Economic Community Of West African States

The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) is a West African association of 15 member countries that signed the Lagos Treaty in May 1975 to come together for their unanimous economic and political growth through economic integration and cooperation. The members of ECOWAS include Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The community works for the growth and progress of its member states by fostering the free flow of people, capital, goods, services, and technology among these countries.

ECOWAS aims to achieve economic integration in the fields of transportation, telecommunication, agriculture, energy, trade, commerce, natural resources, technology, finance, social and cultural grounds, industry, customs, immigration, and other critical areas. For this purpose, the community has several different associations or organs, as stated below:

1. The Authority of Heads of State and Government
2. The Community Court of Justice
3. The ECOWAS Parliament
4. The Council of Ministers 
5. The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in West Africa (GIABA)
6. The West African Health Organization (WAHO) 
7. The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) 

The Economic Community of West African States was officially constituted through the Lagos Treaty on May 28, 1975, between the 15 states of West Africa to foster economic and political cooperation and integration among them. However, the community was not formed in a day, and the developments can be seen from the pre-colonial times in chronological order as follows:

1. In 1945, the CFA franc was established as a currency used by several French-speaking West African countries.
2. In 1964, Liberian President William Tubman suggested the formation of the West African economic union, which became an agreement between Liberia, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Sierra Leone.
3. In 1972, General Yakubu Gowon, leader of Nigeria, and Gnassingbé Eyadéma, President of Togo, proposed creating a union with a wider scope for the welfare of West African countries.
4. Finally, in 1975, the Treaty of Lagos was signed between member nations in Lagos, Nigeria, resulting in the emergence of the ECOWAS.
5. In 1976, Cape Verde became a new member of the group.
6. In 1993, the member states revised and signed the Lagos Treaty to consider a broader political growth agenda. 
7. In 2000, Mauritania exited the community. 
8. In 2024, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger demanded their membership withdrawal.

This inter-regional community was established with the primary purpose of economic progress and integration of its member states. Some of its prominent goals in this context are as follows:

• Encouraging economic integration and cooperation among the member states;
• Setting up the West African economic union to improve the standard of living of the natives of these countries;
• Ensuring economic stability among these nations;
• Strengthening the relations among the participating countries;
• Aiding free movement of capital, people, goods, and services within these states;
• Agreeing upon national policies that promote agriculture, food, transportation, industry, energy, trade and commerce, finance, natural resources, education, health, culture, technology, etc.
• Trade liberalization and establishment of a common market by removing tariffs and other barriers;
• Addressing security and other concerns in the member states.

The community was initially created by the 15 nations of the West African region, I.e., Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.  However, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger applied for their membership withdrawal from ECOWAS on January 28, 2024, after the incidents of military coups in these countries. The leaders of these nations blamed the Western countries (pointing out France) and ECOWAS for their interference, threatening national cooperation and sovereignty. However, the ECOWAS statute doesn't permit an immediate withdrawal and requires to follow a specific waiting period.

The Economic Community of West African States news updates often discuss the several contributions that this organization has made in uplifting the member nations. Some of the most recognized achievements include:

1. In the 1990s and early 2000s, ECOWAS' Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) set a global example of peacekeeping by intervening in and settling the conflict between Liberia and Sierra Leone. 
2. The community planned the ECOWAS currency to strengthen economic integration and promote trade between member nations.
3. It has further introduced the ECOWAS passport facility for the natives of the Economic Community of West African States members to ensure visa-free travel across these nations.
4. The organization is constantly making a collaborative approach to ensure greater security in the region by controlling activities like human trafficking, terrorism, and other organized crimes.
5. The development of off-grid and on-grid networks has ensured better accessibility to energy sources like electricity in the West African regions.

ECOWAS has been encountering a number of challenges in the dynamic environment; some of these major issues are discussed below:

• Conflicts and Violence: Issues like military coups and the increasing rate of violence and conflicts in the West African regions are a severe concern for ECOWAS.
• Security and Socioeconomic Concerns: It has to deal with various challenges pertaining to political instability, election violence, terrorism, and unrest in the region.
• Drug Trafficking: The West African areas are exposed to a high risk of drug trafficking, especially among youngsters.
• Extremism: The extremists in the region have resulted in a sensitivity of the political and religious issues in West Africa.
• Piracy: ECOWAS must control piracy, I.e., the crime and robbery of ships in West Africa.
• Deadly Viruses: The community's concerns have been raised by the setback of economic growth in 2020 amidst the widespread spread of COVID-19.
• Other Issues: Recent political instability in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger has led to their suspension from ECOWAS, reflecting dissatisfaction and tensions within the organization.