THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS)


The Economic Community of West African States was established in 1975 by 15 member nations, who signed a treaty in Lagos, Nigeria, on 28th May, of the same year. The Community was later joined by a 16th member, Cape Verde in 1976. In 2002, Mauritania left the community, so membership is back to the original 15 membership.

 
Currently, the member states include Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Togo, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. The headquarters of the Community is now at Abuja, having been previously headquartered in Lagos. Nigeria.


*AIMS AND OBJECTIVES*

1. Promote co-operation and integration:
One of the aims of ECOWAS was to promote co-operation and integration. It was believed that this could lead to the establishment of a monetary union to stimulate economic activity and achieve stability.

2. Eliminate customs duties etc. at entry points:
Secondly, the community aimed at ensuring the elimination of customs duties, import and export duties that are charged at the various entry and exit points among the member countries.

3. Harmonize policies:
Thirdly, the community aimed at the harmonization of the policies of the member states so that programmes and projects in the sub-region can be integrated.

4. Create a common market:
Fourthly, the community's aim was to establish a common market, through the removal of the barriers to the free movement of goods and services as well as of persons. Another component of this was the adoption of common tariffs within the sub-region.

5. Joint venture:
Fifthly, the organization aimed at the promotion of joint ventures among companies of member countries in order to encourage investments across their borders.

6. Regional Fund for co-operation, compensation, and development:
Sixthly, the organization aimed at the establishment of a fund, the ECOWAS Fund, to cater for the special needs of member states that might arise in the course of the implementation of the protocols of the organization.

7. Balanced development:
Another aim of the ECOWAS was the encouragement of plans and policies to promote a balanced development across the entire sub-region.


ACHIEVEMENTS OF ECOWAS

>Promotion of Trade
One of the achievements of ECOWAS is that it has promoted intra-West African trade among member countries. This has contributed to economic growth in the sub-region.

>Roads Projects
Another achievement of ECOWAS is the improvement of the road network in the sub-region. One major road project the ECOWAS can be lauded for is the Abidjan-Lagos High Way starting from Elubo through Aflao to Lagos. It can also be congratulated for the Lagos-Nouakchott High way project.

>The elimination of Francophone-Anglophone divide:
The ECOWAS has afforded both the Anglophone and the Francophone countries within the sub-region an official platform to discuss issues of the sub-region. This has helped to tone down the suspicion and lack of trust between the English and French-speaking countries in West Africa. 

>Communication
Another achievement of ECOWAS is the achievement of direct telephone communication among member states of the community. Hitherto, direct communication among the various states was absent. Telephone connections were routed through Europe before connecting to another West African country. All these have been largely eliminated.

>Free Movement of Persons
One of the aims of ECOWAS was to ensure the free movement of persons, goods, and services, unhindered within the sub-region. This has been largely successful. A citizen of a member country with valid documents could reside in another member state for a maximum of ninety days without a visa.

>Peace and Security
ECOWAS has largely achieved peace and security in the West African sub-region. The establishment of the ECOWAS Monitoring Group has helped to deploy troops to ensure peace in war-ravaged areas of the sub-region.

>ECOWAS Summits
The ECOWAS has regularly organized summits which were attended by Heads of member states. At these summits, the problems of the sub-region were tabled for discussions and solutions recommended.


PROBLEMS THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES

Language barrier:
There are three languages that are used for communication within the ECOWAS bloc, that is English, French and Portuguese. For easy communication among members, there is a need for individuals in the region to be able to speak these languages but this is proving too difficult. This has necessitated the use of interpreters to make people understand each other at summit meetings.

Widespread Poverty:
Many of the member states of ECOWAS are among the poorest of the poor nations in the world. Many of their citizens earn less than a dollar a day. This, in a certain sense, is preventing real economic integration of the sub-region while many continue to live in squalor and deprivation.

Human Rights Abuses:
Another problem of the ECOWAS group is the penchant of the member states to abuse the human rights of their citizens. The human rights records of some member states are nothing to write home about. Champions of human rights abuse have cited member states on many occasions over the abuse of their human rights. Togo was ever cited, Nigeria under Sanni Abacha has ever been cited. This is a problem for ECOWAS.

Financial problems:
The aims and objectives of the ECOWAS can only be achieved when the financial base of the community is solid. However, some member states are not able to honour their financial obligations to the community. This is one problem that has bedeviled the community over the years, especially when it comes to the running of the affairs of the community.

Strong External Influence:
Many of the member states of ECOWAS were former colonies of some former colonial powers. Countries such as Britain, France, and Portugal ever had a colony or two that now belong to the ECOWAS group. These member states are still controlled, to a certain extent, by their former colonial masters. The influence of these colonial masters, in some cases are so strong that, they are able to determine the direction of their votes at summit meetings on issues that are not in the interest of the former masters.

Single currency:
One of the aims of the community is to establish a monetary union for the entire region. This was aimed at culminating into a single currency for ECOWAS member states. However, the member states have not been able to meet the convergence criteria, all at the same time for the single currency be issued. This has made the attainment of that goal a mirage though efforts continue to be made towards its achievement.


BENEFITS GHANA DERIVES ECOWAS

1.Benefits in the Energy Sector
One of the benefits Ghana derives from her membership of ECOWAS is in the area of energy. In collaboration with other countries in the sub-region, a gas pipeline was, for example, constructed from Nigeria through Benin and Togo to provide gas to power Ghana's power barges for the production of electricity. Today, Ghana is exporting electricity to neighbouring ECOWAS member states and earning foreign exchange.

2. Expanded market
The combined population of the entire sub-region has created a bigger and ready market for Ghanaian goods and services. Now Ghanaian companies like Kasapreku, Ashfoam, and UT Financial Services, to mention but a few, have all opened branches in Nigeria. Also, many Ghanaian goods are being exported to the neighbouring member states. Burkina Faso imports petroleum products from Ghana and this earns Ghana the needed foreign exchange.

3. Creation of jobs
Some of Ghana's citizens have found employment at the ECOWAS Commission which they would otherwise not have had. Apart from that, expansion in production of goods for exports to the sub-region has created more jobs for Ghanaian citizens.

4. Benefits from joint ventures
Another benefit Ghana enjoys from her membership of ECOWAS comes from her joint venture activities with other member states. Ghana has, for example, collaborated with neighbours along the Gulf of Guinea to construct a gas pipeline to supply gas to Ghana from Nigeria. Ghana has also joined forces with Cote D'Ivoire, Togo, Benin and Nigeria to create the Abidjan to Lagos Highway.
 
5. Free Movement of Persons and Goods
Another benefit from Ghana's membership of ECOWAS is the free movement of persons and goods across member states. Today, Ghanaian citizens can travel to other member states and reside there for 90 days without a visa. This has, to some extent, eased the hustle associated with traveling across the land borders surrounding Ghana.
 
6. Military Assistance
It is believed that any act of aggression directed to Ghana can be contained by the  ECOWAS Monitoring Group ECOMOG. The same military establishment of the Economic Community of West African States that restored peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone is capable of restoring peace in Ghana too, should any armed conflict occurs.