ECO-ICBT

The growing importance of informal trade in the economic and social life of ECOWAS States has compelled the ECOWAS Commission to prepare this Regional Informal Trade Regulation Support Programme (ITRSP/PARCI). This Programme is part of the operationalization of the strategy for the regulation of informal trade in the ECOWAS region adopted in 2012, which analyzed informal trade in the region and made an inventory of the major areas of intervention of the ITRSP/PARCI.

ITRSP/PARCI is structured around the following four (4) result areas which in turn, has sub-components: (i) Reliable and up-to-date information on informal trade is available. (ii) Institutional capacities of informal trade stakeholders and their participation in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of policies on the development of intra-regional trade are enhanced.  (iii) Reforms essential to the elimination of obstacles to the development of formal trade are undertaken (iv) Incentives are provided to facilitate the migration to the formal sector of informal sector stakeholders.

As part of efforts to enhance the Informal trade information system, a web-based platform, ECO-ICBT, has been established.

The overall objective of ECO-ICBT is to focus on the data collection of informal trade sector and to ensure the timely and availability of informal trade data. It seeks to disseminate information on markets and cross – border trader flows; increase networking of both private and public market players.

The ECOWAS Commission since 2018, in collaboration with Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought in the Sahel (CILSS) and West African Association West African Association for Cross-Border Trade, in Agro-forestry-pastoral, Fisheries products and Food (WACTAF), work together to internalize and implement the sub-component of ITRSP /PARCI, relating to the collection of informal cross-border trade data.