Ghana will meet Nigeria and Cote d�lvoire this month to discuss ways of enhancing and improving trade among the three West African countries who are considered high developed countries in the sub region.
The meeting which is being arranged by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Hannah Tetteh, will involve the other trade ministers from the sub region.
Ms Tetteh who disclosed this in an interaction with some financial journalists emphasized the need for the West African sub region to trade among them to improve exports revenue.
First half year result of non-traditional exports commodities indicated that the ECOWAS sub region continues to become a strong destination for Ghanaian products, trailing the European Union which is the biggest market. During the first quarter, the ECOWAS sub region grew remarkably by 48.12 percent for the first time in history.
And the Minister of Trade said the meeting would be geared towards the removal of bottlenecks which has impeded smooth trading of goods among West African countries. Market watchers contend that the removal of impediments, especially on the boarders, would help boost the country�s exports and thereby help with the African continent�s quest of integrating their economies.
Though the ECOWAS sub region has been liberalized under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS), most companies find it difficult in transporting their goods to other neighboring countries because of obstacles such as harassment of traders at boarders.
The objective of the ETLS is to establish a Customs Union among all member states, aimed at the total elimination of customs duties and taxes of equivalent effect, removal of non-tariff barriers and the establishment of a Common Customs External Tariff to protect goods.
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