ITC, EU tackle reforms to ECOWAS business competition policies - ITREALMS

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The International Trade Centre (ITC), has provided insights into the proposed policy options and reforms outlined in a position paper entitled "Policy and Legal Options to Promote MSMEs under the ECOWAS and AfCFTA Competition Frameworks" reports ITREALMS.

ITC is a United Nations agency dedicated to small business trade, while the reform outline was presented to representatives from regional business associations in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).


The business associations explored the benefits of competition from the perspective of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and how robust competition laws and policies can create a level playing field for businesses.


The paper includes several recommendations to promote MSMEs, for instance through: legal provisions, by granting them blanket exemptions from competition rules to alleviate administrative burdens.

bid-rigging provisions and joint-bidding facilitation, by explicitly prohibiting bid rigging within the ECOWAS competition framework, thereby distinguishing between serious and non-serious bid rigging, and providing exemptions for MSMEs involved in non-serious bid-rigging.

AfCFTA Protocol on Competition and Procurement, by developing specific provisions on public procurement within the AfCFTA Protocol on Competition to support harmonization.

In collaboration with key stakeholders and funded by the European Union (EU), the workshop took place as part of ITC’s West Africa Competitiveness (WACOMP) programme, which supports selected value chains at national and regional levels and promotes structural transformation and better access to markets.


Participants, included the Federation of West African Employers Association (FWAEA), the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FEWACCI), the Federation of West Africa Manufacturers Associations (FEWAMA), and the Federation of Business-Women and Entrepreneurs (FEBWE), among others.

The second day of the workshop will focus on feedback and the paper’s revised version, followed by its validation. Additionally, the roundtable will prepare for a policy dialogue session with the ECOWAS commission.

Remmy Nweke/DoP