Intra-regional trade in agricultural and food products is crucial for West Africa’s food system resilience, but persistent challenges result in lower official trade flows compared to other regions of Africa.
Several policies have been formulated to facilitate and strengthen trade flows throughout the subregion.
These include, among others, the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), the ECOWAS Common Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
While the adoption of these policies and frameworks may be lauded, the evidence suggests that ECOWAS member states are struggling with the implementation of these normative policies.
Subsequently, through the World Bank financed $1.2 billion West Africa Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), ECOWAS has designed and introduced the ECOWAS Agriculture Trade and Market Scorecard (EATM-S) as a flagship initiative, to monitor and enhance member states’ compliance with agreed standards.
The good
West Africa has been a well-established, integrated region since the early eighth century and was home to the first known African empires, such as the Ghana empire and the Mali empire (also known as Mandé) in the 13th century, which included territories of several current West African countries.
Both empires had strong trade relationships with their neighbours.
In addition to gold, copper, and salt, agricultural products were highly traded in the region (Source: Niane, 1987).
Created in 1975, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established to pursue stability and regional integration in Africa and, over time, has expanded its mandate to include political dimensions.
A major milestone was achieved shortly thereafter, with the launch of the ETLS in 1979 to foster regional trade.
The ETLS first covered agricultural and unprocessed products (for food security reasons) and handicrafts, before it was extended to industrial products in 1990.
The bad
Irrespective of all these regional strides, the harmony hoped for, is but a mirage across the sub-region. As we speak, there is no evidence that this phenomenon has changed over the period.
Barriers, checkpoints, never-ending pull-overs and road inspections still exist.
High custom duties and other petty charges, near-intimidating documentation requirements at borders, administrative obstacles, long hours and delays, restrictions and prohibitions and poor road infrastructure across countries persist; not to mention, robbery, harassments and abuse of female traders, and civil wars continue to plague trade activities in the sub-region.
When it comes to traders in food and agri produce, the perilous impacts cut even deeper. Imagine moving tomatoes from one country to another and doing that through numerous barrier-stops, getting pulled-over and parked for hours, exposing foodstuffs to the mercy of extreme weather.
This certainly leads to the foodstuffs losing their nutritional value – that is, if they ever get to their destination markets in any marketable shape.
This erodes the profit margin of the trader – hence the tendency to marginally hike prices of the few that make it to the market, to make up for the losses.
It also discourages more traders from participating in the enterprise, leaving the trade to only a handful of traders to dictate terms in the marketplace.
Livestock are also not spared the dread. Travelling long distances on mostly bumpy roads disorients them, in addition to dehydration under the scorching sun across time zones. Some eventually are unable to survive the journey.
The promise
At the dawn of his second term, President John Dramani Mahama embarked on a number of ‘Good Neighbourliness Tours’ aimed at reinforcing diplomatic and economic relations with Ghana’s neighbouring countries.
During his visit to Mali, he highlighted the vital role that long-distance truck drivers play in the economies of both nations.
He acknowledged the existing challenges faced by these transporters, including cumbersome customs procedures, roadblocks, delays at border crossings, and unofficial fees imposed along the route.
The President expressed his administration’s unwavering commitment to strengthening regional trade by ensuring that all barriers hindering the smooth transportation of goods between Ghana and Mali are removed.
Similarly, in Burkina Faso, President Mahama announced ongoing discussions to introduce direct daily flights between Accra and Ouagadougou.
This initiative aims to boost trade, connectivity and cross-border relations between Ghana and Burkina Faso, further strengthening bilateral ties.
These moves from Ghana are indeed crucial for fostering intra-regional trade and economic growth and enhancing relations between Ghana and its neighbours.
Shadows of ECOMOG
‘FSRP Ghana’ believes that where trade and commerce fail to go, conflicts and hunger go! In the past, ECOWAS was primarily recognised for its peacekeeping activities within the subregion, particularly through the ECOWAS Cease-fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG).
Ghana has been pivotal in these efforts geared at fostering and entrenching regional peace and stability – through the contribution of troops, ammunition, intelligence, funding and sterling diplomacy.
But now, marching forward, ECOWAS, the World Bank, Ghana and sister FSRP nations are taking up arms against hunger, climate perils and food insecurity.
From the perspective of ‘FSRP Ghana’, ECOWAS-led peace-keeping efforts offered a platform for Ghana to showcase her GENERALS.
In like manner, an ECOWAS-led campaign against food insecurity should produce ‘Generals-In-Agriculture’ for Ghana!
The writer is the Communications & Knowledge Management Specialist of the World Bank’s West Africa FSRP, coordinated by ECOWAS through Government of Ghana and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
