The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has officially launched its Regional E-Commerce Committee, a key governance body tasked with advancing the bloc’s digital trade agenda under the ECOWAS Regional E-Commerce Strategy (2023–2027). The launch took place in Lagos, Nigeria, and was followed by the Committee’s inaugural meeting.
The newly established Committee is central to the implementation of digital reforms outlined in the regional strategy, adopted by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in July 2023. It will coordinate inter-governmental efforts to accelerate digital trade, promote policy alignment across Member States, and ensure the inclusive participation of women, youth, and MSMEs in the region’s growing digital economy.
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Tony Luka Elumelu, Acting Director of Private Sector at the ECOWAS Commission, described the Committee’s establishment as pivotal to fostering a private sector-led digital economy. He highlighted e-commerce as a key lever for unlocking opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), calling for sustained momentum in digital reform implementation.
Madam Sally Koroma, representative of Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Trade and Industry and Chair of the meeting, emphasized the role of e-commerce in driving inclusive growth. She called for harmonised regulation, improved digital infrastructure, targeted financing, and enhanced digital literacy to unlock the full potential of cross-border trade.
Delivering a goodwill message, Pedro Manuel Moreno, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), congratulated ECOWAS on its 50th anniversary and praised the adoption of the regional e-commerce strategy. He reaffirmed UNCTAD’s support for digital reforms and inclusive ecosystem development, particularly for women entrepreneurs, and called for collective efforts to make e-commerce a pillar of prosperity and regional unity.
READ ALSO
In a keynote address on behalf of Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Massandjé Toure-Litse, ECOWAS Director of Trade, Mr. Kolawole Sofola, said the Committee’s launch marks a significant step in the region’s integration journey. He noted that the new body would serve as a platform for advancing digital trade objectives and policy alignment across West Africa.
Mr. Sofola urged continued collaboration across public and private stakeholders to realise the strategy’s vision of an inclusive, sustainable digital economy for the region. He formally declared the Regional E-Commerce Committee launched.
The Committee’s inaugural meeting brought together trade ministries from ECOWAS Member States and the internal e-commerce working group made up of key ECOWAS Commission directorates. Ahead of the launch, participants received training on the e-Trade Reform Tracker, a digital tool for monitoring the implementation of the strategy.
The event was supported by UNCTAD and the World Bank-funded Western Africa Regional Digital Integration Program (WARDIP). The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Committee’s terms of reference and a renewed call for regional coordination in implementing the strategy.
