AMU-WAEMU business dialogue platform enhances knowledge of rules of origin and fosters cross-regional cooperation for the implementation of the AfCFTA
The EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme, funded by the European Union (EU), provided technical support through the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Moroccan Customs to the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). This support facilitated a Workshop focused on inter-regional cooperation among Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Marrakech, Morocco.
The Workshop explored novel cross-regional engagement strategies with business support organisations (BSOs) from ten North and West African countries. With the initiative, AMU and WAEMU aimed to enhance regional trade integration by promoting cooperation among the two RECs. The workshop brought together BSOs to identify practical solutions for overcoming barriers to trade preference utilisation in the AfCFTA context, focusing on rules of origin (RoO).
His Excellency Tarak Ben Salem, Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union, officially opened the workshop alongside Filiga Michel Sawadogo, WAEMU Commissioner for the Regional Market and Cooperation Department. Their joint leadership demonstrated high-level political commitment essential for effective inter-REC cooperation. His Excellency Ben Salem emphasised that continental integration requires coordinated action across multiple regional frameworks, noting that RoO should serve as catalysts for promoting cross-regional trade rather than barriers between neighbouring economic communities.
The Workshop notably served as a shared platform to review common implementation challenges affecting cross-regional trade, explore coordinated approaches to enhance RoO dissemination and discuss how the newly established AMU-WAEMU partnership could enhance trade facilitation between the two regions. Participants examined practical scenarios demonstrating how enhanced understanding of RoO requirements can translate into concrete commercial opportunities for enterprises seeking to expand beyond traditional regional markets.
The meeting brought together business support organisations from AMU countries – Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia – with their counterparts from seven of the eight WAEMU members – namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. Officials from both regional secretariats and the Moroccan Customs Administration also contributed to a fruitful and participatory event.
Perhaps most significantly, the Workshop concluded with formal pledges from both the AMU Secretariat and WAEMU Commission to sign a memorandum of understanding. This institutional commitment demonstrates the two organisations’ dedication to inter-REC cooperation beyond project-based activities, fostering sustainable frameworks for ongoing collaboration.
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