In May this year the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will roll out the drums to celebrate a landmark 50 years of being an enduring regional organization promoting West Africa’s economic cooperation and integration.
The trajectory of this region has been a mixture of trials, tribulations and triumphs on the historical forces that shape the circumstances of the region in varied perspectives within the context of international politics.
The regional bloc was born in 1975 during the perilous period of the Cold War filled with divisive tendencies triggered by the principal actors – the Communist bloc led by former Soviet Union and the Capitalist bloc spearheaded by the United States.
It was a very challenging time in history and the emergence of ECOWAS pioneered a new sense of belonging and identity probably taking a cue from the formation of the then Organisation of African Union (OAU) now African Union (AU) in 1963.
The achievements of ECOWAS over the last 50 years have been enormous in the sense that it has transitioned from creating an organization to building a community purposefully- driven to change the lives of the citizens for the better.
One significant achievement of ECOWAS is the protocol on the free movement of persons, goods and services (1976), which gave citizens the right of abode in any member state. It entails that people in West Africa do not have to use a visa when they cross borders within the region.
The regional bloc has over the years tried to resolve the crises in member states rocked by civil wars and conflicts. In the 1990s and upwards, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea were plunged into civil strife but ECOWAS raised the ECOWAS Monitoring group (ECOMOG) plus the political savvy that brought peace, stability that brought democracy back to these countries.
ECOWAS also played a prominent role in resolving the crisis in Cote D’ Ivoire that erupted in 2011 after a disputed presidential election that pitted the then incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and current president Allassane Qattara and many others.
ECOWAS has made stringent efforts to float a single currency (ECO) to coordinate, grow business and enhance financial cooperation. However, this has been racked by the issues of poor adherence to the convergence criteria of which many of the countries are yet to meet, lack of political will and external influences.
In recent times also the region has been ravaged by crises of high proportion with significant challenges such as widespread insecurity , including terrorism, political instability, organized crime, and the spread of illicit weapons, compounded by poor governance and economic stagnation.
Poor Governance wrought by weak institutions and corruption have undermined stability, while economic stagnation leading to poverty and inequality have caused regional unrest and deepened terrorism and violent extremism.
And to make matters worse, in recent times, the region has witnessed a spate of military coups that blazed through Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic where democratic governments were swept away in a gale of army takeovers that broke the democratic protocol of the region.
The bloc is at the moment facing a threat of disintegration after three of the 15-member states -Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger last year announced their intention to quit the community, following disagreements over military coups that toppled democratic governments in the three countries. All entreaties for them to return have failed to persuade them.
ECOWAS imposed crippling sanctions on Mali, Burkina Faso and especially on Niger and threatened to invade Niger to restore democratic order after an ultimatum. The ultimatum quickly expired but ECOWAS did not carry out its threat even as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso had formed an alliance of the Sahel and stuck to their guns.
Former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, who is the only surviving founding father of ECOWAS, has been compelled to appeal to the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS currently led by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, the three countries.
Gowon’s appeal was contained in a letter addressed to the Heads of State and Government of the region, which he read during a press conference in Abuja , which was sent through the ECOWAS Commission.
He said “Since its inception, the regional bloc has made a number of major accomplishments, including trade liberalisation, right of West Africans to live legitimately in any country within the Community, as well as successful peacekeeping operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone. ECOWAS, despite its shortcomings, has become an example of regional integration for the wider continent.
“Having achieved all of the above, it saddens me to learn that ECOWAS is threatened with disunity following the announcement by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, 3 important Member States, of their intention to leave the Community. The impact of such a decision will have far-reaching implications for the ordinary citizens who have been the major beneficiaries of regional integration.”
Joining her voice to integration, the speaker ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Hon. Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima called for bold institutional reforms to strengthen governance structures, improve financial sustainability, and enhance the effectiveness of regional decision-making.
The Speaker, during the First Session of the 2025 Parliamentary Seminar in Lagos in March, emphasized the need for a revised ECOWAS Founding Treaty that reflects West Africa’s evolving political and economic landscape.
Former Nigerian High Commissioner to Singapore, Ogbole Ode, gave insights as to how ECOWAS will overcome some of its challenges. He said “regional leaders must respect democratic constitutions by adhering the terms of office. A situation where some leaders will change the constitution of their country to elongate their stay in power is a recipe for chaos and an invitation for a military coup, which we do not want in the region”.
Nigeria’s expert in international relations and Director of the Centre for China Studies, Charles Onunaiju insists that ECOWAS should not have threatened Niger with war but employ “more diplomacy and understanding to the prevailing circumstances in Niger and other countries under military rule”. He added that West African leaders must strengthen the democratic institutions to avert coups.
The regional bloc appears to be facing a fait accompli over the three estranged countries which have hardened their positions not to return to the regional fold. This is where ECOWAS Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-keeping and Security is needed to address these challenges.
The region irrespective of its challenges has the potential to develop into an economic powerhouse judging by its rich human and material resources bolstered up by an energetic youth population. The region needs massive investment in infrastructure, modernised agriculture and jobs that will stem the tide of youth migration.
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