WEST AFRICA BRIEF www.west-africa-brief.org No. 279, 28 June - 14 July 2019 ▷ West Africa in the African Continental Free Trade Area ▷ ECOWAS summit focuses on security issues ▷ Swiss Africa Business Innovation Initiative ▷ Abuja roundtable on transnational security issues ▷ Must read: Co-operating across borders: Tackling illicit flows ▷ Must read: Sahel: Fighting inequality to respond to development and security challenges ▷ Opinion: The AfCFTA is laudable, but its imminent benefits are overstated ▷ Maps & Facts: The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) ▷ Who’s who: Germaine Acogny, mother of African contemporary dance WEST AFRICA IN THE AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA heart of the continental integration process. Nigeria – along with Benin – eventually signed the AfCFTA agreement a few hours ahead of the summit. The Nigerian government was for a long time reluctant to support regional trade liberalisation and faced domestic opposition. Some Nigerian officials expressed concern that the country could be flooded with low-priced goods, which would impede the development of local manufacturing and farming. As the continent’s largest economy, Nigeria’s participation in the free trade area is critical for its success. The AfCTA agreement © AU acknowledges existing regional economic communities “as building blocs towards the establishment of AfCFTA”. African leaders launched the operational phase of the Within the ECOWAS area, AfCFTA will add an additional layer new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) at the to existing regional trade agreements. The ECOWAS area 12th Extraordinary African Union Summit on 7 July in Niamey, has the largest number of legal agreements, including the Niger. The 54-nation trade bloc is set to become the biggest ECOWAS Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and integrated market worldwide, uniting some 2.5 billion Goods (1978) and the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme people by 2050. Members have committed to eliminate (ETLS - 1979), the main operational tool for promoting West tariffs on most goods, which is expected to increase trade Africa as a free trade area. However, in practice, it has been in the region by 15-25% in the medium term. The African challenging to implement these agreements. AfCFTA will Union’s goal is to make the free-trade area instruments mainly change the relationship between ECOWAS countries operational by July 2020. To date, 27 countries have ratified and non-member countries. In line with the aspirations of the AfCFTA instruments. The official launch of the new Agenda 2063, the role of AfCFTA is to liberalise trade among AfCFTA at the Niamey summit is a diplomatic success for all African countries. According to current estimates, intra- Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou, a designated “AfCFTA regional trade in Africa accounted for only 17% of exports Champion.” Niger is in the spotlight, illustrating its capacity in 2017 versus 59% in Asia and 69% in Europe. However, to host some 3 000 delegates and experts from across the official statistics fail to account for the true extent of regional continent. More than 30 heads of state and government markets and these figures do not reflect the large amount participated in the event. Ghana has been chosen to host of informal trade within Africa. AfCFTA is an opportunity to AfCFTA’s permanent secretariat, placing the country at the deepen economic integration beyond West Africa. The West Africa Brief is published by the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD). It presents political, economic and social developments in the region. Special focus is given to news regarding regional organisations (ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS) as well other SWAC Members’ activities. The articles should not be reported as representing the offi cial views of the OECD or of its member countries. Contact: [email protected] SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA Club www.west-africa-brief.org Secretariat ECOWAS SUMMIT FOCUSES ON SECURITY ISSUES common strategy both at the national and regional levels.” Mohammed Ibn Chambas, special representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of UNOWAS, urged the West African leaders to enhance “quantitative and qualitative participation of the youth, women and persons living with disabilities in elective and decision-making positions. […] This will make the growing democracies more inclusive and meaningful,” he said. In the field of peace, security and stability, West African leaders firmly condemned terrorist attacks and inter-community violence, including clashes © ECOWAS related to seasonal migration. They also reviewed the political situation in Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Togo. ECOWAS leaders gathered at the 55th Ordinary Session of They welcomed the newly launched “Accra Initiative,” which the Authority of Heads of State and Government on 29 June promotes joint operational co-operation in the fight against in Abuja, Nigeria. Taking stock of 44 years of co-operation, terrorism between Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, they committed to consolidating the region’s integration. Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo. Niger’s President Issoufou However, security challenges continue to undermine Mahamadou was appointed as new chair of the ECOWAS West Africa’s integration efforts. “We are all witness to the Authority of Heads of State and government for a one- recurring incidents of inter-communal clashes, herder- year term, taking over from President Buhari. An ECOWAS farmer conflicts, banditry and terrorists attacks in all extraordinary summit will be held on 14 September 2019 in our countries”, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to better co-ordinate the fight declared while calling upon other heads of state “to act against terrorism. The next ordinary session is scheduled to collectively in order to end the menace by adopting a take place on 21 December 2019 in Abuja. SWISS AFRICA BUSINESS INNOVATION INITIATIVE The Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, modules on business plan development and funding Education and Research has launched an initiative to mechanisms and candidates will receive individual support entrepreneurs and start-up companies active in coaching sessions. Eight candidates will be selected to the fields of mobile health, pharmacometrics, innovative participate in an entrepreneurial development week in financing or digital humanities (knowledge transfer) in Switzerland, which is scheduled to take place in the spring sub-Saharan Africa. More particularly, the Swiss Africa of 2020. The initiative is implemented in collaboration with Business Innovation Initiative (SABII) aims to boost the AfriLabs, the largest network of African technology hubs, entrepreneurial know-how and exposure of sub-Saharan the University of Basel and VentureLab, offering capacity- graduate students. Selected candidates will be invited building support for starts-ups in Switzerland and beyond. to participate in a three-day workshop in Addis Ababa, The deadline to apply is 31 July 2019. Ethiopia on 25-27 October 2019. The workshop will include ABUJA ROUNDTABLE ON TRANSNATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES As part of its transnational security series, the Munich the relevant regional mechanisms of ECOWAS, which I Security Council organised a roundtable debate on the currently have the privilege of chairing,” he added. President eve of the ECOWAS summit on 28 June in Abuja. The event Kaboré recalled that West Africa already has a way to make brought together high-level government representatives, a “collective response,” notably within the G5 Sahel, which security experts and business leaders from across the aims to combat transnational threats. “This collective region. Participants discussed new ways to co-operate response has contributed to strengthening regional co- and counter illicit flows and other transnational crimes. operation and improving governance mechanisms,” President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and President President Kaboré declared. Participants discussed key Christian Roch Kaboré of Burkina Faso introduced the findings from the transnational security report entitledm debate. “The porous nature of our borders is a major “Co-operating Across Borders: Tackling Illicit Flows”, challenge to our region. In this context, we will continue to which was officially launched during the event. The SWAC count on the support of our international partners for new Secretariat participated in the event, along with many technologies to effectively police our borders,” declared high-level participants such as former Nigerian President President Buhari in his opening address. “We have taken Olusegun Obasanjo and Maman Sambo Sidikou, permanent important steps to address some of our security concerns secretary of the G5 Sahel. through improved political governance as contained in MUST READ CO-OPERATING ACROSS BORDERS: TACKLING ILLICIT FLOWS Launched at the occasion of the and identifies possible co-operative transnational security issues approaches to address the issue, roundtable in June, this report building on the ongoing efforts of multilateral and national bodies. The Transnational Security Report provides some examples of Cooperating Across Borders: Tackling Illicit Flows transnational illicit flows that SWAC Secretariat’s “Borders and cities endanger global security by funding in West Africa” collection is presented conflicts and perpetuating instability. in the “Food for Thought” section. The It focuses on four key areas of illicit SWAC Secretariat also contributed flows: people, goods,