Inter-regional trade between countries in West Africa is promoted mainly by

Answer Details

Inter-regional trade within West Africa has been promoted mainly by deliberate government policies in recent times. The most significant of these is the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1975, which was created specifically to promote economic cooperation and integration among member states.

Key policy measures that have facilitated intra-regional trade include:

• Reduction and elimination of tariff barriers between member countries
• The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), which allows duty-free movement of goods produced within the community
• Free movement of persons across borders, encouraging cross-border commerce
• Development of transport corridors connecting member states

The other options would actually hinder rather than promote inter-regional trade. Competition among nations without cooperation frameworks does not facilitate trade. The production of similar goods across West African countries reduces the incentive for trade, since each country can meet its own needs. Relationships with former colonial rulers historically oriented trade outward toward Europe rather than between African neighbours, as colonial infrastructure was designed to export raw materials to the metropole, not to connect African countries with each other.