The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) aimed to reach effective application of the common external tariff, from Jan. 1, 2017, by the whole of its 15 member states.

This has been decided as only nine member states apply the common external tariff that came into force in January 2015, according to a news release of the community that reached Xinhua on Monday in the economic capital Cotonou.

Adopted in January 2006, the ECOWAS common external tariff was launched during a meeting of head of states and governments in December 2014 in Abuja, Nigeria, and came into force on Jan. 1, 2015.

"The completion of the common external tariff will be a milestone in the establishment of a customs union as part of ECOWAS's integration program," the sub-regional community said in the release.

It underscored that the success of the West-African integration depends on the creation of a common market through the liberalization of trade and the adoption of common external tariff.

To reach that goal, ECOWAS assigned team of consultants in the fifteen member-states so as to assess the situation and identify the inherent difficulties.

"A synthetic report of evaluation missions will be submitted to members of joint management committee of the common external tariff, which is expected to hold meeting next Monday or Tuesday in Dakar, Senegal," the release said.

The release also said the meeting of Dakar will be the opportunity for the ECOWAS commission to work especially with the six member states that fail to apply the common external tariff.

"The Dakar meeting will help overcome existing barriers so as to ensure effective implementation of the common external tariff in all ECOWAS member-States from January 1st, 2017," it said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2016)