President Akufo-Addo has stressed the critical importance the regional market of ECOWAS represents in the development of West Africa.

He said with West Africa’s population set to hit 500 million by 2035, the region represents a genuine market with immense opportunities for trade, enterprise and ingenuity.

He highlighted Ghana’s commitment towards facilitating efforts at regional integration and unity.

President Akufo-Addo made the statement when the Head of the Task Force for the implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, ETLS, Lt. Gen. Salou Djibo, who is also the former President of Niger, paid a courtesy call on him at the Flagstaff House.

Lt. Gen. Salou Djibo explained that the Task Force, which was established some 39 years ago, is the main ECOWAS operational tool for promoting the West Africa region as a Free Trade Area.

With low volumes of intra-trade being recorded amongst West African countries, Lt. Gen. Salou Djibo noted that “charity must begin at home.

It is for this reason that ECOWAS, in March 2014, endorsed a Task Force to move around the region to identify the hurdles and challenges stifling free trade, so it can create wealth for the people of the region.