Representatives of nine West African countries will discuss issues affecting the movement of goods and vehicles at the seventh annual USAID-UEMOA road governance initatitive steering committee meeting in Cotonou, Benin, June 25-26.

“Road transport is critical to trade in West Africa,” said the U.S. Chargé d’Affaire Susan Tuller. “For a long time, the region’s very high road transport costs have made it uncompetitive in world markets and increased the costs of everyday goods to millions of West African consumers. The USAID-UEMOA road transport initiative has led to real progress against these high costs.”

“Across West Africa, people are realizing the fundamental imperative to increase regional trade,” said Ziad Hamoui, president of the Borderless Alliance executive committee. “The Borderless Alliance is pleased to participate in the annual steering committee meeting, which has been a catalyst for progress on trade and transport.”

Stakeholders will discuss the progress achieved over the last 12 months of the road transport governance initiative. Among the highlights are the elimination of checkpoints in Togo, a significant reduction in checkpoints in Cote d’Ivoire and a 50% reduction in bribery in Senegal.

They will also discuss plans for the next 12 months, including the launch of a West Africa Transport and Trade Observatory and three new Border Information Centers – at the Benin-Nigeria, Burkina Faso-Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana borders. The first Center has led to significant reductions in delays at the Ghana-Togo border, a recent study concluded.