Deloitte, NACCIMA lead private sector awareness campaign for ETLS

Akintola Williams Deloitte has partnered Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and agriculture (NACCIMA) to generate more public awareness for the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) established by 15 member nations of the African regional body, ECOWAS.

 

At a workshop that held on Tuesday, 4 March, 2017, in Lagos, the two organisations reiterated their commitment to encouraging and facilitating trade between member countries within the ECOWAS region.

They also noted that educating exporters and manufacturers on the importance of the scheme was crucial to increasing significantly the volume of trade in the region and addressing the issues and challenges that have plagued the scheme’s implementation.  

“When effectively implemented, the ETLS will improve trade flows among countries, and also, their GDP will perform better with enhanced economic opportunities, corresponding increase in incomes, jobs creation, with attendant reduction on poverty and enhanced development,” said Emmanuel Cobham, director general, NACCIMA.

Aissata Koffi, head of ETLS and customs directorate, ECOWAS Commission, in her keynote stated that the scheme has many benefits for the participating 15 countries. ETLS helps them to specialise in certain goods where they have comparative advantage. It also strengthens the ECOWAS economy on the basis of creation of a strong tax reform within the region.

By increasing production capacity members are impacted in a number of ways; first the production capacity of the value chain leading to increased export; second, the quality and quantity of local production due to the increased demand; finally employment growth.

“The common external tariff is one of the major advantages of the ETLS because the higher external tariffs, the higher a country’s revenue,” Koffi said.

Isiak Imam, deputy director, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commended the partnership formed by Deloitte and NACCIMA to drive the message of ETLS to the Nigerian businesses.

“This is the first time we are having a private-sector led sensitization. Before now it used to be the government, its agencies and ECOWAS taking the initiative. The private sector must take ownership of the initiative for it to achieve its objectives,” Imam said.

He however stated that ECOWAS must address the issue of technicality and difficulty people undergo when filling the ETLS form.

So far, he noted, 1,735 businesses have gotten through with the ETLS certification process and are currently exporting their businesses to countries within the region.

Other stakeholders who attended the workshop urged the regional body to ensure challenges businesses face in getting approval is resolved as soon as possible.