Ougadougou: Civil society organizations recommend common language policy

[Harold F. Schiffman]

CSO wants CET agreements to centre on employment generation
Posted: Jan 23 2006

Civil society organizations at the end of a five-day conference in
Ouagadougou have in a communique called on governments of ECOWAS countries
to make job creation the focus of negotiations on the Common External
Tariff CET agreement. Participants also recommended that the negotiations
pay due attention to concerns raised by member countries in line with
reductions in customs revenue and industrial protection.

According to representatives of various civil society organizations
present at the meeting, the provisions of the CET with its accompanying
Free Trade Area agreement have the tendency to reduce the revenue base of
member countries through removal of tariffs. They also argued that
policies adopted by these agreements have no room for the protection of
domestic industries in ECOWAS states. Another area of contention that
informed the position of the conference is the allegation that CET and the
Free Trade Agreement are being tied to the Economic Partnership Agreement
EPA with the EU on investment, competition policy and transparency on
government procurement.

They argue that that should be dropped from the WTO Doha work programme.
The final communique stated that these developments are attempts to
undermine policy sovereignty of member countries and called on ECOWAS to
delay the start of substantive negotiations on the EPAs, until such time
that a comprehensive impact assessment of the various countries are
submitted.

It however lends a strong support for the Cotonou agreement that the EPAs
be a tool for development and poverty reduction.

 We call that emphasis be placed on making additional and easily
accessible, substantial resources available to find the support,
capacities, infrastructure development, diversifications, competitiveness
and adjustments cost of ACP states.

We support the demand for the amendment of article 24 to remove the
requirement trade agreement between developed and developing countries, he
said.

The conference also wants governments of member countries to fast track
the implementation of ECOWAS protocols to promote regional integration.
It proposed a common language policy for West Africa. In all emphasis was
placed on the commitment and cooperation of policy makers in member states
to implement all programmes to the interest of their people.

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