Director of the Customs Union and Taxation, ECOWAS Commission at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional grouping composed of 12 Member States, with the mandate to promote economic integration, social cohesion and political stability throughout West Africa. As a reference Intergovernmental Organisation (IOU), ECOWAS acts through a sound institutional framework, led by the Commission and the Community Parliament, with the aim of harmonising policies, fostering a “borderless” region and safeguarding democratic governance for more than 400 million citizens.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Director of the Customs Union and Taxation, ECOWAS Commission

Location: Abuja (FCT)
Job type: Full-time
Category: D1

Job Description

• The incumbent of the post will have to provide direction and management of technical activities related to the consolidation of the ECOWAS Customs Union and the harmonisation of domestic taxes within the Community.

Role And Responsibilities

• Lead regional tax and customs reforms;
• Monitor the implementation of the Common External Tariff (CTA) and related disputes;
• Support Member States in their tax transition;
• Establish a comprehensive regional framework to facilitate dialogue between different stakeholders;
• Represent the Commission in relevant political dialogues at regional and international levels;
• Monitor international commitments on taxation and customs;
• Monitor the progress of the implementation of the common market in the areas of taxation and customs;
• Establish the dispute settlement mechanism for the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (SLEC);
• Develop programmes to ensure the harmonization of customs regulations and domestic taxes, as well as the management of the ECOWAS tax transition programme in Member States;
• Develop and disseminate the ECOWAS Regional Compliance Programme on Tariffs and Community Agreements on Domestic Taxes in Member States;
• Develop and maintain standard operational procedures covering compliance with tariffs and taxes in accordance with the ECOWAS Regional Compliance Programme;
• Develop customs policies, formulate opinions and recommendations in accordance with ECOWAS regional rules and regulations;
• Develop policies to ensure more favourable conditions for economic operators, in line with the ECOWAS trade facilitation programme;
• Initiate and recommend policies to increase public revenue and reduce the risk of fraud and smuggling in Member States;
• Perform any other tasks that may be assigned to him by his supervisor.

Qualifications

• Hold a Master’s Degree or any other equivalent degree in Social Sciences, Business Administration, International Relations, International Diplomacy, Public Administration, Law or Political Science, issued by a recognized university.
• Justifying twelve (12) years of experience with progressive responsibility in the application of the principles of economic and social development, usually acquired in the development and management of programmes within an international organization, preferably in the context of West Africa; justifying practical experience in the areas of regional integration, trade, infrastructure and natural resource management is an asset;
• Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of economic and social policy development in key areas such as regional integration, trade, investment, infrastructure development, land policy, agricultural development and industrialization;
• Demonstrate a proven knowledge of regional cross-border cooperation in West Africa, migration dynamics in the region and the ECOWAS Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and Settlement, and related decisions, including on border delimitation and delimitation;
• Demonstrate knowledge of ECOWAS regional rules and regulations on the tariff classification of goods, origin of goods, and compliance policies on tariffs and taxes.
• Age Limit: Be under 50 years of age.

Main Skills For ECOWAS

• Have strong leadership experience in building strategic partnerships, collaboration and consensus building with multiple internal or external stakeholders on complex issues, within a multidisciplinary government or international organization.
• Have a good knowledge of the mandate, the ECOWAS strategic plan/priorities and the state/economic, political and social trends of the Member States, with regard to their own scope.
• Be consistent in actions, have the ability to respect values, methods, confidentiality, ethics, measures, principles, expectations and results; be able to demonstrate a deep commitment to do what is right for the right cause, regardless of circumstances.
• Have the ability to build and maintain good working relationships with heads of institutions, elected representatives and statutory officials to facilitate compliance, engage, resolve conflicts and obtain the necessary support for change.
• Ensure scrupulous respect for the hierarchy.
• Be able to promote a culture that can cause agents to feel personally responsible for the results.
• Have the capacity to provide leadership, management and technical oversight of all project and program outcomes activities, in accordance with ECOWAS legal and administrative practices and standards.
• Be willing to conduct periodic evaluations of staff performance in accordance with the ECOWAS Performance Management System, mentor, motivate and engage staff, develop their ability to work as a team.
• Be able to oversee project management, internal controls, manage financial resources and address issues in a confident and competent manner while making impartial and non-partisan decisions.
• Demonstrate initiative and ingenuity to meet all the needs of the actors, to conduct the multiple tasks assigned and to achieve positive results.
• Be able to create synergy with client groups and other actors to achieve objectives in defining and monitoring standards and service indicators.
• Ability to encourage others to promote or adopt good practices in customer services.
• Be able to identify and improve services and exchanges with customers through appropriate networks and create new methods to respond to them in a responsible and transparent manner.
• Have a good knowledge of the regulatory environment to combat discrimination/human rights violations, as well as the ability to promote strategies to foster an inclusive workplace and healthy organization, respectful of cultural diversity and gender balance and free from harassment and discrimination.
• Full understanding of the various cultural points of view, including those of West African nationals, being sensitive to differences between groups, gender issues and helping to defend and/or develop policies sensitive to gender and different cultures.
• Be willing to encourage a diverse and inclusive interactive workplace that can bring together different ideas and experiences to solve problems, develop projects and programs, and improve outcomes.
• Be able to integrate a gender perspective and ensure the equitable participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Ability to be objective in conflict management despite cultural differences, gender positions and differences, and encourage staff to overcome prejudices and differences in culture and gender.
• Have a perfect mastery of the organizational structure, culture and dynamics of the ECOWAS workplace.
• Ability to implement ECOWAS legal framework, strategic priorities and operational standards to develop/update policies and programmes and/or implement policies and programmes in a sustainable and effective manner.
• Have a strong sense of trade, social and political issues, and demonstrate a strong commitment to the vision and mandate of ECOWAS.
• Have the capacity to judge and take decisions on issues related to the development of policies and strategies that are essential for the achievement of the ECOWAS mandate and the improvement of results for Member States.
• Ability to write and analyze reports and identify potential barriers or challenges; be able to develop solutions or propose new alternatives to overcome barriers and achieve strategic/operational priorities.
• Ability to predict and interpret the effects and impacts of environmental change (social, economic and political) and to make recommendations.
• Ability to identify/determine strengths and weaknesses, stimulate creativity, reduce resistance to change and improve the achievement of strategic objectives.
• Ability to make prudent decisions on the management of human, financial and material resources.
• Have a good ability to listen and understand the views of others, in order to inform statements, decisions or recommendations.
• Ability to build external collaborative relationships and networks to support the achievement of strategic and operational objectives; have the ability to identify key issues and engage key stakeholders through well-designed communication and management plans.
• Have the ability to communicate with clarity and conviction, to make compelling presentations that can foster the emergence of new knowledge, ideas and perspectives, and a better understanding of issues and challenges.
• Ability to listen to encourage better communication among team members, to show attention to them and to give them the feeling of being valued; to engage employees in the various institutions and agencies.
• Have excellent negotiation and conflict management skills; have the ability to build and maintain cordial relationships that are focused on collaboration.
• Have a perfect command of information and communication technologies (ICT).
• Know how to write and speak fluently one of the three official languages of ECOWAS (English, French and Portuguese). The practical knowledge of one of the other two languages would be an additional asset.
• Have excellent planning skills, have the ability to set clear expectations, conduct consistent and effective monitoring of performance management practices, and ensure that objectives are met and that standards are met.
• Be able to set goals, achieve expected outcomes and manage change; demonstrate resilience, coolness and positivity in an uncertain and hostile environment.
• Ability to foster the development of organizational and individual talent throughout the implementation of strategic, operational, program, project and individual plans.
• Ability to implement plans, engage and engage employees, identify key success factors, mitigate risk, monitor indicators and feedback, take corrective action and build sustainability capacity.
• Ability to implement rigorous monitoring and evaluation practices and to learn from failures and errors to ensure continuous improvement.

ECOWAS Working Environment

• ECOWAS offers a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity within the organization and, therefore, we strongly encourage women to apply for positions that match their skills.
• Individuals from ethnic minority groups, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and other under-represented groups are also strongly encouraged to apply. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of ECOWAS staff.

Annual Salary
UAC 81,435.54 (USD 128,488.99)

Application Closing Date
10th May, 2026.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

The documents required for the application include:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Application form

Important Information and Notice

• Failure to comply with any of these requirements will result in the deletion of the application.
• The assessment of qualified candidates will include a written exercise and a competency-based interview.
• Selection and appointment will be subject to work history and reference checks and other administrative requirements.
• ECOWAS does not charge any fees for applications, processing, training, interviews, tests related to application or recruitment processes and does not care about the information of candidates’ bank accounts.
• Any incomplete application will be rejected.