vioment:
I believe this analysis or assessment or conclusion. How can west africa trade when all we do in west africa is the nigerian style which is buy from any industrialized or industrializing world, and then resale. Am sorry but that is not real trade. West Africa also suffers the incompetence that nigeria suffers which are light issues, security issues, health issues, infrastructural issues, rule of law issues, and honesty issues.

West Africa happens to be the most resourced region in Africa but the poorest and the most incompetent. The worst is that Nigeria is the leader of west Africa, which is the worst of any regional leader anywhere in the whole wide world; and to make it worse than it is, nigeria is not even bothered by the backwardness that we exhibit on an hourly basis. Instead of cooperating to rise together, they are busy doing nonsense everyday.

it's worrisome

Well said.

OlujobaSamuel:

So so on point. Only Ghana and Nigeria are trying to produce, others just collect from Europe or America and try to send to Nigeria because they know we have a thriving market for it.

cr7lomo:
Wherever u see a black man settlement, just know that greed and wickedness thrives... They hate progress

true that

EagleNest:


Well said! We have problem of fighting each other instead of helping one another.

And our level of greed is too much reason why we don't allow wealth distribution so that only one person will be extremely rich while many will be extremely poor and few in middle class.

Our thought process seems weird sometimes.

true that

WhoBeThisMan:
those issues you mentioned are mainly found in Nigeria. I travel a lot arround west africa every month. I tell you the moment you leave Nigeria you have peace of mind. All those problems you mentioned are minimized.

I think the problem has to do with some inter country tensions like what is happening between Nigerians and Ghanaians. At the end of the day there is no winner in that rivalry only losers. And these are the two biggest economies in west Africa.

A Ghanaian feel superior in his own country to every Nigerian. Same thing with Nigerians too. Why? Because your colonial masters ruled a line according to their selfish interest and told you you are Ghana, you are Nigeria. That's foolishness.

If only these countries can come together and do away with racial tensions, the sky is not the limit, but a stepping stone.

We didn't exist as one either precolonially.

Many existed as separate empires and communities.
The colonialists even brought us together more, for eg, brought 250 separate tribes as one country

West African Integration since 25years ago I read in Economics as O/ Level Student then and nothing has changed! Shame on our Leaders.They parade themselves every now and then,disguising as if doing its Citizens any good but are local Champions without any leadership quality.The gulf between the Anglophone and their Francophone Counterparts have expanded beyond reasonable and tenable reason.While the other parts of the world are building-bridges,the West Africans are just on one sport and Nigeria lack luster leadership,porous borders,ethnicity and tribal warlords are feeding fat on numerous problems confronting it's citizens in this 21st Century that other integration are planning staying in the moon permanently.For now it's no Uhuru for West Africa.

InyinyaAgbaOku:


We didn't exist as one either precolonially.

Many existed as separate empires and communities.
The colonialists even brought us together more, for eg, brought 250 separate tribes as one country

the brought us together by force bit by our free will. We should be left to chose who to join or form alliances with

WhoBeThisMan:
that's not true. Sorry to say but people like you are the problem with the black man. You feel inferior to a white man.

Face and tell the truth and it will set u free

seunfly:


Two major giants in west africa(Nigeria and Ghana) are too careful of opening their borders because of job loss and they also sign individual trade agreement with out consideration to others, for instance Nigeria was being careful to sign some trade agreement with China, USA and EU but Ghana quickly signed it because of aid and international political gain. Nigeria has been kind to other west African niehbours but they turn their countries to dumping ground for foreign goods which in turn kills Nigeria industries, imagine the gain we have made in rice, vegetable oil, tomatos paste, noodles, pastas, furniture, poultry and fish even automotive industries, benin Republic has been sabotaging those gains for more than 30yrs by acting as a transit route into Nigeria until last four years when this government took a strong stands on it. For west africa to have serious trade integration, all the countries must have a clause that prevent selfish and individual decisions that will sabotaged job creation and industrial capacity within the region.

1. The first point is true about Nigeria and Ghana restricting trade. Funny enough they represent biggest ECOWAS exporters within regional trade.

2. The second point about Ghana oppening up trade doesn't matter. In other trading blocks around Asian and South America countries can do same and have higher trade integration.

3. ECOWAS already has rule against re-exporting non ECOWAS goods. Those goods are smuggled or brought legally back into country because Nigeria either banned them or restricted them making them very expensive domestically. Most of those gains are petty or non existent like in fish which Nigeria been importing more off.

3b. If other west Africa Nations have turned themselves into a dumping why arent Nigeria goods selling better than ever. You said Nigeria naking gains in those items but your exports hasn't expanded in those areas.

4. The clause seems like interesting idea. Flesh it out. Im sure a rule like that exist already.

hmm

seunfly:


Two major giants in west africa(Nigeria and Ghana) are too careful of opening their borders because of job loss and they also sign individual trade agreement with out consideration to others, for instance Nigeria was being careful to sign some trade agreement with China, USA and EU but Ghana quickly signed it because of aid and international political gain. Nigeria has been kind to other west African niehbours but they turn their countries to dumping ground for foreign goods which in turn kills Nigeria industries, imagine the gain we have made in rice, vegetable oil, tomatos paste, noodles, pastas, furniture, poultry and fish even automotive industries, benin Republic has been sabotaging those gains for more than 30yrs by acting as a transit route into Nigeria until last four years when this government took a strong stands on it. For west africa to have serious trade integration, all the countries must have a clause that prevent selfish and individual decisions that will sabotaged job creation and industrial capacity within the region.

While I agree with your recommendations. First tell Nigeria to stop releasing that import prohibition list that even bans goods that are originally made in other ECOWAS nations especially Ghana. I hear some of you say these goods are originally made somewhere and brought to Ghana, but that's not true. On the contrary most of these goods are made, manufactured and packaged in Ghana. Nigeria must not fear competition. Nigerians would want their products to go to other countries, but do not want others products into their country. Imagine Nigeria refusing to sign the Africa free trade agreement, but I guess they will want to have their products in other countries. Forgetting that the agreement makes the African economy a one for all, all for one. And we all benefit.

Very sensible argument. It is the kind of thing most Nigerians don’t want to hear. You want to export to other countries but you don’t want others to export to your country. What kind of nonsense logic is that? Everybody benefits from free trade. Upon all the prohibitions they have imposed, how has that helped the Nigerian economy? When it suits them as Ghana deporting Nigerians, they will shout Ecowas! But they forget the same Ecowas protocols allows for free trade among member countries. It is very outrageous for Nigerians to sit in their country. And assume every item coming from a Ghana was manufactured in another country. Absolute crap!

ChaosMagus:


While I agree with your recommendations. First tell Nigeria to stop releasing that import prohibition list that even bans goods that are originally made in other ECOWAS nations especially Ghana. I hear some of you say these goods are originally made somewhere and brought to Ghana, but that's not true. On the contrary most of these goods are made, manufactured and packaged in Ghana. Nigeria must not fear competition. Nigerians would want their products to go to other countries, but do not want others products into their country. Imagine Nigeria refusing to sign the Africa free trade agreement, but I guess they will want to have their products in other countries. Forgetting that the agreement makes the African economy a one for all, all for one. And we all benefit.

You are not well informed and stop making bogus assumptions. First, it is not true that Ghaba “quickly signed” a trade agreement with China because of aid and political gain? Which aid? The current Ghanaian has launched a big campaign to break Ghana away from foreign aid. Ghana doesn’t need foreign aid to survive. The appalling thing about this whole low level of trade within Ecowas is simply the fault. You Nigerians sat down in your country and decided that while your leaders signed the Ecowas free trade protocols, you Nigerians will arbitrary impose sweeping prohibitions on goods to be imported into Nigeria from other west African states/Ecowas countries. And yet today as we speak, Nigeria is free to export virtually everything into Ghana, without restriction, including items supposedly not originally manufactured in Nigeria.

In my opinion, that was the end of the Ecowas experience. Ecowas will continue to remain useless and irrelevant as long as individual countries want to impose their stvpid ideas on the group.

seunfly:


Two major giants in west africa(Nigeria and Ghana) are too careful of opening their borders because of job loss and they also sign individual trade agreement with out consideration to others, for instance Nigeria was being careful to sign some trade agreement with China, USA and EU but Ghana quickly signed it because of aid and international political gain. Nigeria has been kind to other west African niehbours but they turn their countries to dumping ground for foreign goods which in turn kills Nigeria industries, imagine the gain we have made in rice, vegetable oil, tomatos paste, noodles, pastas, furniture, poultry and fish even automotive industries, benin Republic has been sabotaging those gains for more than 30yrs by acting as a transit route into Nigeria until last four years when this government took a strong stands on it. For west africa to have serious trade integration, all the countries must have a clause that prevent selfish and individual decisions that will sabotaged job creation and industrial capacity within the region.

PetroDollax:
You are not well informed and stop making bogus assumptions. First, it is not true that Ghaba “quickly signed” a trade agreement with China because of aid and political gain? Which aid? The current Ghanaian has launched a big campaign to break Ghana away from foreign aid. Ghana doesn’t need foreign aid to survive. The appalling thing about this whole low level of trade within Ecowas is simply the fault. You Nigerians sat down in your country and decided that while your leaders signed the Ecowas free trade protocols, you Nigerians will arbitrary impose sweeping prohibitions on goods to be imported into Nigeria from other west African states/Ecowas countries. And yet today as we speak, Nigeria is free to export virtually everything into Ghana, without restriction, including items supposedly not originally manufactured in Nigeria.

In my opinion, that was the end of the Ecowas experience. Ecowas will continue to remain useless and irrelevant as long as individual countries want to impose their stvpid ideas on the group.

You are quite correct. Nigeria has become a nuisance with it's protectionist policies but unfortunately, the government and many of it's people like here on Nairaland fully support it

This has simply made the country a smugglers paradise and has failed miserably to revive manufacturing.

Benin and Cameroon are making lots of money from import duties for goods actually destined for Nigeria. This re-export industry is a huge part of the Beninoise economy.

seunfly:


Two major giants in west africa(Nigeria and Ghana) are too careful of opening their borders because of job loss and they also sign individual trade agreement with out consideration to others, for instance Nigeria was being careful to sign some trade agreement with China, USA and EU but Ghana quickly signed it because of aid and international political gain. Nigeria has been kind to other west African niehbours but they turn their countries to dumping ground for foreign goods which in turn kills Nigeria industries, imagine the gain we have made in rice, vegetable oil, tomatos paste, noodles, pastas, furniture, poultry and fish even automotive industries, benin Republic has been sabotaging those gains for more than 30yrs by acting as a transit route into Nigeria until last four years when this government took a strong stands on it. For west africa to have serious trade integration, all the countries must have a clause that prevent selfish and individual decisions that will sabotaged job creation and industrial capacity within the region.

Protectionism has failed to industrialise the country. Ghana with a more open economy than Nigeria's has a capacity utilisation rate of 65%. This shows that imports aren't the problem but the dreadf level of competitiveness of Nigerian manufacturers.

It also shows that a lot of manufacturers are engaged in goods the country lacks comparative advantage. You do not have to fear imports if you have comparative advantage in it.

Export led industrialisation is the way to go. That's what made Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and most importantly China the industrial giants they are today.

It's also export led industrialisation that is changing Central European countries from Slovakia to Poland.

Thinking import substitution will turn manufacturing around is delusional.