ECOWAS national units urged to support national committees for origin recognition (NCCOR) activities for effective implementation of ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS)18 Sep, 2025Supporting the activities of ETLS by ECOWAS national units in member states is one of the main outcomes of the regional meeting of National Committees for Community Origin Recognition (NCCOR) held in Accra, Ghana, from the 9th to 12th of September 2025 to assess the implementation of the Scheme with the view to improving intra-community trade in Made-in-ECOWAS goods. The ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) is the Community’s principal instrument for the duty-free cross-border movement of Community goods in the ECOWAS region with the National Committees for Community Origin Recognition (NCCOR) as the national organs responsible for the management of ETLS in member states. The general objective of the meeting included the following: evaluation of the implementation of the new Community rules of origin under ETLS; discussion of the challenges and obstacles to the free movement of community goods; certification of community origin; formulation of strategies to enhance the free movement of community goods in the region. He reiterated the point that, effective implementation of ETLS is at the heart of the Community’s quest for industrial development and economic competitiveness in the face of the existing strong regional market in ECOWAS. Additionally, member states requested the ECOWAS Commission to step up the implementation of the Community electronic certificate of origin (e-CO) in member states to reduce origin-related fraud and also upgrade ETLS website and portal for effective communication between focal points and enhancement of user experience.