Excellencies Heads of State of West Africa,

At the end of the forty sixth Ordinary Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which was held on 15 December 2014 in Abuja, Nigeria, in your final communiqué, you “directed the West African Chief Negotiators to expedite actions in order to organize in due course the signing of the Agreement and its ratification by all Member States”.

Today, more than a score of West African countries are reported to have signed this agreement almost through the back door signing as information on the signing has so far been held in the greatest secrecy. Only five countries, namely Nigeria, Togo, Gambia Sierra Leone and Mauritania have not yet signed the agreement.

Excellencies, we wish to point out that these opaque and nebulous practices are totally inconsistent with the speeches you constantly repeat before your people on transparency, participation and accountability. If you are signing these agreements on our behalf and they are good as you claim, why do you then do it almost in secret?

Through this action, you have imposed on 12 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in our region an agreement which is meaningless to them and to which they have signed on due to political weakness, lack of understanding or opportunism. No international convention compels LDCs to open their markets to the 28 developed countries of the European Union. However, your actions have pushed them into this uncertain adventure which only seeks to protect the short term interest of a few countries and companies.

Worse still, Nigeria, the West African regional power and the first economy of the African continent has clearly stated that it does not intend to sign the EPA since it has been technically and politically established that the EPA could undermine the successes of its emerging economy. Instead of supporting our champion to help it, on one hand, deal with it current vulnerability to the Boko Haram Sect, and on the other hand, achieve together a strong and sustainable economic integration, you are supporting the EU in its pressure on Nigeria to give in.

We give our full support to Nigeria and all the countries that have refused to sign and wish to tell them that they are on the good side of history. A history that will record that in 2014, you as Heads of State you made a choice of dependence and the status quo instead of development.

We will employ all legal and democratic means to oppose your action.

Done in West Africa, 12 January 2015