The ECOWAS Commission, conscious of the delicate balance between the environment and development, has taken measures to promote the sustainable use and management of the region's natural resources as well as the avoidance and appropriate management of pollution. Through the Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources, the ECOWAS Commission uses the ECOWAS Environmental Policy (ECOWEP) amongst several instruments in guiding its efforts to manage the environment sustainably in the West African region.
Services Policy Review (SPR)
Services Policy Review (SPR) is the ‘systematic review’ conducted on the trade policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks components or aspects of the service sector. The objective of such a review is to enhance the ability to harness the benefits to be derived from the services sector and international services trade.
A major aspect of ECOWAS economic transformation process remains the consolidation of its trade in services sector. In view of this, in July 2016, the ECOWAS Commission and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – with financial support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – launched the ECOWAS Services Policy Review (SPR), towards the development of a coherent and comprehensive strategic framework for services, in line with the objective stated in Article 3 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty.
The objectives of the ECOWAS SPR are to review the trade policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks that characterize the region’s services sector – in order to better harness the development benefits of the services sector and of international trade in services in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Draft ECOWAS SPR offers policy recommendations for the overall services sector of the region and for the specific sectors chosen. The recommendations focus on how the region can more effectively expand its services sector, creating jobs and helping to raise living standards. Proposed recommendations include:
- the development of an ECOWAS Trade in Services Portal and
- the formulation of an ECOWAS Trade in Services Market Blueprint 2030.
