IBI's USAID-sponsored Building Trade Capacity in West Africa Project helped to establish and implement a common external tariff (CET) in the region to move the West African ECOWAS member states towards an effective customs union. As technical advisor to ECOWAS IBI assisted the Secretariat and the national coordinating committees within each country to develop, adopt, and implement a strategic plan for establishing the CET. IBI worked with key stakeholders in each country including national chambers of commerce, industry, and agriculture; professional associations; and business organizations. IBI assisted these groups to assess the current trade environment and consider trade policy improvements through the adoption of the CET. Discussions and study groups focused on macro-level improvements in trade policy and customs regulations as well as micro-level analyses of transaction costs originating from inefficiencies and lack of harmonization in rules and procedures regulating the transportation of goods across borders. IBI advised each national coordinating committee on draft legislation for adopting the CET.

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