Many are positing that Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger exiting ECOWAS is not a big issue. It is indeed an issue as ECOWAS makes many things happen in West Africa. Yes, you can drive from Ovim to Ghana to any part of ECOWAS as a person or a business owner.
You can make soap in Lagos and ship it to any ECOWAS nation with limited challenges. When Nigeria closed ECOWAS land borders, we scored own-goals with a recession. Our Togolese brothers install the best tiles in Lagos, Kano, etc, and they can come and go with no Visas, etc. Simply, ECOWAS makes West Africa become one country. You can live in Lagos and work in Benin Republic. Private English-based secondary schools in Lagos get many students from Francophone West Africa due to ECOWAS. If ECOWAS breaks down, those orders will fold. Simply, there are many benefits with no tariff.
My company, Fasmicro, Intel’s only programmable microprocessor knowledge partner in Africa, serves many universities and companies across Africa. My team does travel with Young Shall Grow Motors ECOWAS bus. If ECOWAS fades, that will not be possible because The Young’s ECOWAS bus will not move easily.
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Good People, ECOWAS must find ways to ensure those 3 countries return; Africa must be united because unity is the path to progress.
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