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Osinbajo Calls on ECOWAS Community to Develop More Trade
Initiatives, Explore Intra-African Trade Opportunities Under AFCFTA
Nigeria's Vice President, Prof. Yemi
Osinbajo, has called on the
ECOWAS community to develop
more trade initiatives and explore the
Intra-African trade opportunities under
the African Continental Free Trade Area
(AFCFTA).
The Vice President made this statement at
the inaugural gala night of the Economic
Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) Trade Promotion Organizations
(TPO) Network.
He added that the AFCFTA presents an
opportunity for the ECOWAS community
to drive more trade initiatives and expand
intra-regional trade in the ECOWAS subregion.
According to the Vice President, the TPO
Network, which was established with the
support of the International Trade Centre
(ITC), “is a farsighted and insightful
initiative of the ECOWAS, trade promotion
organizations in the ECOWAS community.
He stressed that the Network must present
a trustworthy platform for cross learning
and the sharing of knowledge and
information assets.
“The vision of our Heads of State and
Governments in resolving to establish this
network (TPO) is to build a more robust
and broader economic space for trade and
investment.
“A major part of that effort is that the
network serves as a platform for
businesses and trade promotion agencies
in our sub-region to share knowledge and
business opportunities, and develop trade
capacity in our sub-region.”
Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
of trade prosperity for the people of the West
Africa region and, indeed, the continent,” he
added.
Commending the ECOWAS and the TPO
network for the success of the launch and its
First Annual General Assembly, the Vice
President noted that “there is the imminent
task of enabling our region benefit maximally
from the AfCFTA and other intra and extra
regional export opportunities.”
The President of ECOWAS TPO Network is the
Executive Director/CEO, Nigerian Export
Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Segun Awolowo;
and the Vice President is the CEO of Cote
By Tobi Owoyimika
d’Ivoire Export Promotion Organisation, Mr. Guy
M'Bengue.
Dignitaries present at the event include the wife of
the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; Ministers
of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Industry,
Trade and Investment; Otunba Niyi Adebayo; his
colleague Minister of State, Ambassador Mariam
Katagum; Executive Director/CEO, NEPC, Segun
Awolowo; the CEO of Cote d’Ivoire Export
Promotion Organisation, Mr. Guy M'Bengue; the
Vice President, ECOWAS Commission, Finda
Koroma; among other senior government officials
and development partners.
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According to the ECOWAS, the TPO
Network is a public-sector led entity and
will work in partnership with the ECOWAS
commission to drive inclusive trade
development initiatives within West Africa
and beyond.
Prof. Osinbajo further said the Network
has world class human resource capacity
to succeed in achieving its set objectives.
“The combined experience of the TPOs
that form the network is mind boggling.
Second is our confidence in your resilience
and commitment, which assures us that
beyond the tunnel of those obvious
challenges lies the bright light of a new era
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