The project will benefit all eight WAEMU member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea‑Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. Its objective is to help businesses take advantage of production and trade opportunities while positioning the region more effectively within the AfCFTA market.
A key focus of the initiative will be improving coordination around AfCFTA implementation. National consultations will be held with National AfCFTA Committees in each member state to assess progress and establish operational frameworks. These will be followed by a regional workshop to agree on a shared system for accountability, facilitation and monitoring of the Agreement.
The project will also provide targeted support to 80 small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) that are ready to begin exporting. Many of the selected businesses are owned by women and young entrepreneurs. Support will include training of trainers, guidance on export procedures, access to finance, regulatory compliance, adoption of new technologies and sustainable production methods.
According to Lamin Barrow, Director General of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) for West Africa, the initiative will help align national strategies while strengthening existing regional integration tools.
“The project aims to harmonise and align national strategies, leverage complementarities among member states and improve the effectiveness of instruments that promote sub‑regional integration,” Barrow said, noting the Bank’s long experience in supporting infrastructure development, trade facilitation and export diversification.
Direct beneficiaries include public institutions responsible for AfCFTA implementation, private sector actors across the Union and the region’s broader population of approximately 147 million people. Expected outcomes include improved trade facilitation, reduced trade costs and the creation of sustainable medium‑ and long‑term trade opportunities.
The project will also reinforce WAEMU’s capacity as a customs union and support the WAEMU Regional Chamber of Commerce in its role as the private sector’s representative within the regional integration process.
–AfDB/ChannelAfrica–
