Skip to main content

ECOWAS to reach common external tariff from January 2017

ecowas

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has decided to reach effective application of the common external tariff from Jan. 1, 2017 by the whole of its 15 member states.

A release stated that the decision was reached on Monday night in Cotonou.

It noted that the decision had become imperative as only nine member states apply the common external tariff that came into force in January 2015.

The ECOWAS common external tariff launched during a meeting of head of states and governments in December 2014 in Abuja, Nigeria, was adopted in January 2006.

“The completion of the common external tariff will be a milestone in the establishment of a customs union as part of ECOWAS’s integration programme.

The release said that it underscored that the success of the West-African integration depends on the creation of a common market through the liberalisation of trade and the adoption of a common external tariff.

It said that to reach the goal, ECOWAS assigned team of consultants in the 15 member-states to assess the situation and identify the inherent difficulties.

“A synthetic report of evaluation missions will be submitted to members of joint management committee of the common external tariff, which is expected to hold a meeting next Monday or Tuesday in Dakar, Senegal,’’ it said.

The release said that the meeting of Dakar would be the opportunity for the ECOWAS commission to work, especially with the six member states that fail to apply the common external tariff.

It noted that the Dakar meeting would help overcome existing barriers to ensure effective implementation of the common external tariff in all ECOWAS member-States from January 1st, 2017.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Man docked for defiling 9-year-old girl

magistrate-court A 33-year-old man, Godwin Otobo, was on Monday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.For allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, ‎Otobo, who lives at No. 10, Borrow Pit St., Sangotedo-Ajah area of Lagos, was said to have defiled the underage girl whose parents also reside in the same compound. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 9.00 p.m. sometimes in September. “The accused defiled the girl in the night when she was fetching water.‎ “The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Osayande told the court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement. Ruling on a bail application filed by the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade...
Post a Comment
Read more