Economic Justice Network of Ghana welcomes ECOWAS suspension of EPA decision

The Economic Justice Network of Ghana (EJN) has welcomed the decision of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to postpone the final decision on the adoption of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between West Africa and the European Union.

The West African economic bloc has suspended the decision for two months pending the resolution of technical problems raised by some member-countries of the community, notably Nigeria.

EJN in a statement noted the decision by the Heads of State affords all stake-holders in all countries of ECOWAS the opportunity for meaningful dialogue on fundamental issues of economic development of the region and its people that have been raised by the agreement.

“We welcome in particular the formation of a four-country technical committee to examine the technical concerns of member-countries, and urge the countries concerned to open the process up for genuine in-put by all ECOWAS citizens. And we are willing and ready to support the committee, in particular Ghana's role in the committee, with our skills, capacities and resources to enable development-friendly outcomes,” it said.

According to the Network, the ECOWAS-EPA on the table will undermine government revenue, eliminate jobs, destroy local production, jeopardise the industrial prospects of member countries, constrain South-South co-operation, and undermine sovereign capacity to make policy to enable development.

Ghana's Minister of Trade and Industry has indicated resolve to conduct a thorough fiscal audit of the EPAs before Ghana's agreement to adopt it.

The EJN is urging government to facilitate an open, inclusive and meaningful process of national consultation of all stakeholders in Ghana.

The Network also calls on President John Dramani Mahama to use his role as President of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS “to ensure that the opportunities provided by the decision for the re-think of the EPA are fruitfully exercised in support of the genuine development, economic transformation and integration of our region”.