The Protocol on Trade in Services under negotiation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was at the heart of a meeting held from 25 to 27 April 2022. This is the 7th regional meeting on the draft offer of the Economic Community of West African States organized by the ECOWAS Commission.

The 7th Regional Meeting reviewed the draft ECOWAS offer for afCFTA negotiations on Trade in Services and held bilateral sessions between the ECOWAS Commission and Member States to discuss and address the various technical issues as well as requests from third parties. In particular, the meeting recommended that Member States revise their offers in the light of the outcome of the bilateral sessions and ensure that they are in line with the agreed modalities and guidelines for the AfCFTA negotiations.

The five priority sectors of trade in services are business services, communication services, financial services, tourism and travel services, and transport services.