West Africa consists of 16 countries which include 13 least developed countries that benefit from the "Everything but Arms" trade preferences of the EU.

Two West African countries, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, initialled bilateral interim EPAs with the EU at the end of 2007. The interim EPA with Côte d'Ivoire was signed on 26 November 2008. However, the new regional EPA will replace these interim EPAs. 

Nigeria is not a least developed country, and is now trading with EU under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), under which it benefits from 0% duty on oil, its main export to the EU. 

The European Union and West African countries had initially agreed to conclude a regional agreement on trade in goods and development cooperation by October 2009. However, the October 2009 deadline to conclude West African-EU EPA negotiations was further extended following experts and senior officials  negotiations held in Brussels from 21-25 September, 2009.

Negotiators focused on the numerous remaining points of divergence in the draft joint EPA text. There was some convergence of views on the EPA Development Programme, with the two parties agreeing that the EC will absorb the net fiscal impact of the EPA in conjunction with pertinent fiscal reforms in the region.

 A compromise was also agreed which will allow West Africa to take appropriate measures if complaints on implementation of EU support taken to the Joint EPA Council are not addressed within six months.

West Africa is seeking the possibility to temporarily postpone trade liberalisation in order to collect regional levies if EU development support has not materialised. The EC, however, says this would not be WTO-compatible and would, therefore, remove the legal certainty of the EPA. A joint legal study will be undertaken to determine appropriate wording for the text of the agreement.

West Africa also proposed a new formulation where the EC and its Member States are committed to providing “the financing necessary” (instead of “additional financing”) to the implementation of the development dimension of the EPA.
 
West Africa accepted the inclusion of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause in the EPA, but only if it is applied to Europe in accordance to WTO rules.
 

West Africa submitted a revised market access goods offer which maintains the 60-70 percent opening, but re-categorises products. The EC says the offer could be further improved due to the nature and the low importance of the trade between the two areas, the international context, questions of competitiveness, and the goods being sought.