{"id":1275,"date":"2025-05-02T20:54:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T20:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/?p=1275"},"modified":"2025-05-02T20:55:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T20:55:04","slug":"ecowas-deputy-speaker-afenyo-markin-calls-for-urgent-reforms-to-boost-intra-african-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/ecowas-deputy-speaker-afenyo-markin-calls-for-urgent-reforms-to-boost-intra-african-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"ECOWAS Deputy Speaker Afenyo-Markin Calls for Urgent Reforms to Boost Intra-African Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rabat, Morocco \u2013 May 2025<\/em> \u2013 The Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin of Ghana, has delivered a powerful appeal for dismantling structural barriers hampering intra-African trade. Speaking at the prestigious Crans Montana Forum in Morocco, Afenyo-Markin urged African governments and regional institutions to address exorbitant port costs, poor transport infrastructure, and the absence of coherent industrial policy, which collectively weaken the continent\u2019s trade competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his remarks, Afenyo-Markin recounted a failed trade deal that underscores the systemic issues at play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInitially, importing poultry from Morocco was cheaper than sourcing it from Brazil or the Netherlands,\u201d he explained. \u201cBut once port charges and tariffs were factored in, the cost tripled. Moroccan investors withdrew, and the opportunity vanished.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Ghanaian legislator described how high port fees and inefficient customs processes derailed the proposed partnership between Moroccan exporters and Ghanaian agribusinesses\u2014an incident he said reflects a broader pattern of lost opportunities across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He highlighted the particular plight of landlocked countries such as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, which depend on ports in coastal nations like Ghana, C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, Togo, and Senegal. However, many of these gateways remain burdened by mismanagement, poor infrastructure, and security threats along key trade corridors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe speak of regional integration, yet the transport network between Ghana and Lagos remains fragmented,\u201d he said. \u201cRail links are inadequate, roads are plagued by inefficiencies, bureaucracy, and insecurity.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

While recognizing the potential of regional frameworks like ECOWAS, SADC, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Afenyo-Markin cautioned that their success hinges on real investment in transport infrastructure and the harmonization of trade regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithout addressing the high cost of doing business within the continent and aligning our policies, intra-African trade will remain less appealing compared to trade with Europe or Asia\u2014further weakening local production and industrial growth,\u201d he warned.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To address these challenges, the ECOWAS Deputy Speaker issued a call for urgent reforms, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Streamlining port charges and customs procedures<\/strong><\/li>
  • Investing heavily in cross-border transport infrastructure<\/strong><\/li>
  • Harmonizing industrial and trade policies across regions<\/strong><\/li>
  • Enhancing security and reducing bureaucracy along trade corridors<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Afenyo-Markin\u2019s message added urgency to the longstanding conversation about unlocking Africa\u2019s trade potential from within, urging stakeholders not just to speak of integration but to act decisively in building the systems that can make it a reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin of Ghana, has delivered a powerful appeal for dismantling structural barriers hampering intra-African trade. Speaking at the prestigious Crans Montana Forum in Morocco, Afenyo-Markin urged African governments and regional institutions to address exorbitant port costs, poor transport infrastructure, and the absence of coherent industrial policy, which collectively weaken the continent\u2019s trade competitiveness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[284,369,1006],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1275"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1280,"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1275\/revisions\/1280"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanewsradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}