unprocessed goods, traditional handicraft products, industrial products. The ECOWAS trade liberalisation programme involves three groups of products viz. The Customs Union will among others involve the total elimination of customs duties and taxes of equivalent effect. The objective of the programme is to progressively establish a Customs Union among the Member States of the Community over a period of fifteen years, starting from 1 January, 1990, the date of entry into force of the Scheme. Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal concentrate 87 percent of this trade, with 79 percent of regional imports ($55,520 million per year) and 94 percent of exports and re-exports ($77,792 million per year).Ī main feature of the Community trade policy is ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Programme. It is dominated by mining commodities (oil resources, iron, bauxite, manganese, gold, etc.) and agriculture (coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, fruits and vegetables and other products rather marketed within the region (dry cereals, roots and tubers, livestock products), etc. Today, the total ECOWAS trade has increased by an average of 18 percent per year between 20. The trade surplus of the region, estimated at about $47.3 billion is attributable to Nigeria ($58.4 billion) and Côte d’Ivoire ($3.4 billion) when all other Countries have a deficit in the trade balance. The main active countries in trade are Nigeria, which alone accounts for approximately 76 percent of total trade followed by Ghana (9.2 percent) and Côte d’Ivoire (8.64 percent). Exports are projected at approximately $137.3 billion while imports total about $80.4 billion. The total trade of the region has averaged $208.1 billion. The ECOWAS trade policy is also meant to foster the smooth integration of the region into the world economy with due regard for the political choices and development priorities of states in the desire to engender sustainable development and reduction of poverty. ECOWAS, since its inception has had a trade policy designed to increase intra-regional commerce, raise trade volume and generally galvanise the economic activities within the region in such a way as to positively impact on the economic wellbeing of ECOWAS citizens. What is being awakened now however is trade with development dimension. Time there was when old trading links were still being relied on to sustain business exchanges in the area.