Borderless Alliance: promoting regional economic integration and the free movement in West Africa
ECOWAS PROTOCOLS ON FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS AND PERSONS PRESENTED BY Dr M. SOLA AFOLABI Business...
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Transcript of ECOWAS PROTOCOLS ON FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS AND PERSONS PRESENTED BY Dr M. SOLA AFOLABI Business...
ECOWAS PROTOCOLS ON FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS AND PERSONS
PRESENTED BY
Dr M. SOLA AFOLABIBusiness Environment Adviser
Borderless AllianceBorderless Alliance Conference Lagos
February 26-28, 2014
CONTEXT1975 - CREATION OF ECOWAS COMMUNITY
- COOPERATION
1993- - REVISED TREATY - INTEGRATION- SUPRANATIONALITY
2007- - TRANSFORMATION TO COMMISSION- REPLACE PROTOCOLS WITH SUPPLEMENTARY ACTS TO THE TREATY
ECOWAS TRADE LIBERALIZATION SCHEME
(ETLS)
• ELIMINATION OF TARRIF AND NON TARIF BARRIERS
REMOVAL OF CUSTOMS DUTIES
1975- RAW MATERIALS
1990-INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS
ETLS (Contd)
1- RULES OF ORIGIN-MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF APPROVAL
2- PROHIBITION OF PRODUCTS
3- STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS
4- CAPACITY BULDING FOR NATIONAL FOCAL POWERS
5- LACK OF INFORMATION
INTER STATE ROAD TRANSIT (ISRT)
FREE INTRA-REGIONAL MOVEMENT OF GOODS AND VEHICLES
MAJOR ISSUES
1- TRANSIT FEES
2-NATIONAL GUARANTOR
3-ROAD BLOCKS AND “FACILITATION” PAYMENTS
4- NON CONFORMING VEHICLES
5- NON COMPLIANCE WITH TRANSIT PROCEDURES
ECOWAS REGIONAL CUSTOMS CONNECTIVITY PROJECT
(ALISA)
FEATURES
- REPLACE NATIONAL GUARANTOR WITH …….
- ONE-POINT PAYMENT OF BOND AND TRANSIT FEES
- SCAN, SEAL AND TRACK VEHICLES AND GOODS
- CENTRAL DATABASE OF TRANSIT DECLARATIONS
- ELIMINATION OF BILATERAL DATA EXCHANGE PROTOCOLS
ECOWAS COMMON EXTERNAL TARRIF (CET)
TARRIF BANDS
1- ESSENTIAL SOCIAL GOODS…………...0%, 85 TARIF LINES
2- GOODS OF PRIMARY NECESSITY…….5%, 2146 LINES
3-INPUT AND INTERMEDIATE GOODS……10%, 1373 LINES
4-FINAL CONSUMPTION GOODS……………20%, 2165 LINES
5- SPECIFIC GOODS ……………………...……35%,130 LINES
MAJOR ISSUES
1- OTHER TAXES AND LEVIES
2-SMUGGLING
3-CLASSIFICATION-INADVERTENT OR DELIBERATE (MALICIOUS)
MAJOR ISSUES. COMPLIANCE WITH PROTOCOL
RECIPROCITY
REDRESSE-DISCUSSION
ARBITRATION, COURT OF JUSTICE
WAY FORWARD
ACCELERATED IMPLENTATION OF PROTOCOLS AND ACTS
. MONITORING OF PROTOCOLS
PUBLIC PRIVATE ADVOCACY PLATFORM
JOIN THE BORDERLESS ALLIANCE
CLOSING THOUGHTS
FROM COOPERATION TO A WEST AFRICAN UNION
WORLD CLASS TEXTS
PROBLEM IS IMPLEMENTATION