West African trade and integration gets boost from ECOWAS E-Certificate of Origin

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has unveiled its electronic Certificate of Origin, a digital system with the aim of enhancing trade facilitation and curbing fraudulent practices across the region.
In broader terms, the E-Certificate of Origin (e-CO) is also a part of the ECOWAS’ deliberate and sustained efforts to boost intra-regional trade and promote regional integration in West Africa. Speaking at the official launch in Lagos, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Massandje Toure-Litse, praised the e-CO initiative as an important milestone in the region’s quest for seamless cross-border trade while also addressing longstanding challenges tied to trade liberalization. Developing and least-developed countries like those in West Africa “have weak industrial capacity and depend highly on border taxes for economic development,” Toure-Litse noted. “The erosion of customs revenues and non-compliance with origin requirements further exacerbate their precarious economic situations.”
A certificate of origin refers to a specific form, whether on paper or in a digital form, in which the body is empowered to issue it expressly certifying that the goods to which the certificate relates are considered to originate according to the applicable rules of origin. With the proliferation of free trade agreements and the attendant provision of tariff preferences to eligible goods, the determination and certification of origin of goods in international trade is very critical. Within the ECOWAS bloc, the whole manual process relating to the application request for certificate of origin has become cumbersome and very often, subject to fraud.