The ECOWAS Commission convened an E-Commerce Community Forum in Abuja on 27 and 28 October 2026, bringing member state representatives, development partners and trader groups together around a draft Action Plan for cross-border digital commerce.
The two-day meeting, held with the West African Regional Digital Integration Project, was organised to advance implementation of the ECOWAS E-Commerce Strategy covering 2023 to 2027, according to a report from the Economic Community of West African States.
Discussions centred on a study and draft Action Plan designed to strengthen the participation of women, young people, persons with disabilities and small-scale cross-border traders in e-commerce.
Fatou Diop, representing Senegal’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, used her opening remarks to point to e-commerce’s contribution to structural transformation and social inclusion.
She listed digital skills, cybersecurity, secure payment systems, infrastructure and access to finance, alongside supportive regulatory frameworks and reliable data, as the elements needed to build trust and facilitate cross-border digital transactions.
Diop welcomed the Commission’s initiative in fostering regional dialogue and frameworks for the e-commerce ecosystem.
Kolawole Sofola, Director of Trade at the ECOWAS Commission, spoke on behalf of Commission President H.E. General Birame Diop and Dehpue Yenpea Zuo, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture.
Sofola said increased digitalisation creates a real opportunity for cross-border trade, regional integration and economic growth, and argued that women, youth, persons with disabilities and small-scale cross-border traders must not be left behind as trade moves online.
He described the Forum as a platform for dialogue and said the study and Action Plan developed would support addressing barriers to inclusive e-commerce participation, with planned interventions responsive to the needs of the target groups.
Alessandro Vitale of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development highlighted e-commerce’s role in economic diversification and employment creation.
He stressed converting strategic commitments and policies into practical outcomes through investment in digital skills, affordable technologies, access to finance and markets, and stronger institutional capacity, and said women, young people, persons with disabilities and small-scale traders should benefit from the opportunities the digital economy creates.
Chukwuemeka Okafor, representing Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, called for practical and coordinated action to advance implementation of the regional e-commerce strategy, pointing to inclusive digital commerce through the proposed Action Plan and to translating regional cooperation into tangible opportunities for businesses and citizens across West Africa.
The Forum examined barriers that continue to limit participation in digital commerce, including inadequate connectivity, high access costs, gaps in digital skills and limited access to finance.
Stakeholders contributed their perspectives on gaps, opportunities, challenges and the resources needed to translate recommendations into practical interventions. Participants also took part in capacity building sessions on unlocking digital trade opportunities within key continental and regional frameworks.
The outcomes of the Forum will feed into the Second Meeting of the ECOWAS Regional E-Commerce Committee, scheduled for 29 to 30 October 2026.
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