Focused on implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the training aims to align regional legal frameworks with the trade agreement’s requirements and enhance advisors’ roles in national implementation.

Trade Director Kolawole Sofola, representing ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs Mas-sandjé Touré Litsé, opened the session by emphasizing lawyers’ strategic importance in regional integration. “Your expertise ensures ECOWAS leads in AfCFTA operationalization,” Sofola stated, noting the workshop’s critical timing for harmonizing trade laws.

Honorable Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma, Vice President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, reaffirmed the Court’s commitment to supporting AfCFTA through judicial mandates. The workshop—organized by ECOWAS Trade and Legal Affairs Directorates—equips participants to address regulatory gaps and dispute-resolution mechanisms under the pact.

The initiative strengthens West Africa’s position in the continental free-trade zone, which seeks to accelerate intra-African commerce and economic growth.