Unleashing the Benefits of Intra-African Trade Integration for the WAEMU: WAEMU

Selected Issues Papers, June 6, 2025

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Canonical URL: Unleashing the Benefits of Intra-African Trade Integration for the WAEMU: WAEMU

Authors: Shushanik Hakobyan, Fiona M Hesse-Triballi, Sergii Meleshchuk, Hans Weisfeld
Published: June 6, 2025
Series: Selected Issues Papers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229011556.018

WAEMU members’ trade openness, integration into global value chains (GVCs), and export diversification remain limited.
Tariffs, non-tariff measures (NTMs, obstacles to trade that arise mainly from differences in national regulations), and a challenging trade environment (e.g., cumbersome Customs and border processes) hamper WAEMU members’ trade with countries outside of ECOWAS.
NTMs and the challenging trade environment weigh on trade even among WAEMU members and on trade between WAEMU members and other ECOWAS countries.

Pursue greater trade integration by helping move AfCFTA discussions forward and implementing agreed steps.
Advocate with AfCFTA partners for a more ambitious process for removing NTMs.
Drive forward trade integration among WAEMU members by:
- Addressing NTMs.
- Strengthening the trade environment in a cost-effective manner, e.g., by streamlining Customs and border processes.

Subjects: Economic integration, Exports, Imports, International trade, Tariffs, Taxes, Trade balance, Trade integration
Keywords: AfCFTA, C. AfCFTA trade integration, Exports, Global, Imports, Intra-African Trade, Sub-Saharan Africa, Tariffs, Tariffs and Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs), Trade balance, Trade Environment, Trade Integration, trade openness, Trade Policy, WAEMU, WAEMU member, WAEMU trade integration agreement

Trade Integration in the WAEMU: Goals, Implementation, and Remaining Challenges
- Trade Integration in the WAEMU: Goals, Implementation, and Remaining Challenges (Markdown version)
- Trade Integration in the WAEMU: Goals, Implementation, and Remaining Challenges (PDF)