ACCRA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday reiterated Ghana's commitment towards facilitating efforts at regional integration and unity.
He was speaking at the presidency during a meeting with Salou Djibo, head of the task force for the implementation of the sub-regional body (ECOWAS) Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS).
President Akufo-Addo said, with ECOWAS having been established some 42 years ago, and trade liberalization agreements being in existence for nearly 40 years, West Africa was yet to reap the benefits of intra-regional trade because of the absence of political will to make the bloc a functioning reality.
He said, with West Africa's population set to hit 500 million people by 2035, the region represented a genuine market with immense opportunities for trade, enterprise and ingenuity.
Djibo said the task force was encouraged with the progress made so far in ensuring the realization of the Free Trade Area (FTA) in West Africa.
He urged President Akufo-Addo to support the mandate and agenda of ETLS, and serve as an advocate for the team in ensuring that his colleague Heads of State adhered to the implementation and realization of the FTA.
Statistics indicate that Intra-African trade, as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) as of 2013, stood at around nine percent, a figure that is low, compared to other regions of the world.
The ETLS is the main ECOWAS operational tool for promoting the West Africa region as a free trade area.
