The Federal Government has urged business owners in the Southeast to take advantage of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) to expand cross-border trade and increase regional market access.
Director of the ECOWAS National Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olawale Emmanuel Awe, made the call on Tuesday in Enugu during a one-day sensitisation workshop for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) themed “Increasing Intra-Regional Trade Through ETLS.”
Awe explained that the ETLS was established to promote economic integration among ECOWAS member states by allowing goods produced within the sub-region to be traded freely without customs duties.
He said the initiative primarily targets entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and petty traders who produce goods locally and seek to expand into the West African market. “Once registered under the scheme, Nigerian manufacturers can export their products to 12 ECOWAS countries without paying customs duties,” he stated.
Awe noted that the scheme, rooted in ECOWAS’ founding vision of 1975, supports the free movement of goods and services while promoting regional prosperity through trade cooperation.
He, however, emphasized that only products genuinely made in Nigeria qualify for the scheme. “We don’t want a situation where someone imports from China and re-exports. Only products made in Nigeria are eligible,” he warned.
According to him, registered businesses must undergo a verification process by the National Approval Committee, which includes officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Trade, SON, NAFDAC, Customs, MAN Export Group, and NEPC.
Awe said the workshop was organised to raise awareness among Southeastern entrepreneurs about the economic benefits of ETLS, urging them to register and take advantage of the opportunity. “Once you don’t pay customs charges, you are as good as selling within Nigeria,” he added.
