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Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire have entered into separate Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA) with the European Union

Ghana and the European Union iEPA have entered into a good only based bilateral market access agreement. The interim economic partnership agreement between Ghana and the EU was negotiated in 2007 and ratified by Ghana in 2016 and went into effect 1 July 2021.

Under the Agreement, Ghana would progressively liberalise tariffs for 80% of the total volume of exports from the EU to Ghana, with cumulative tariff cuts for approximately 22% of applicable tariff lines in 2021, 50% by 2024 and 100% by 2029.

The Interim Economic Partnership Agreement between Côte d’Ivoire and the EU was negotiated in 2008. Côte d’Ivoire ratified the Agreement in 2016.  Under it, the EU provides duty-free, quota-free access for Côte d’Ivoire’s exports to the EU.  For its part, Côte d’Ivoire is progressively reducing its tariffs to zero for 85 percent of its EU imports by 2029.

The gradual liberalization of Cote d’Ivoire’s market for EU products commenced 1 January 2019 with the process scheduled in five phases over a 10-year period, from 2019 to 2029. Côte d’Ivoire has liberalised 1080 tariff lines effective 1 January 2024, bringing the total number of liberalised tariff lines to 3385 or 55%.