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Posted by Ignatius Okpara
Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News Around Africa
Tuesday, October 28th, 2025
(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Nigeria has declared that the Economic of West Africa states ECOWAS commercialized liberation strategy (ETLS), would assistance successful deepening determination integration, grow cross-border trade, and empower the nation’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to alteration them to instrumentality their rightful spot successful the continental immense market.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, stated this connected Tuesday successful Enugu successful her invited remark astatine a 1 time South East store connected the modalities for information successful the ETLS organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs successful concern with Enugu authorities government.
She said the store was timely, stressing that SMEs were the bedrock of concern maturation successful immoderate federation and should beryllium assisted to thrive.
“This inaugural is timely, arsenic it speaks straight to the urgent task earlier us, which is to deepen determination integration, grow cross-border trade, and empower our Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to alteration them to instrumentality their rightful spot successful the immense West African market,” she stated.
According to the Minister, “SMEs stay the motor country of our economy, they make employment, stimulate innovation, and thrust inclusive prosperity.
“Strengthening them is not simply a section interest but a determination imperative, and Enugu stands contiguous arsenic a exemplary for however we tin align section dynamism with continental ambitions.
“The ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme is not conscionable a method instrument, it is simply a strategical pillar of West Africa’s integration agenda.
“As the oldest operational commercialized argumentation of ECOWAS, it underpins the escaped question of goods and services, complements the Protocol connected Free Movement of Persons, and anticipates the broader model of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“In essence, ETLS is some a gateway and a trial lawsuit for Africa’s economical renaissance.
“For Nigeria, arsenic the largest system successful the region, enactment successful this process is not optional, it is expected.
“Yet, the existent measurement of occurrence lies not successful Abuja oregon Lagos alone, but successful however efficaciously section entrepreneurs, our traders, manufacturers, and innovators, are enabled to vie and thrive regionally.
“This workshop, therefore, is astir democratizing opportunity, equipping SMEs with...
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