By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, Nov. 11, GNA – The Borderless Alliance, a private trade advocacy organisation, has repositioned itself as a regional think tank to generate evidence-based policy recommendations and drive trade facilitation reforms across West Africa.
The transition is expected to strengthen efforts to address persistent trade barriers, reduce the cost of cross-border transactions and improve regional economic integration.
The new direction was announced at the relaunch of the Alliance in Accra, which brought together stakeholders from the government, the private sector, development institutions and regional bodies to discuss challenges and opportunities in cross-border trade.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority, Ms Sylvia Asana Dauda Owu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Technical Services, said the Alliance had contributed to efforts to address obstacles to trade and the movement of goods across the sub-region.
She said its advocacy, stakeholder engagement and border sensitisation activities had facilitated collaboration among governments, businesses and development partners to identify trade constraints and propose practical solutions.
Established in 2011 in Accra and launched in 2012 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the Alliance is a private sector-led regional trade advocacy organisation promoting economic integration and the free movement of goods and people.
Africa’s nominal Gross Domestic Product is estimated at between 3.57 trillion dollars and 3.67 trillion dollars, while intra-African trade is valued at approximately 214.8 billion dollars.
Ms Owu said traders continued to face multiple checkpoints, cumbersome documentation requirements, inconsistent application of regulations and unofficial payments along major trade corridors.
She said the barriers increased business costs and weakened the competitiveness of West African economies, making effective trade facilitation measures critical to improving cross-border commerce.
Ms Owu described the Alliance’s repositioning as timely, noting that policymakers needed reliable data and research to inform decisions and support the implementation of trade reforms.
She said the organisation would need stronger mechanisms to document trade barriers, generate credible evidence and develop practical recommendations capable of influencing policy decisions and improving implementation.
Presenting the new strategic direction, Ms Afua Eshun, Acting Executive Secretary of the Alliance, said it would leverage more than 15 years of experience to operate as a partner-focused institution and implementation-oriented think tank.
She said the organisation would engage governments, regional institutions, development partners and businesses to identify priority trade challenges and formulate research-backed policy recommendations.
Ms Eshun said the Alliance also planned to develop a five-year roadmap, deepen collaboration with host institutions across West Africa and establish strategic partnerships to support the implementation of its programmes.
The repositioning comes as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intensify efforts to eliminate non-tariff barriers, accelerate digital trade systems and facilitate the movement of goods across the region.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Email: [email protected]