CEN-SAD - The Community of Sahel-Saharan States

History and Background

CEN-SAD was established in February 1998 by six countries, but since then its membership has grown to 28. Current member countries are  Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,Liberia, Libya, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Togo and Tunisia. 

One of its main goals is to achieve economic unity through the implementation of the free movement of people and goods in order to make the area occupied by member states a free trade area. At the international level, CEN-SAD gained observer status at the UN General Assembly in 2001 and concluded association and cooperation accords with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) as well as with UN specialized agencies and institutions such as UNDP, WHO, UNESCO, FAO and the Permanent Interstate Committe for drought control in the Sahel.

CEN-SAD Secretariat offices are based in Tripoli, Libya.

All CEN-SAD member countries are also participating in other African economic unions, that have the aim to create a common African Economic Community. The envisioned Free Trade Area of CEN-SAD would be hard to practically implement, because it is overlapping with the envisioned Customs Unions of ECOWAS, ECCAS and COMESA and other trade blocs more advanced in their integration.

Objectives of CEN-SAD

The establishment of a global Economic Union based on the implementation of a community development plan that complements the local development plans of member States and which comprises the various fields of a sustained socio-economic development: agriculture, industry, energy, social, culture and health.

CEN-SAD aims for the removal of all restrictions hampering the integration of member states through the adoption of necessary measures to ensure:

1. Free movement of persons, capitals and interests of nationals of  Member States
2. Right of establishment, ownership and exercise of economic activity
3. Free trade and movement of goods, commodities and services from Member States

The promotion of external trade through an investment policy in Member States.

The increase of means of land, air and maritime transport and communications among Member States and the execution of common projects.

The same right, advantages and obligations granted to their own citizens to nationals of the signatory countries in conformity with the provisions of their respective constitutions.

The harmonization of educational, pedagogical, scientific and cultural systems of the various cycles of education.