What are the Export Supply Constraints in the ECOWAS Zone?

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the constraints to the export supply in ECOWAS countries. The descriptive statistics as well as the gravity model techniques emphasize the weakness of the intra-regional trade in ECOWAS. Firstly, the countries of the zone with a relatively advanced economy, such as Nigeria, strongly participate in intra-regional exports while landlocked countries and small countries are major players in intra-regional imports. This is explained by the lack of diversification and non-complementarity of the product structure of the international trade. Secondly, we notice that the number of exchangeable products influence positively and significantly the participation in international trade as well as the GDP.