By Ralph Ese'Donnu Sawyer
Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have re-affirmed their will to establish a common currency for the region and make good their commitment to the Monetary Cooperation Programme and the roadmap to that objective, according to Sierra Leone Press Attaché in Dakar, Ralph Sawyer.
The leaders who included Ivorian president Alhassan Ouattara, described a Customs Union as "a decisive and irreversible phase in the process of consolidating the common market".
In a communiqué issued at the end of an extraordinary summit of the Authority of Heads of State in Dakar, Senegal, the leaders pledged to continue the consolidation of the principles of democracy, good governance, peace and security as enshrined in the relevant ECOWAS protocols.
The nine heads of state who attended the meeting along with other high level delegates from the remaining countries whose heads of state did not attend, encouraged member states to "scrupulously adhere to the Trade Liberalization Scheme, notably through the strict application of the ECOWAS Rules of Origin and the continuation of efforts to eliminate all non -tariff barriers and reactivate the Community Industrial Policy".
The summit stressed the need for "uniformity in duties and taxes necessary for the establishment of the CET" and reaffirmed the commitment of the leaders to the establishment of a single Community levy in the Region’s Custom Zone and to maintain the existing Community Levy in ECOWAS and UEMOA for a transitional period of five years.
The ECOWAS leaders urged the Commission to "expedite the implementation of the pertinent recommendations contained in the report of the Mission of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff".
Sierra Leone’s Delegation to the summit was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Samura Matthew Kamara and included, Minister of Trade and Industry Alhaji Usman Boie Kamara, the Minister of State Finance Foday Mansaray, Ambassador to Senegal Khadijatu Bassir and foreign ministry officials.
(C) Politico 31/10/13
