Trade liberalization in the context of the COTONOU partnership agreement: implication for the West Africa

Abstract

The countries of West Africa are signatories to the CPA and would be affected by the change in trade and economic cooperation with EU introduced by the Agreement. The change in the ACP-EU trade regime is of particular significance for West Africa because the EU is not only a key player in the global trading system, but also the traditional trade partner of the countries in the region. The objectives of this paper are to analyze the implications of the CPA trade regime for the countries of West Africa. The new trade regime is expected to lead to the progressive removal of trade barriers between the ACP and EU countries.