The Heads of State and Government of fifteen West African Countries established the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) when they signed the ECOWAS Treaty on the 28th of May 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Treaty of Lagos was signed by the 15 Heads of State and government of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sénégal and Togo, with its stated mission to promote economic integration across the region. The Senegalese President was represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Cabo Verde joined the union in 1977. The only Arabic-speaking Member Mauritania withdrew in December 2000. Mauritania recently signed a new associate-membership agreement in Au-gust 2017. On January 29, 2025, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger officially withdrew from ECOWAS.
The current Member States of ECOWAS are Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sénégal and Togo.
Considered one of the pillars of the African Economic Community, ECOWAS was set up to foster the ideal of collective self-sufficiency for its member states. As a trading union, it is also meant to create a single, large trading bloc through economic cooperation. Integrated economic activities as envisaged in the area that has a combined GDP of $734.8 billion, revolve around but are not limited to industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial issues, social as well as cultural matters.
In 2007, ECOWAS Secretariat was transformed into a Commission. The Commission headed by the President, assisted by a Vice President, five Commissioners and the Auditor-General of ECOWAS Institutions, comprising experienced bureaucrats who are providing the leadership in this new orientation.
As part of this renewal process, ECOWAS is implementing critical and strategic programmes that will deepen cohesion and progressively eliminate identified barriers to full integration. In this way, the estimated 300 million citizens of the community can ultimately take ownership for the realization of the new vision of moving from an ECOWAS of States to an “ECOWAS of the People: Peace and Prosperity to All” by 2050.
Founded in 1964, the International Trade Centre started out as four people sitting around a desk brainstorming on how to create an effective trade organization to uplift the economies of the world. It is now a powerful institution of more than 400 persons of diverse backgrounds focused on ‘trade for good’.
ITC is the joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, fully dedicated to supporting small businesses of developing countries to trade. Originally created by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1964, ITC has operated since 1968 under the joint aegis of GATT/WTO and the United Nations, the latter acting through the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). ITC is the focal point in the United Nations system for technical cooperation with developing countries and economies in transition, on trade promotion and export development.
While UNCTAD and WTO work principally with governments, ITC focuses on equipping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to become more competitive in global markets. In this context, ITC translates the business implications of multilateral trade agreements for businesses, so they can understand, shape and benefit from trade rules. ITC thereby helps to build vibrant, sustainable export sectors that provide entrepreneurial opportunities, particularly for women, youth and vulnerable communities.
As a subsidiary agency of UNCTAD and the WTO, ITC is subject to the governing bodies of both. ITC is also subject to the internal oversight procedures of the United Nations. The WTO and UNCTAD are represented in the Joint Advisory Group, which governs ITC’s work, and have a number of joint technical assistance activities with ITC, which include:
The International Trade Centre (ITC) is a key partner of the ECOWAS Trade Promotion Organisation Network (TPON), supporting the development of inclusive and sustainable trade across the region. As a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, ITC provides technical assistance, capacity building, and market intelligence to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through its collaboration with TPON, ITC helps foster regional integration, promote value addition, and enhance the participation of West African businesses in regional and global markets.
First Consultative Meeting of the Heads of ECOWAS TPOs
Preparation of Technical Documents
2nd & 3rd Consultative Meeting of Heads of ECOWAS TPOs
Important Developments July 2021 to May 2022
IATF 2023 Cairo, Egypt
The Heads of State and Government of fifteen West African Countries established the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) when they signed the ECOWAS Treaty on the 28th of May 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Treaty of Lagos was signed by the 15 Heads of State and government of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sénégal and Togo, with its stated mission to promote economic integration across the region. The Senegalese President was represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Cabo Verde joined the union in 1977. The only Arabic-speaking Member Mauritania withdrew in December 2000. Mauritania recently signed a new associate-membership agreement in Au-gust 2017. On January 29, 2025, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger officially withdrew from ECOWAS.
The current Member States of ECOWAS are Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sénégal and Togo.
Considered one of the pillars of the African Economic Community, ECOWAS was set up to foster the ideal of collective self-sufficiency for its member states. As a trading union, it is also meant to create a single, large trading bloc through economic cooperation. Integrated economic activities as envisaged in the area that has a combined GDP of $734.8 billion, revolve around but are not limited to industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial issues, social as well as cultural matters.
In 2007, ECOWAS Secretariat was transformed into a Commission. The Commission headed by the President, assisted by a Vice President, five Commissioners and the Auditor-General of ECOWAS Institutions, comprising experienced bureaucrats who are providing the leadership in this new orientation.
As part of this renewal process, ECOWAS is implementing critical and strategic programmes that will deepen cohesion and progressively eliminate identified barriers to full integration. In this way, the estimated 300 million citizens of the community can ultimately take ownership for the realization of the new vision of moving from an ECOWAS of States to an “ECOWAS of the People: Peace and Prosperity to All” by 2050.
Founded in 1964, the International Trade Centre started out as four people sitting around a desk brainstorming on how to create an effective trade organization to uplift the economies of the world. It is now a powerful institution of more than 400 persons of diverse backgrounds focused on ‘trade for good’.
ITC is the joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, fully dedicated to supporting small businesses of developing countries to trade. Originally created by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1964, ITC has operated since 1968 under the joint aegis of GATT/WTO and the United Nations, the latter acting through the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). ITC is the focal point in the United Nations system for technical cooperation with developing countries and economies in transition, on trade promotion and export development.
While UNCTAD and WTO work principally with governments, ITC focuses on equipping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to become more competitive in global markets. In this context, ITC translates the business implications of multilateral trade agreements for businesses, so they can understand, shape and benefit from trade rules. ITC thereby helps to build vibrant, sustainable export sectors that provide entrepreneurial opportunities, particularly for women, youth and vulnerable communities.
As a subsidiary agency of UNCTAD and the WTO, ITC is subject to the governing bodies of both. ITC is also subject to the internal oversight procedures of the United Nations. The WTO and UNCTAD are represented in the Joint Advisory Group, which governs ITC’s work, and have a number of joint technical assistance activities with ITC, which include:
The International Trade Centre (ITC) is a key partner of the ECOWAS Trade Promotion Organisation Network (TPON), supporting the development of inclusive and sustainable trade across the region. As a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, ITC provides technical assistance, capacity building, and market intelligence to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through its collaboration with TPON, ITC helps foster regional integration, promote value addition, and enhance the participation of West African businesses in regional and global markets.
First Consultative Meeting of the Heads of ECOWAS TPOs
Preparation of Technical Documents
2nd & 3rd Consultative Meeting of Heads of ECOWAS TPOs
Important Developments July 2021 to May 2022
IATF 2023 Cairo, Egypt
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