Informations on regional integration

Introduction of ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a 15-member regional grouping established in 1975. Its mission is to promote economic integration in « all areas of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, trade, monetary and financial issues, social and cultural issues ... »

In 1993, its mandate was extended by the revised treaty to include the maintenance of regional stability, with emphasis on peace and security. This initiative led to the signing of the 1999 Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security.

Today, ECOWAS is made up of 15 Member States (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape-Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo). Mauritania left ECOWAS in 2000.

According to the IMF, overall GDP and PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) of the ECOWAS Member States stands at 564.86 billion US dollars, making the bloc the 25th economic power of the world. ECOWAS covers a surface area of 5.1 million km² and has a population of about 299 million inhabitants.

Background and Origins of ECOWAS

The idea behind the establishment of a West African community dates back to 1964. It was floated by William Tubman, the President of Liberia. An agreement was signed in February, 1965 by Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. However, this agreement did not materialize. In April, 1972, General Gowon of Nigeria and General Eyadema of Togo relaunched the project, prepared proposals and accessed 12 countries to seek their contributions from July to August, 1973. A meeting was held in Lomé to study a proposed treaty.

A meeting of experts and jurists was held in Accra in January, 1974, while a ministerial meeting was held in Monrovia in January, 1975. These two conferences carefully studied the proposed treaty. Finally, 15 West African countries signed the Treaty for the establishment of an Economic Community of West African States (the Lagos Treaty) on 28 May, 1975. The protocols establishing ECOWAS were signed in Lomé, Togo on 5 November, 1976. A revised treaty for the acceleration of the economic integration and political cooperation processes was signed in July, 1993.

ECOWAS was identified as one of five regional pillars of the African Economic Community (AEC). COMESA, ECCAS, IGAD, SADC and ECOWAS signed the Protocol of Relations between AEC and RECs in February, 1998.

	Informations on regional integration Introduction of ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a 15-member regional grouping established in 1975. Its mission is to promote economic integration in « all areas of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, trade, monetary and financial issues, social and cultural issues ... » In 1993, its mandate was extended by the revised treaty to include the maintenance of regional stability, with emphasis on peace and security. This initiative led to the signing of the 1999 Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security. Today, ECOWAS is made up of 15 Member States (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape-Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo). Mauritania left ECOWAS in 2000. According to the IMF, overall GDP and PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) of the ECOWAS Member States stands at 564.86 billion US dollars, making the bloc the 25th economic power of the world. ECOWAS covers a surface area of 5.1 million km² and has a population of about 299 million inhabitants. Background and Origins of ECOWAS The idea behind the establishment of a West African community dates back to 1964. It was floated by William Tubman, the President of Liberia. An agreement was signed in February, 1965 by Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. However, this agreement did not materialize. In April, 1972, General Gowon of Nigeria and General Eyadema of Togo relaunched the project, prepared proposals and accessed 12 countries to seek their contributions from July to August, 1973. A meeting was held in Lomé to study a proposed treaty. A meeting of experts and jurists was held in Accra in January, 1974, while a ministerial meeting was held in Monrovia in January, 1975. These two conferences carefully studied the proposed treaty. Finally, 15 West African countries signed the Treaty for the establishment of an Economic Community of West African States (the Lagos Treaty) on 28 May, 1975. The protocols establishing ECOWAS were signed in Lomé, Togo on 5 November, 1976. A revised treaty for the acceleration of the economic integration and political cooperation processes was signed in July, 1993. ECOWAS was identified as one of five regional pillars of the African Economic Community (AEC). COMESA, ECCAS, IGAD, SADC and ECOWAS signed the Protocol of Relations between AEC and RECs in February, 1998.
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