Promoting Regional Integration andFree Movement of Goods and People in West Africa

Alisa Hotel, September 14, 2016

By: Ziad Hamoui – Immediate Past President, Borderless Alliance

High cost of transport & logistics

• Long delays at ports and borders

• Harassement along transitcorridors, mainly from uniformed services

• Corruption

Main Findings from Regional Studies in West Africa

Impact on Trade and Transport in West Africa

• Non application of texts/directives of the two RECs (ECOWAS & WAEMU) on the principle of free movement of goods and people, ETLS, CET etc. [ex in Ghana: Axle Weight]

• Low level of economic integration within the region: intra-regional trade levels in Europe 71%, Asia 53%, South America 48%, ECOWAS 11%

Under-investment,

limited access to finance,

energy costs

International markets

(Billions of dollars)

Numerous checkpoints, bribes and

delays along the corridors

Customs procedures

are slow and Complex

Non-tariff barriers, inefficient

transportation

Improper handling, storage, transport

cost prohibitive

(source: UEMOA, 2013)

Main Advocacy Data: The Road Governance Map (OPA)

Logistics performance in West Africa

Doing Business in West Africa

• BORDERLESS was launched as a brand for the USAID/West Africa Trade Hub’s Transport and Road Governance work in March 2010

• Later evolved into an advocacy group; in May 2011, the Borderless Alliance was born. The alliance was formally launched in May 2012

Our Vision is to Promote

• Competitive trade in West Africa, through the removal of barriers to trade and transport;

• Free movement of goods and people through the simplification and harmonization of procedures;

• Investment promotion

Through advocacy

BA Mechanism of Action

• Evaluate situation by look at evidence base (technical reports, observations in the field)

• Identify problem and suggest a line of action

• Initiate action (high-level advocacy meeting, technical workshop, capacity-building activity, public-private dialogue…)

• Follow up on impact of initiated action

Advocacy can yield results:

1. Checkpoints reduced by 13-53%

2. Illicit fees down by 46-70%

3. Delays decreased by 29-61%

(Except Cote d’Ivoire)

(source: USAID/WATH, 2013)

BORDERLESS INITIATIVES• Establishment of Border Information Centers (BICs) to

facilitate the easy movement of goods across borders

• Information Dissemination

• Public/Private Dialogue through Workshops, Roadshows and Caravans for effective policy implementation

• Piloting of e-Platform for addressing Non-Tariff Barriers to trade in West Africa

BICs: Role and activitiesDocumentation and Information Dissemination

TIMELINE1. Ghana/Togo

(August‘11)2. B. Faso/Ghana

(September’12)3. Benin/Nigeria

(December‘12)4. Dakar Port

(March‘13)5. Ghana/Cote d’Ivoire

(May‘13)6. Senegal/Mali

(2016)7. Cote d’Ivoire/

B. Faso (2016)

BICs: Timeline of Deployment

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

BIC Capacity-Building ActivitiesTHEME VENUE PARTICIPANTS

Stakeholders’ Training on border crossing trade

Paga (Ghana)    Seme (Nigeria) 

 Elubo (Ghana)

Customs, Freight Forwarders, Transporters’ Unions, GCNET, BIVAC forwarders, transporters and shipping agents clearing agents

Customs procedures for goods in Transit

Paga (Ghana), Dakola (Burkina Faso)

freight forwarders 

Schemes on importation and exportation

Kodjoviakope (Togo) Noe (Côte d’Ivoire)

freight forwarders freight forwarders, Customs, transporters

Customs duties and operation in the ASYCUDA++

Krake (Benin) 

freight forwarders

Customs regimes and their codification in ASYCUDA++

Porto Novo (Benin) Kodjoviakopé (Togo) Ouagarinter (Burkina Fas)

Customs Officers Clearing agents clearing agents, Customs, COTECNA and CBC 

Training Session on SYADAM

Noe (Côte d’Ivoire) freight forwarders

Road Governance INITIATIVESInformation Dissemination Workshops, Road Shows and Caravans

IN 2014, BORDERLESS ALLIANCE ORGANIZED MORE THAN 40 ACTIVITIES IN 9 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, INVOLVING

RECs, DONORS, UNIFORMED AUTHORITIES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES

BORDERLESS e-Platform to report Non-Tariff Barriers (NTB) in West Africa for effective advocacy

WWW.TRADEBARRIERSWA.COM

• What is the problem?• Where did it happen?• When did it happen?• How can we reach you?

TELL US

Local Action through BA « National Committees »

• Represent and promote the Borderless Alliance,Coordinate national activities

• Identify country specific problems and challenges and find solutions through advocacy

• Monitor and evaluate the decisions taken by the government and affecting the free movement of goods and people and assess their impact on the ground

• Facilitate cooperation and sharing of information among policy makers, the private sector, members of the Borderless Alliance, transport actors and trade

The way forward to capitalize on opportunities and develop initiatives:

1. Further Mobilization of Private Sector on National Level(Increase Membership, Strengthen and Expand National Chapters, Workgroups, etc.…)

2. Implementation of BA Strategic Plan (2013-2017): Inaugurate Additional BICs Additional projects in the pipeline (Trucking Professionalization,

Customs Interconnectivity, Capacity Building, Food Security…) Accelerated implementation and closer monitoring of Regional

Protocols and Acts ( ETLS, ALISA, CET, etc.)

3. Strategic Partnerships - Support from USAID, JICA,DFID, AFDB, EU, etc.- Engaging Regional Authorities Effectively

(ECOWAS, UEMOA, Regional Governments, Regulatory Bodies…)-

WWW.BORDERLESSWA.COMWWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BORDERLESSWAWWW.TWITTER.COM/BORDERLESSWA