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ECOWAS

Economic Community Of West African States


EPA October deadline may be missed
Dr Cheikh Tidiane Dieye, Trade Programme Co-ordinator for Civil Society Organizations in West Africa, is sure that negotiations would probably continue till January 2010 since both the EU and ECOWAS had not agreed on the percentage of the market they intend to be liberalized.
West Africa: Regional EPA targets October
The European Union and the West African countries have agreed to conclude a regional agreement on trade in goods and development cooperation by October 2009.
Europe’s abusive EPA condemned as it tears Africa apart
Now, Africans are hitting back at Europe
ECOWAS, EU free trade agreement on a cliff hanger
There were strong indications last week that the free trade agreement between Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union may not be signed before its subsisting deadline-June 30th 2009 because of the need to protect the collective regional interest of ECOWAS States.
ECOWAS gives fresh terms for free trade with EU
Forty days to the June 30, 2009 signing of the free trade agreement between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU), the sub-Saharan bloc has raised fresh issues that need to be resolved before the pact is sealed.
Report: Plummeting profits drive tomato farmers to suicide
With cross-border price-undercutting, mounting debt and a lack of buyers, many tomato farmers in Ghana’s Upper East Region are turning to suicide. Yet with European Union Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) currently being negotiated, West African markets are about to be flooded with heavily subsidised EU products
26 African states sign free trade area agreement
Twenty six African countries seeking to merge their economies into a single trading bloc that controls a combined wealth of $ 624m and a market of 527m people moved to a definitive stage after their leaders approved plans to establish a free trade area early this week.
West Africa: Don’t Conclude Regional EPA in June 2009 -Gapto
Members of the Ghana Agricultural Producers and Traders Organisation (GAPTO) have called on the governments of the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) not to conclude the Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with European Union (EU) in June, this year.
Nigeria gets 600 million euros EU grant for trade and regional integration
The European Commission (EC) will give Nigeria 600 million euros to assist it in the areas of trade and regional integration, the head of the EC delegation to Nigeria, Mr. Dennis Theulin said here Friday.
’Unrealistic timetable hinders Ecowas’ conclusion on EPA’
West Africa civil society platform of the Economic Partnership Agreement has said unrealistic timetable constituted the main constraint facing the Economic Community of West African States in reaching a conclusion on the agreement.
ECOWAS civil society groups kick against trade deals with EU
Civil society organisations have asked governments of ECOWAS countries to suspend all trade-related negotiations with the EU.
Ecowas: EU policy supersedes Ghana’s interim EPA deal
Ghana would by September next year cease to adhere to the rules and conditions of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement that it signed with the European Commission in December 2007 when the ECOWAS-EU policy comes into force.
Why Nigeria refused to sign EPA - ECOWAS
The ECOWAS Trade Commissioner, Mohammed Daramy, has given some of the many reasons why Nigeria refused to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which deadline expired on December 31, 2007.
Nigeria "threatens" neighbours in wake of bilateral EPAs
West African states are working at salvaging regional relations with a renewed attempt to collectively negotiate an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union.
Ecowas EPA - the facts and the falacies
From Ken Ukaoha, National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS)
West Africa bloc aims for EU trade deal by June ’09
West African countries agreed on Monday on an 18-month timetable to negotiate and sign a regional economic partnership agreement with Europe by June 2009, top officials said.
Ghana joins rush to secure EU trade
Ghana signed an interim trade deal with the European Union on Thursday, joining a rush among poor countries to safeguard exports to the world’s biggest trading bloc after preferential terms expire at the end of the year.
Ivory Coast initials interim trade deal with EU
Ivory Coast inked an interim trade accord with the European Union on Friday as the bloc pushes for deals with as many former European colonies as possible before preferential trade terms expire on December 31. The top cocoa producer is the first West African country to sign a bilateral deal, breaking ranks with the region’s ECOWAS economic community.
EU Trade Negotiations Heading for a Stalemate
West Africa is sticking by its demand for an extended World Trade Organisation waiver for trade with Europe, rejecting an EU call for new interim commercial deals by December 31.
TUC to go to court over EPA
The Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) on Friday served notice to government that it would avail itself of all legal instruments to stop the signing and/or implementation of either the full Economic Partnership Agreement or the EPA-light.