Trade experts from ECOWAS member countries are meeting in Accra to undergo training in trade negotiation. The training comes ahead of negotiations for the next phase of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between West Africa and the European Union. The Trade Negotiations Capacity Building (TNCB) project seeks to improve the negotiation abilities of trade officials from ECOWAS member states. It is also intended to increase the number of trade negotiators in the sub-region. The facilitator of the TNCB project, Foly Ametitovi, explained it was necessary for member states to be endowed with proper negotiation skills to enable ECOWAS negotiate well at the international level. According to him, engaging in beneficial negotiations could alleviate poverty. The Director of Multilateral, Regional and Bilateral Trade at Ghana’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, Clement Nyaaba, asserted full benefit was not being reaped from the Trade Liberalisation Scheme due to lack of political will on the part of governments. According to him, the hassling of traders by Custom and security officials at the various border points undermines the sub-region’s integration efforts. The training will last for three days.