UNCTAD and the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are organising a second Regional Meeting as part of the ECOWAS E-commerce Strategy development project to present the findings of the regional eTrade Readiness Assessment. The report is the first step towards the preparation of the regional e-commerce strategy.

The meeting will also provide an opportunity for representatives of the ECOWAS Commission and national focal points from each ECOWAS member states from the Trade and ICT Ministries, to discuss opportunities and barriers identified by the Assessment and to reflect on how various programmes and initiatives that are part the ECOWAS Vision 2050 pillar on digitalization for economic integration and interconnectivity, transformative, inclusive, sustainable development, and social inclusion can serve to inform the priorities to be considered for the regional e-commerce strategy.

The Regional E-commerce Strategy Development project in ECOWAS is supported by the government of the Netherlands as part of the UNCTAD’s eT Ready Implementation Support Mechanism (ISM).