ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as CEDEAO in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of 5,114,162 km2 (1,974,589 sq mi), and in 2019 had an estimated population of over 387 million.

Economic Community of West African States
  • Communauté économique des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (French)
  • Comunidade Económica dos Estados da África Ocidental (Portuguese)
Emblem of the Economic Community of West African States
Emblem
  Member states
  Suspended states
HeadquartersAbuja, Nigeria 9°2′35″N 7°31′32″E
Official languages
  • English
  • French
  • Portuguese
Member states
Leaders
• Chairman
Bola Ahmed Tinubu
• President of the Commission
Omar Touray
Moustapha Cissé Lô
Establishment28 May 1975
28 May 1975[1]
• Treaty Revision
24 July 1993
Area
• Total
5,114,162 km2 (1,974,589 sq mi) (7th)
Population
• 2019 estimate
387 million (3rd)
• Density
68.3/km2 (176.9/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2015 estimate
• Total
US$1.483 trillion[2] (18th)
• Per capita
US$4,247[3]
GDP (nominal)estimate
• Total
$816.4 billion[4] 2019 (21st)
• Per capita
$2,089
Currency
Time zoneUTC-1 to +1
Website
www.ecowas.int

Considered one of the pillar regional blocs of the continent-wide African Economic Community (AEC), the stated goal of ECOWAS is to achieve "collective self-sufficiency" for its member states by creating a single large trade bloc by building a full economic and trading union. Additionally, ECOWAS aims to raise living standards and promote economic development.[5] The union was established on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, with its stated mission to promote economic integration across the region. A revised version of the treaty was agreed and signed on 24 July 1993 in Cotonou.[6]

ECOWAS's fundamental principles rely on equity, inter-dependence, solidarity, co-operation, nonaggression, regional peace, promotion of human rights, and economic and social justice.[7] ECOWAS also serves as a peacekeeping force in the region, with member states occasionally sending joint military forces to intervene in the bloc's member countries at times of political instability and unrest.[8][9]

Member states

Upon its foundation, ECOWAS had 15 member states; eight of these are French-speaking, five are English-speaking, and two Portuguese-speaking. All current members joined the community as founding members in May 1975, except Cape Verde which joined in 1977.[10][11]

Morocco officially requested to join ECOWAS in February 2017.[12] The application was endorsed in principle at the summit of heads of state in June 2017.[13][14] However, Morocco's bid for membership was stalled as West African economic actors feared good imported through Morocco's free trade agreements would flood the market of states within ECOWAS.[15]

States that have withdrawn or been suspended

Arabic-speaking Mauritania, was one of the founding members of ECOWAS in 1975 and decided to withdraw in December 2000.[10] Mauritania recently signed a new associate-membership agreement in August 2017.[16]

Mali was suspended from ECOWAS on 30 May 2021, following its second military coup within nine months.[17] Guinea was also suspended on 8 September 2021, shortly after a military coup took place in the country.[18][19] Sanctions were placed on both countries on 16 September.[20] On 10 January 2022, Mali announced its decision to close its borders and recalled several ambassadors with ECOWAS in response to sanctions imposed for deferring elections for four years.[21] On 28 January 2022, Burkina Faso was suspended from ECOWAS following a military coup.[22] Niger was suspended from ECOWAS after the 2023 coup d'état and threatened with military intervention if President Mohamed Bazoum is not restored to office,[23] causing the Nigerien crisis. On 10 August 2023, after an emergency summit ECOWAS announced the creation of a military task force for possible military intervention in Niger should diplomatic talks fail.[24] ECOWAS military chiefs convened a two-day meeting in Accra, Ghana to discuss a possible military intervention against the junta on August 17 and 18, only the Cape Verde was not ready to participate in the standby force. ECOWAS has set a "D-day" for a possible military intervention against the junta should diplomacy fail.[25]

Statistics for population, nominal GDP and purchasing power parity GDP listed below are taken from World Bank estimates for 2015, published in December 2016.[26][27][28] Area data is taken from a 2012 report compiled by the United Nations Statistics Division.[29]

ECOWAS member states
Country Area[29]
(km2)		 Population[26]
(thousands)		 GDP (nominal)[27]
(millions USD)		 GDP (PPP)[28]
(millions intl.$)		 Currency Official
language		 Status
 Benin 114,763 10,880 8,291 22,377 CFA franc French —
 Burkina Faso 272,967 18,106 10,678 30,708 CFA franc French Suspended
 Cape Verde 4,033 521 1,603 3,413 escudo Portuguese —
 Gambia 11,295 1,991 939 3,344 dalasi English —
 Ghana 238,533 27,410 37,543 115,409 cedi English —
 Guinea 245,857 12,609 6,699 15,244 franc French Suspended
 Guinea-Bissau 36,125 1,844 1,057 2,685 CFA franc Portuguese —
 Ivory Coast 322,463 22,702 31,759 79,766 CFA franc French —
 Liberia 111,369 4,503 2,053 3,762 dollar English —
 Mali 1,240,192 17,600 12,747 35,695 CFA franc Bambara Suspended
 Niger 1,267,000 19,899 7,143 19,013 CFA franc French Suspended
 Nigeria 923,768 211,400 481,066 1,093,921 Naira English —
 Senegal 196,712 15,129 13,610 36,625 CFA franc French —
 Sierra Leone 72,300 6,453 4,215 10,127 leone English —
 Togo 56,785 7,305 4,088 10,667 CFA franc French —
Total 5,114,162 338,052 623,491 1,482,756 —

History
Flag of ECOWAS

ECOWAS was formed initially from the region's former French, British and Portuguese colonies, and independent Liberia, following post-colonial independence throughout the region (particularly in the 1960s and 1970s). At independence, many African states were challenged in increasing economic development. Because these states could not address problems individually, there was a need for a regional approach and thus ECOWAS was founded.[30] ECOWAS was formed to provide regional economic cooperation, but has since evolved to include political and military cooperation, as well. [31]

The union was established on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, with its stated mission to promote economic integration across the region. A revised version of the treaty was agreed and signed on 24 July 1993 in Cotonou.[32] Considered one of the pillar regional blocs of the continent-wide African Economic Community (AEC), the stated goal of ECOWAS is to achieve "collective self-sufficiency" for its member states by creating a single large trade bloc by building a full economic and trading union.[33]

ECOWAS also serves as a peacekeeping force in the region, with member states occasionally sending joint military forces to intervene in the bloc's member countries at times of political instability and unrest. ECOWAS facilitates peacekeeping through systematic collaboration with civil society, cooperation with development policies, and other activities with the goal to meet sub-regional security challenges.[30] It has played an important role in monitoring transitional election in West Africa, and these mediation efforts have even been recognized within and outside the continent of Africa.[30] In recent years these included interventions in Ivory Coast in 2003, Liberia in 2003, Guinea-Bissau in 2012, Mali in 2013, and The Gambia in 2017.[8][9]

In 2011, ECOWAS adopted its development blueprint for the next decade, Vision 2020, and, to accompany it, a Policy on Science and Technology (ECOPOST).[34] However, it has had trouble achieving the goals outlined in the policy.[35]

Covering a region known as a "coup belt", ECOWAS, since the 1990s, has attempted to defend the region's shift towards democracy against authoritarian attacks. According to the BBC, since 1990, 78% of the 27 coups in sub-Saharan Africa have taken place in former French colonies. This has led some to question whether French influence in Africa has a destabilising impact.[36] The transition governments in Mali and Burkina Faso cancelled military agreements that allow for French troops to operate on their territory, and in the case of Mali, removed French as an official language. [37] [38][39] However, the group has been cited for mild and ineffective responses in the early 2020s, when three member countries experienced military coups d'état – two in Mali, one in Guinea, and two in Burkina Faso.[18][19][40][41] When a fourth member, Niger, experienced a coup d'état in July 2023, ECOWAS was vocal in its condemnation and raised the possibility of military action if the deposed president was not reinstated by 7 August 2023.[42][43][44] Due to the Nigerien military’s refusal to restore civilian rule, ECOWAS activated its standby force composed of all other members except for Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Cape Verde.

Structure

Overall

ECOWAS consists of two operating institutions to implement policies: the ECOWAS Commission and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) – formerly known as the Fund for Cooperation, until it was renamed in 2001.[45]

In addition, ECOWAS includes the following institutions: ECOWAS Commission, Community Court of Justice,[46] Community Parliament,[47] ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID),[47] West African Health Organisation (WAHO),[48] and the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in West Africa (GIABA).[49]

ECOWAS includes two sub-regional blocks:

ECOWAS operates in three co-official languages—French, English, and Portuguese.[50]

The Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment Protocol

In May of 1979, ECOWAS adopted a Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment Protocol which permits citizens to enter, reside and establish economic activities in the territory of member states. [51] There were three phases of implementation to achieve the goals of the protocol. Over the course of five years, Phase I eliminated the need for visas for stays of up to 90 days within the ECOWAS territory.[51] Phase II attempted to extend residency to citizens in host ECOWAS states to seek income-earning employment after obtaining an ECOWAS residence card. Phase II also required member states to grant migrant workers equal treatment in areas such as employment, participation, social and cultural activities, and in certain cases of job loss, re-employment and training.[52] Phase III centered on the facilitation of business through the right of citizens to manage economic activities in countries other than their country of origin. However, this right has not been fully established in the ECOWAS region.[51] While these three phases promoting freedom of movement within the ECOWAS region is more advanced than in any other regional grouping in Africa, only the first phase has been fully implemented by all ECOWAS countries.[51] In December of 2000, the ECOWAS passport was introduced as a common passport which functioned as an international travel document, and member states are currently in the process of implementing a joint visa for non-ECOWAS citizens.[53] Additionally, ECOWAS has worked to ease the movement of people transported in private and commercial vehicles by implementing policies that enable vechicles to enter and reside in a State for up to ninety days. Most ECOWAS states have instituted an ECOWAS brown card which provides prompt, fair, and immediate compensation for any motor accident which occurs outside a motorists home-country.[54]

While monitoring committees exist to ensure all three phases of the protocol are successfully implemented, their work is vague and has not been credited with effective and efficient production of data. More so, there is a lack of access to readily available migrant information in the ECOWAS region. This poses a barrier for freedom of movement as immigration officials in member states are unaware that individuals who hold valid travel documents can enter their country freely. Therefore, many West African migrants leave their countries without proper travel documents and enter other countries illegally even though they are entitled to enter through regular channels.[51]

Executive secretaries and presidents of the commission
Politics of the African Union
Institutions
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
Advisory bodies
Financial bodies
Decentralised bodies
Related topics
Executive Secretary Country In office
Inaugural holder Aboubakar Diaby Ouattara  Ivory Coast January 1977 – 1985
Momodu Munu  Sierra Leone 1985–1989
Abass Bundu 1989–1993
Édouard Benjamin  Guinea 1993–1997
Lansana Kouyaté September 1997 – 31 January 2002
Mohamed Ibn Chambas  Ghana 1 February 2002 – 31 December 2006
Mohamed Ibn Chambas 1 January 2007 – 18 February 2010
James Victor Gbeho 18 February 2010 – 1 March 2012
Kadré Désiré Ouedraogo  Burkina Faso 1 March 2012 – 4 June 2016
Marcel Alain de Souza  Benin 4 June 2016 – 1 March 2018
Jean-Claude Brou  Ivory Coast 1 March 2018 – 3 July 2022
Omar Touray  Gambia 3 July 2022 – present

Chairpersons
Chairperson Country In office
Yakubu Gowon  Nigeria 28 May 1975 – 29 July 1975
Gnassingbé Eyadéma  Togo 29 July 1975 – 13 September 1977
Olusegun Obasanjo  Nigeria 13 September 1977 – 30 September 1979
Léopold Sédar Senghor  Senegal 30 September 1979 – 31 December 1980
Gnassingbé Eyadéma  Togo 1980–1981
Siaka Stevens  Sierra Leone 1981–1982
Mathieu Kérékou  Benin 1982–1983
Ahmed Sékou Touré  Guinea 1983–1984
Lansana Conté 1984–1985
Muhammadu Buhari  Nigeria 1985 – 27 August 1985
Ibrahim Babangida 27 August 1985 – 1989
Dawda Jawara  Gambia 1989–1990
Blaise Compaoré  Burkina Faso 1990–1991
Dawda Jawara  Gambia 1991–1992
Abdou Diouf  Senegal 1992–1993
Nicéphore Soglo  Benin 1993–1994
Jerry Rawlings  Ghana 1994 – 27 July 1996
Sani Abacha  Nigeria 27 July 1996 – 8 June 1998
Abdulsalami Abubakar 9 June 1998 – 1999
Gnassingbé Eyadéma  Togo 1999–1999
Alpha Oumar Konaré  Mali 1999 – 21 December 2001
Abdoulaye Wade  Senegal 21 December 2001 – 31 January 2003
John Kufuor  Ghana 31 January 2003 – 19 January 2005
Mamadou Tandja  Niger 19 January 2005 – 19 January 2007
Blaise Compaoré  Burkina Faso 19 January 2007 – 19 December 2008
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua  Nigeria 19 December 2008 – 18 February 2010
Goodluck Jonathan 18 February 2010 – 17 February 2012
Alassane Ouattara  Ivory Coast 17 February 2012 – 17 February 2013
John Mahama  Ghana 17 February 2013 – 19 May 2015
Macky Sall  Senegal 19 May 2015 – 4 June 2016
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf  Liberia 4 June 2016 – 4 June 2017
Faure Gnassingbé  Togo 4 June 2017 – 31 July 2018
Muhammadu Buhari  Nigeria 31 July 2018 – 29 June 2019
Mahamadou Issoufou  Niger 29 June 2019 – 2 June 2020
Nana Akufo-Addo  Ghana 2 June 2020 – 3 July 2022
Umaro Sissoco Embaló  Guinea-Bissau 3 July 2022 – 9 July 2023
Bola Tinubu  Nigeria 9 July 2023 – Present

Regional security co-operation
See also: Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group

ECOWAS nations assigned a non-aggression protocol in 1990 along with two earlier agreements in 1978 and 1981. They also signed a Protocol on Mutual Defence Assistance in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 29 May 1981, that provided for the establishment of an Allied Armed Force of the Community.[55]

Community Parliament

The Community Parliament consists of 115 members, distributed based on the population of each member state.[56] This body is headed by the Speaker of the Parliament, who is above the Secretary General.

Country Parliament Seats
 Benin 5
 Burkina Faso 6
 Cape Verde 5
 Gambia 5
 Ghana 8
 Guinea 6
 Guinea-Bissau 5
 Ivory Coast 7
 Liberia 5
 Mali 6
 Niger 6
 Nigeria 35
 Senegal 6
 Sierra Leone 5
 Togo 5

Expanded ECOWAS Commission

For the third time since its inception in 1975, ECOWAS is undergoing institutional reforms. The first was when it revised its treaty on 24 July 1993; the second was in 2007 when the Secretariat was transformed into a Commission. As of July 2013, ECOWAS now has six new departments (Human Resources Management; Education, Science and Culture; Energy and Mines; Telecommunications and IT; Industry and Private Sector Promotion). Finance and Administration to Sierra Leone has been decoupled, to give the incoming Ghana Commissioner the new portfolio of Administration and Conferences.[57]

Community Court of Justice
Main article: ECOWAS Court

ECOWAS Community Court of Justice was created by a protocol signed in 1991 and was later included in Article 6 of the Revised Treaty of the Community in 1993.[58] However, the Court did not officially begin operations until the 1991 protocol came into effect on 5 November 1996. The jurisdiction of the court is outlined in Article 9 and Articles 76 of the Revised Treaty and allows rulings on disputes between states over interpretations of the Revised Treaty. It also provides ECOWAS Council with advisory opinions on legal issues (Article 10). Like its companion courts, the European Court of Human Rights and East African Court of Justice, it has jurisdiction to rule on fundamental human rights breaches.[58]

Sporting and cultural exchange

ECOWAS nations organise a broad array of cultural and sports events under the auspices of the body, including the CEDEAO Cup in football, the 2012 ECOWAS Games and the Miss CEDEAO beauty pageant.[59] The Community Heads of State and Government adopted African Traditional Wrestling as the Community Sport, and through its Specialised Agency in charge of youth and sports development, the Ouagadougou-based ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC), has consistently organised the yearly ECOWAS African Wrestling Tournament mainly in Dakar (Senegal) and Niamey (Niger) based on a harmonized African wrestling code. The Community, through the EYSDC, also organized 2 editions of ECOWAS International Cycling tour, taking close to 100 riders from all member States, from Lagos to Accra and then from Lagos to Abidjan. In addition to the sports and well-being objective of the tour, the race also served to demonstrate and put into practice ECOWAS protocol on free movement of goods and persons. In 2019, the EYSDC instituted ECOWAS Abuja International Marathon. The first edition brought together international marathoners from West Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Cameroon. Similarly, the Community, through its specialised agency, promotes regional sports development by offering sponsorship to regional sports federations and specialized disciplines such as the West African Deaf Sports Union ((WADSU), the West African Liaison Office of the International Council for Military Sports (WALO-CISM), the Region 2 of the African Athletics Federation, the West African University Games (WAUG), among others.

Youth

The ECOWAS Youth Policy Strategic Plan of Action (SPAO) is a 10-year plan that aims to promote youth development and empowerment in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The SPAO was adopted in 2016 and is based on the pillars of education and training, employment and entrepreneurship, health and well-being, peace and security, and governance and participation.[60][61]

The SPAO identifies a number of challenges facing youth in ECOWAS, including high unemployment rates, lack of access to education and training, and poor health outcomes. The plan sets out a number of strategies to address these challenges, including investing in education and training, creating jobs and supporting entrepreneurship, improving access to health care, promoting peace and security, and strengthening youth participation in governance.[60][61]

Economic integration

West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA)
See also: CFA franc and Economic and monetary union
  UEMOA
  WAMZ
  ECOWAS only (Cape Verde)

The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU,[62] also known as UEMOA from its name in French, Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine) is an organisation of eight, mainly francophone West African states within ECOWAS, previously colonies of French West Africa.[63] It was established to promote economic integration among countries that share the CFA franc as a common currency. UEMOA was created by a Treaty signed at Dakar, Senegal, on 10 January 1994, by the heads of state and governments of Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. On 2 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, became the organisation's eighth (and only non-francophone) member state.

UEMOA is a customs union and currency union between the members of ECOWAS. Its objectives include:[64]

  • Greater economic competitiveness, through open markets, in addition to the rationalisation and harmonisation of the legal environment
  • The convergence of macro-economic policies and indicators
  • The creation of a common market
  • The co-ordination of sectoral policies
  • The harmonisation of fiscal policies

Among its achievements, the UEMOA has successfully implemented macro-economic convergence criteria and an effective surveillance mechanism. It has adopted a customs union and common external tariff and has combined indirect taxation regulations, in addition to initiating regional structural and sectoral policies. A September 2002 IMF survey cited the UEMOA as "the furthest along the path toward integration" of all the regional groupings in Africa.[65]

ECOWAS and UEMOA have developed a common plan of action on trade liberalisation and macroeconomic policy convergence. The organizations have also agreed on common rules of origin to enhance trade, and ECOWAS has agreed to adopt UEMOA's customs declaration forms and compensation mechanisms.[66]

Membership

West African Monetary Zone
See also: Eco (currency)

Formed in 2000, the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) is a group of six countries within ECOWAS that plan to introduce a common currency called the Eco.[67] The six member states of WAMZ are Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria and Sierra Leone who founded the organisation together in 2000 and Liberia who joined on 16 February 2010. Apart from Guinea, which is francophone, they are all English-speaking countries. Along with Mauritania, Guinea opted out of the CFA franc currency shared by all other former French colonies in West and Central Africa.

The WAMZ attempts to establish a strong stable currency to rival the CFA franc, whose exchange rate is tied to that of the euro and is guaranteed by the French Treasury. The eventual goal is for the CFA franc and eco to merge, giving all of West and Central Africa a single, stable currency. The launch of the new currency is being developed by the West African Monetary Institute based in Accra, Ghana.

Membership

Transport
Main article: ECOWAS rail

A Trans-ECOWAS project, established in 2007, plans to upgrade railways in this zone.[70]

Tourism

In 2019, ECOWAS unveiled its Ecotour Action Plan 2019 – 2029. It focuses on tourism heritage protection and development, and on the development of standards, regulations and control systems. [71][72][73] The plan includes five programmes for implementation, and detailed mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation. Ecotourism is not specifically developed, yet it has been mentioned that the program has the opportunity to create linkages between institutions and stakeholder collaboration, to suit ecotourism projects that prioritize community, biodiversity, and socioeconomics.[74]

See also

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