While visiting Tunis last Monday, the president of the commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Marcel de Souza, signed with Tunisian authorities a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aiming to elaborate a roadmap for the promotion of economic cooperation between Tunisia and the sub-regional institution.

The MoU which concerns the sectors of agriculture, trade and development, will serve as a base for the creation of a free-trade zone between the two parties.

While the meeting in Tunis is major milestone in the process of adhesion of Tunisia to ECOWAS, the Northern African nation will keep its status of observer until the next meetings of the integration body which will be held in November 2018, in Lomé.

“For now, Tunisia will take part to the upcoming meetings of the community, planned for November, in Togo, this, as an observer,” said Tunisia’s minister of foreign affairs, Khemaies Jhinaoui (picture).

Tunisian authorities want to boost trade with West African nations to more than 10% of the country’s total trade volume, this is against 1% at the moment.

The sudden interest of Northern African nations for West Africa attests of the huge potential of the ECOWAS market. With a population of more than 320 million people, mainly youths, paired with the growing quality of workforce, the community holds many opportunities both in terms of investments and trade.

Fiacre E. Kakpo