Africa-Press – Ghana. Ghana’s 3rd Deputy Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has called for urgent action to address trade barriers and infrastructure challenges hindering intra-African trade.
Speaking at the Crans Montana Forum in Morocco, Mr Afenyo-Markin highlighted the need for streamlined port charges, improved cross-border transport infrastructure, and regional industrial policies to promote sustainable development.
“We talk about regional integration, yet transport networks between Ghana and Lagos remain underdeveloped. Modern rail connections are poor, and roads are riddled with inefficiencies, red tape, and sometimes insecurity.
“If we cannot build a fluid, predictable, and cost-effective regional trade system, then we leave our people with no choice but to look beyond Africa for trade,” a statement issued by Mr Afenyo-Markin and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Friday said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, also the Minority Leader, cited a real-world example of a failed bilateral venture between Moroccan poultry exporters and Ghanaian agribusinesses due to high port charges and tariffs.
He lamented that many landlocked nations continued to depend heavily on coastal neighbours for access to global markets, but inefficiencies in port management and security risks along key corridors rendered regional trade uncompetitive.
The ECOWAS 3rd Deputy Speaker urged a renewed commitment to streamline port charges and customs procedures.
“Invest in cross-border transport infrastructure, promote regional industrial policies to reduce destructive competition and foster trust and policy coordination across the continent,” it said.
According to the statement, Mr Afenyo-Markin’s intervention served as a reminder of the urgency to move from rhetoric to reform, especially on trade and infrastructure, to promote sustainable development and regional integration in Africa.
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