghana Police Service and Customs, Excise and Preventive Service barriers dotted on the Trans-West Africa Highways. The situation according to ISODEC and its partners did not augur well for the nurturing of mutual trust as well as the creation of an enabling environment for economic development and reduction of poverty through increased trade.

The group also urged West African Governments to recognize the leading role of agriculture and women in agriculture in reducing poverty and enhancing food security, "as they adopt and append their signatures to world treaties".

"Governments should compensate distortions in agricultural policies through the implementation of policies that protect regional farmers and market, which have already suffered from the surges in highly subsidized cheap and dumped imported agriculture produce." 27 April 06