In furtherance of ECOWAS efforts to attain economic integration within the region, a two day sensitization workshop on the European Union/West African Economic Partnership Agreement(EPA) for members of the media in West Africa will be convened on the 20^th and 21^st September 2016 in Abuja, Nigeria.

The sensitization programme which will be conducted in collaboration with West Africa Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa(WAEMU), aims to improve the awareness and capacity of regional journalists by enabling them disseminate factual information about the EPA to Community citizens.

The workshop will ensure that participants are familiarized with the EU/West Africa EPA and introduced to Regional Trade Agreements and their relation with multilateral trading systems.

Furthermore, members of the media will be intimated with the development component of the agreement, the Economic Partnership Agreement Development Programme (EPADP) as well as the market access opportunities within the context of the EPA which is based on the ECOWAS common External Tariff (CET).

Negotiations for the EPA were concluded in 2014 with the aim of improving inter and intra-regional trade among ECOWAS member states and the European Union.

Presently all 28 members of the EU have signed the agreement while 13 West African countries have signed, with the exception of Nigeria, the Gambia and Mauritania. The workshop will be attended by representatives from the print/electronic media from all ECOWAS member states and Mauritania.