Ivory Coast and Ghana select products to facilitate trade
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Ecowas
Ivory Coast and Ghana have selected an initial list of products to implement their agreement on mutual recognition of inspection certificates. They also approved a pilot action plan to reduce technical barriers and facilitate bilateral trade, according to the Economic Community of West African States Commission.
Ivory Coast and Ghana have selected an initial list of priority products to test mutual recognition of their inspection certificates. The decision was taken at a bilateral meeting organised from 21 to 23 October in Grand-Bassam by the ECOWAS Commission and TradeMark Africa.
The two countries also adopted an operational action plan and agreed to use ECOWAS’s harmonised inspection procedures, including those covering sanitary and phytosanitary controls. They will continue national consultations to prepare for implementation of the mutual recognition agreement.
The recommendations include designating competent authorities, creating a technical management committee, strengthening the capacities of inspection bodies and reviving the cross-border management committee. The agreement aims to reduce repeated inspections, compliance costs and border delays while maintaining product quality and safety standards.
ECOWAS trade and industry ministers approved the agreement on 16 May 2025 in Abuja. The pilot project between Ivory Coast and Ghana is intended to serve as a basis for gradually extending mutual recognition along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor and then to other member states.
