Ghana, ECOWAS partner to reduce trade bottlenecks
The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry (MoTAI), in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the German Development Cooperation, has launched the ECOWAS Electronic Certificate of Origin (e-CO) in Ghana.
The initiative forms part of ongoing efforts to streamline trade processes and enhance the free movement of goods across West Africa.
The digital certificate which replaces the traditional paper-based system is expected to eliminate bureaucratic delays, reduce fraud and improve efficiency in cross-border trade.
It marks a major milestone in the full digitalisation of trade certification under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), a key policy framework aimed at promoting intra-regional commerce.
Ghana joins Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Nigeria in implementing the e-CO following a successful pilot across the four countries.
The system, which is integrated with electronic signatures and validation mechanisms, is aligned with international best practices and designed to increase trust and competitiveness within the region’s trade ecosystem.
The launch in Accra yesterday brought together representatives from government agencies, the private sector and development partners, all of whom welcomed the digital advancement.
It was followed by a stakeholder sensitisation event which provided training and guidance on the use of the platform.
Reform
The Director of the Multilateral, Regional and Bilateral Trade Directorate at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTAI), Stella Ansah, emphasised the historical importance of the certificate of origin, describing it as a longstanding trade document used to prove the origin of imported goods.
She explained that since ECOWAS was established in 1957, member states had relied on the manual certificate of origin to facilitate preferential trade.
This standardised manual document has enabled customs authorities to quickly recognise eligible goods.
However, she acknowledged several challenges associated with the manual process, including time-consuming procedures, high risk of fraud, lack of verification systems and frequent loss or damage of documents—all of which discouraged exporters.
Ms Ansah noted that the official launch of the electronic certificate of origin (E-Certificate) had addressed many of these issues.
Exporters can now apply and receive responses much faster, situation which would reduce frustration.
She added that the new system would significantly cut costs, simplified processes and provided small businesses—especially those in remote areas—the ability to apply online without having to visit multiple offices.
She urged all stakeholders—government representatives, agencies, development partners, the private sector and trade associations—to actively participate in discussions, highlighting that their input was vital for shaping effective government policies and programmes.
Pivotal innovation
The Sustainable Economic Development Cluster coordinator of GIZ Ghana, Wilhelm Hugo, described the digitalisation of the ELTS certificate of origin as marking a pivotal advancement towards the digital integration of the regional economic bloc.
He explained that the innovation would not only enhance transparency, efficiency and remove the bottleneck usually associated with manual processes but would also serve as key milestone in enhancing the economic outlook of the ECOWAS region and presented many more opportunities to the trading communities
Mr Hugo further stated that the e-certificate would serve as a benchmark for other countries to follow the footsteps of Ghana and the other three countries where this innovation was piloted.
He urged the participants to take advantage of this tool to increase opportunities for Ghanaian businesses to take advantage of the ETLS and the larger AfCTA.