The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has urged South-East business community to explore duty-free platforms to bolster trade cooperation across West Africa.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu made the call in a statement issued on Monday by Dr Magnus Eze, Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Eze’s statement is against the backdrop of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) workshop scheduled to hold on October 28, 2025 in Enugu.

The ETLS was put together by the ECOWAS National Unit of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Government of Enugu.

The scheme is a trade instrument established in 1979 by ECOWAS to serve as a cornerstone for regional integration within the region.

According to the minister, the scheme is designed to promote intra-regional trade and allow for duty-free access to markets for products certified as origination within the ECOWAS region.

PUNCH Online reports that the ETLS is a regional free trade arrangement designed to facilitate duty-free movement of goods within West Africa, strengthen economic integration, and foster industrial and trade development among the 15 ECOWAS member countries.

“The effective implementation of the scheme will help reduce dependency on imports, encourage entrepreneurship and significantly promote job creation.

“Since inception of the scheme, Nigeria accounts for 36.1 per cent of the total number of the registered companies in the region.

“The number of registered companies in Nigeria is 3,146 while the number of products stands at fairly more than 6000. In 2024 alone, 800 companies and 419 products were registered.

“In spite its great promise, the ETLS remains underutilised, as many stakeholders including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), traders and the public sector are unaware of true schemes benefit, eligibility criteria and implementation processes.

She explained objective of the ETLS to be carrying out sensitisation in Enugu, promote understanding about the scheme and engage targeted stakeholders on best practices in the scheme.

This, according to her, would boost awareness about several benefits of ETLS, such as duty-free access, elimination of non-tariff barriers

The workshop will provide stakeholders with a clear understanding of the rules of origin, certification processes and the eligibility criteria required to benefit from the scheme.

“This will improve compliance, to guide stakeholders on ETLS documentation, proper submission of the Certificate of Origin and to encourage adherence to ECOWAS regulation.

“It will further increase rise in intra-ECOWAS trade, particularly among SMEs and informal trades. The processing of ETLS application in Nigeria is free.

“Women in Business, exporters club, Agro and allied processors and organised private sector in the South-East are expected at the one-day workshop on the theme: “Increasing Intra-regional Trade through ETLS,” she said.

She further said that the scheme would attract entrepreneurs, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operators, members of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

The Governor of Enugu, Mr Peter Mbah, will be the chief host, saying the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Odumegwu-Ojukwu will host the event at 9.a.m. at the International Conference Centre in Enugu.