Governance and Commitments of ECOWAS Countries within the Framework of the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade Facilitation

Abstract

In this paper, we assess the effects of governance quality on the implementation of Type A commitments made by ECOWAS countries regarding the World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). We utilized panel data from 14 ECOWAS countries spanning the period 2004-2021. Results obtained through negative binomial regression and the Poisson model with continuous endogenous covariates show that five out of six Kaufmann governance quality indicators positively impact the adoption of TFA commitments within ECOWAS. The Poisson model with continuous endogenous covariates revealed a higher level of significance for variables related to regulation quality, voice and accountability, and political stability compared to the negative binomial model. These results remain robust even when using an alternative measure to assess governance quality. ECOWAS countries have a vested interest in creating conducive conditions for improving governance quality to undertake an increased number of measures in favor of trade facilitation.