The ECOWAS Commission has launched its ECOWAS Electronic Certificate of Origin (E-CO) to facilitate cross – border movement of goods within the sub- region.
The event brought together representatives of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, African Development Bank, GIZ, World Customs Organisation, UEMOA Commission, Regional Economic Communities, TradeMark Africa, ECOWAS member states and members of the organised private sector.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mrs. Massandje Toure–Liste, said during the launched instrument yesterday in Lagos that the electronic certificate not only transcends national to regional levels but will assist in eliminating signatures and human intervention, drastically reduce fraud and engendering transparency.
Represented by the Director of Customs Union and Taxation, Mr. Salifou Tiemtore, she said the new regime besides boosting confidence will also facilitate cross border movement of community goods.
She said that the new clearance regime is expected to have a significant and positive impact on the cross-border movement of goods in the ECOWAS region.
ECOWAS Commission’s Head of Program, Bernard Tayoh, expressed excitement over the launch, describing it as a significant milestone.
He said: “We hope it will go a long way toward facilitating the determination of the origin of goods by border agencies.
For the Community, it will surely enhance intra-community trade and boost the economic competitiveness of Member States.
Since 2019, ECOWAS began the project of digitizing the community certificate of origin and developing a regional electronic certificate of origin Hub (e-CO Hub) for the transmission and reception of the digitized certificates whilst at the same time working with four pilot member states to automate the application for and delivery of the certificate of origin at the national level.