Abstract:
This paper is an assessment of the impact of ECOWAS trade liberalisation scheme and industrialisation in Nigeria. The major objective of the study is to examine the impact of the free trade area on Nigeria's industrial growth. While such a scheme has helped the European Union for example, to become an industrial giant, the paper pointed out that the scheme has become an avenue for manufacturers in Asia, Europe and other parts of the world to dump their products in Nigeria thus leading to sustained de-industrialisation in Nigeria over the years. In view of this, the paper recommended the creation of special border defence agency called Border Defence and Monitoring Agency (BODMA) instead of the current total border closure. It also recommended the need for Nigeria to close her infrastructural deficit using public-private partnerships since poor infrastructure is among the reasons why local industries have been inefficient and uncompetitive in global trade.
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