(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/InterMinisterial-Committee-Trade-issue-300x173.jpg) The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Post Ghana Trade Mission Development has proposed a periodic sensitization workshop to educate Nigerian businessmen on ECOWAS Trade Liberalization protocols and conventions.
This was one of the conclusions reached at the Inter-Ministerial Committee meeting to review post Ghana Trade Mission Developments held at the Ministry's Headquarters, Abuja.
The Director of Trade, Mr. David Adejuwon who represented the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment said the meeting with their counterpart from Ghana was successful as the Ghanaian authority gave a fair commitment to review all the previous actions in accordance with the charter of ECOWAS protocols on free movement of persons, residence and right to establish businesses with member countries.
He said the volume of informal trade going in the sub-region encourages development of transnational border market based on the fact that the conventional route from Lagos-Seme-Abidjan was congested and the need to have additional route to capture activities of businesses that will facilitate accurate data generation and sensitization on ECOWAS Trade liberalization protocols and conventions.
(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/InterMinisterial-Committee-Trade-issue1.jpg2_1.jpg) (http://fmi.gov.ng/inter-ministerial-committee-to-sensitize-nigerian-businessmen-on-etl-protocols-and-conventions/interministerial-committee-trade-issue-jpg2-2/) Mrs. Azeez A. Margaret OSGF, Dr. Gbenga Obidemi, Director Trade, ECOWAS Commission, Mr. David Adejuwon, Director Trade, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment,, Bar. Charles J.Etuk, Budget Office, Tony Elumelu, ECOWAS Commission, Emeka-Okeke Ifeyinwa, NACCIMA, Chinwu Uzu, MAN and other member of the Committee at the Inter-Ministerial Committee to review development on post Nigeria/Ghana Trade Mission held at the FMITI's Conference room, Abuja The Ministerial Committee noted that Nigeria has discovered abuses of the ETLS scheme by some member states by allowing goods from outside the region to be traded as ECOWAS goods under the ETLS. They stressed that government has responsibility to provide level of protection for her economy to avoid total collapse and called on ECOWAS Commission to allow some level of flexibility in the implementation of the ETLS protocols to allow countries some level of protection for her local industries in order to consolidate industrialization as well as to maintain favourable balance of trade.
Director Trade, ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Gbenga Obideyemi pointed out that the era of prohibition or protection has gone and is now being replaced with trade liberalization which is more beneficial to the economy and urged Nigeria to embrace trade liberalization.
He drew the attention of the committee to the provision in the ETLS protocol where member states can impose tariff on products, if sharp practice or abuse is observed in the implementation process of the scheme by member state.
In his contribution, the Ag. Director of Customs, ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Salifou Tiemtore, said that ECOWAS citizens have freedom of free movement and right of establishment and no ECOWAS citizen should be subjected to any form of discrimination and urged Nigeria to guide against selective implementation of the ECOWAS protocols.
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria