« You don’t cut the head of a wort-hog in its absence »

An ECOWAS meeting takes place in Ouagadougou from May 30^th  to June 6^th. The agenda includes the consolidation of the regional integration process, the External Customs Tariff ECT, which regulates all import duties  - and therefore protects/does not protect!  a country’s agriculture or industry – as well as the negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA).

In the run up to this meeting the National Confederation of Farmers’ Unions in Burkina (CPF) in co-operation with the network of farmers’ organisations in West Africa, ROPPA, have come out strongly on these topics. On June 1^st they organised a march in Ouagadougou to present their views to the public and to the general secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, in the presence of the representative of the European Union.

For this occasion they drafted a MEMORANDUM, stating their standpoints and concerns.

First they strongly emphasise their support for building up regional integration, although much work still remains. They want to be an integral part of this process, which will be decisive for their future. They again express this idea by means of an African saying: “You don’t cut the head of a wart-hog in its absence”.

In the MEMORANDUM they declare:

“Therefore, in view of the ECOWAS meeting in Ouagadougou, we, the members of ROPPA, the CPF and the organisations of the civil society in Burkina, reaffirm our strong attachment to the idea of regional integration, but at the same time we wish to raise the concerns we have about the direction this process is taking at present.”

They refer to their “deep worry with regard to the generalised application across all ECOWAS countries of the External Customs Tariff, which has proven inadequate for boosting agricultural production and intra-regional trade, as well as for reducing dependence on foreign food and for stopping the loss of currency through food imports”.

They demand “the adoption of measures to protect regional borders, which is the only efficient way to ensure a regional market for local agricultural commodities and food products”.  They demand “the addition of a fifth tariff band in the ECT, in which the rate is at least equal to the customs rates that the West African states have notified to the WTO.”

They demand “ that no Economic Partnership Agreement be signed with the European Union, so long as the following conditions have not been fulfilled:

a.  Effective regional integration, through the real and transparent use of instruments such as the Customs Union, the Monetary Union;

b.  The setting up of a true common market, based on regional preferences, with an acceptable level of intra-regional trade in farm products and commodities;

c.  A fair and asymmetric trade policy, which takes into
account the region’s need for integration and development;

d.  A modulated and regulated opening up of the market for a maximum of 50% of products – such free access can in no way include products listed as “strategic” by the region;

e.  A 3 year postponement of the signature of an Economic Partnership Agreement, as requested by the ECOWAS;

f.  A transition period long enough to consolidate the regional integration and attain the objectives set out in the common agricultural policy, the ECOWAP, with special reference to food sovereignty;

g.  The conclusion of the Doha Round in the WTO.”

They also demand the immediate start of a process, in which they take part, to work out  a list of specific strategic products to be excluded from any trade agreement, including the EPA, in line with the method agreed at the regional meeting in Ouagadougou in January 2007;

They further demand “the organisation of a genuine democratic debate at the local, national and regional level on the problems and opportunities of regional integration, WTO rules and EPAs, which will have definite effects on our land, our agriculture and our co-operation with the rest of the world for a very long time to come”.

The Memorandum is a document of great merit, a bit technical perhaps, but it deserves to be studied and considered. It was read out by the President of the CPF, Mr Dao. Before him Mr Sawaddogo, President of the Chamber of Agriculture, had taken the floor. And finally Mr Fall, President of ROPPA, concluded the meeting by a strong statement on the determination of farmers to go ahead.

This was also expressed in the slogans and banners that accompanied the march (see our photo collection, n° 30 and 31).

This is at least the third time that the farmers of Burkina take to the streets in Ouagadougou to show where they stand on the EPAs and on world trade. The new feature this time was that they were no longer alone, their ranks were doubled. Not only was the president of the regional network, ROPPA, present, but also delegations from Mali, Benin, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

Their camp was also enlarged by organisations of the civil society, the Consumer League and other associations. Artists joined in as well, The “Coalition Intègre du Burkina”, which showed us one of their titles on fair trade, “ Commerce Equitable”. You may see it  (clic here) or find their CD, “Les Vérités Acte 1” (FR), sold by K7, Ouaga ambiance, phone: +226 50 30 37 70 or  e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Koudougou 1^st of June, 2007

Maurice Oudet, Director

SEDELAN