View source for Organization:Economic Community of West African States

{{Short description|Intergovernmental economic union}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2020}}

{{Infobox Geopolitical organization
| conventional_long_name = Economic Community of West African States
| native_name            = {{unbulleted list|item_style=font-size:88%; |{{native name|fr|Communauté économique des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest}} |{{native name|pt|Comunidade Económica dos Estados da África Ocidental}}}}
| linking_name           = the Economic Community of West African States
| image_flag             = 
| alt_flag               = 
| symbol_type            = Emblem
| image_symbol           = ECOWAS logo.svg
| alt_symbol             = 
| symbol_width           = 150px
| image_map              = ECOWAS members.svg
| map_caption            = {{legend2|#31AA3A|Member states}}<br />{{legend2|#71D836|Suspended states}}
| established            = 28 May 1975
| membership_type        = Member states
| membership             = {{collapsible list
  |titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
  |title = 15 members
  |{{BEN}} |{{BUR}} (suspended) |{{CPV}} |{{GMB}} |{{GHA}} |{{GUI}} (suspended) |{{GBS}} |{{CIV}} |{{LBR}} |{{MLI}} (suspended) |{{NIG}} |{{NGA}} |{{SEN}} |{{SLE}} |{{TOG}}
 }}
| admin_center_type      = [[Social:Headquarters|Headquarters]]
| admin_center           = {{nowrap|[[Place:Abuja|Abuja]], Nigeria}}
{{Coord|9|2|35|N|7|31|32|E}}
| languages_type         = Official languages
| languages              = {{unbulleted list |English|French |Portuguese}}
| leader_title1          = [[Social:Chairman|Chairman]]
| leader_name1           = {{nowrap|Umaro Sissoco Embaló}}
| leader_title2          = President of the Commission
| leader_name2           = {{nowrap|Omar Touray}}
| leader_title3          = [[Social:Speaker (politics)|Speaker of the Parliament]]
| leader_name3           = {{nowrap|Moustapha Cissé Lô}}
| established_event1     = Treaty of Lagos
| established_date1      = 28 May 1975<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.african-union.org/root/au/RECs/ecowas.htm |title=African Union |access-date=26 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017040817/http://www.african-union.org/root/au/RECs/ecowas.htm |archive-date=17 October 2015 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
| established_event2     = Treaty Revision
| established_date2      = 24 July 1993
| area_rank              = 7th
| area_km2               = 5,114,162
| area_sq_mi             = auto
| population_estimate    = 387 million
| population_estimate_rank = 3rd
| population_estimate_year = 2019
| population_density_km2 = 68.3
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_density_rank = 
| GDP_PPP                = US$1.483 trillion<ref>{{cite web|author=Data |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD?order=wbapi_data_value_2013+wbapi_data_value+wbapi_data_value-last&sort=desc |title=GDP, PPP (current international $) &#124; Table |publisher=World Bank |access-date=8 August 2014}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 18th
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2015
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = US$4,247<ref>{{cite web|author=Data |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.PP.CD/countries |title=GNI per capita, PPP (current international $) &#124; Table |publisher=World Bank |access-date=8 August 2014}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 
| GDP_nominal            = $816.4 billion<ref>{{cite web|author=Data |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/regions/west-africa-ecowas/#economics |title=Enoch Randy Aikins (2023) West Africa/ECOWAS. Updated 7 June 2023. (current US$) &#124; Table |publisher=futures.issafrica.org.|access-date= 18 June 2023}}</ref>
2019
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 21st
| GDP_nominal_year       = 
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $2,089
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 
| Gini_year              = 
| Gini_change            = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini                   = <!--number only-->
| Gini_ref               = 
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI_year               = 
| HDI_change             = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI                    = <!--number only-->
| HDI_ref                = 
| HDI_rank               = 
| currency               = {{unbulleted list
  | {{Flagicon|Cape Verde}} [[Finance:Cape Verdean escudo|Cape Verdean escudo]] (CVE)
  | {{Flagicon|Ghana}} [[Finance:Ghanaian cedi|Ghanaian cedi]] (GHS)
  | {{Flagicon|Gambia}} Gambian dalasi (GMD)
  | {{Flagicon|Guinea}} Guinean franc (GNF)
  | {{Flagicon|Liberia}} Liberian dollar (LRD)
  | {{Flagicon|Nigeria}} [[Finance:Nigerian naira|Nigerian naira]] (NGN)
  | {{Flagicon|Sierra Leone}} Sierra Leonean leone (SLL)
  | {{Flagicon|Benin}} {{Flagicon|Burkina Faso}} {{Flagicon|Guinea-Bissau}} {{Flagicon|Ivory Coast}} {{Flagicon|Mali}} {{Flagicon|Niger}} {{Flagicon|Senegal}} {{Flagicon|Togo}}
  | [[Finance:West African CFA franc|West African CFA franc]] (XOF)
  | West African Unit of Account (WAUA)}}
| time_zone              = 
| utc_offset             = +0 to +1
| official_website       = {{URL|https://www.ecowas.int/}}
| footnote_a             = If considered as a single entity.
| footnote_b             = To be replaced by the [[Finance:Eco (currency)|eco]]{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}.
| footnote_c             = Liberia and Sierra Leone have expressed an interest in joining the eco{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}.
| demonym                = 
| today                  = 
}}

The '''Economic Community of West African States''' ('''ECOWAS'''; also known as {{lang|fr|CEDEAO}} in French and Portuguese) is a regional [[Social:Political union|political]] and [[Finance:Economic union|economic union]] of fifteen countries located in [[Place:West Africa|West Africa]]. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of {{convert|5,114,162|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, and in 2019 had an estimated population of over 387 million.

Considered one of the pillar [[Organization:Trade bloc|regional blocs]] of the continent-wide [[Finance:African Economic Community|African Economic Community]] (AEC), the stated goal of ECOWAS is to achieve "collective [[Self-sustainability|self-sufficiency]]" for its member states by creating a single large trade bloc by building a full economic and trading union. 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.

The 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.<ref name="deployment_to_liberia_2003_08_06_janes_defense_weekly">{{cite news | title=West African Leaders Agree on Deployment to Liberia | first=Segun | last=Adeyemi | newspaper=Jane's Defence Weekly | date=6 August 2003 }}</ref><ref name="yahoomilint">{{cite news|title=The 5 previous West African military interventions|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/5-previous-west-african-military-interventions-111050770.html|access-date=27 January 2017|work=Yahoo News|agency=AFP|date=20 January 2017}}</ref>

== Member states ==
As of February 2017, ECOWAS has 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.<ref name=HDM>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-KU_9MfXKKYC&pg=PA177|title=Historical Dictionary of Mauritania|pages=177–178|first=Anthony|last=Pazzanita|year=2008|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6265-4}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Odeyemi|first=Temitayo Isaac|title=Regional Integration and the Political Economy of Morocco's Desire for Membership in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)|date=2020|work=Pan Africanism, Regional Integration and Development in Africa|pages=97–123|editor-last=Oloruntoba|editor-first=Samuel Ojo|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-34296-8_6|isbn=978-3-030-34295-1|s2cid=216250685}}</ref> 

The only former member of ECOWAS is Arabic-speaking Mauritania, which was also one of the founding members in 1975 and decided to withdraw in December 2000.<ref name=HDM/> Mauritania recently signed a new associate-membership agreement in August 2017.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Okanla |first1=Karim |title=Like a magnet |url=https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/ecowas-has-made-considerable-progress-still-has-ample-room-improvement |website=D+C, Development and Cooperation}}</ref>

Morocco officially requested to join ECOWAS in February 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.diplomatie.ma/Politique%C3%A9trang%C3%A8re/Afrique/tabid/136/vw/1/ItemID/14476/language/en-US/Default.aspx?platform=hootsuite |title=Afrique |publisher=Diplomatie.ma |date=24 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306235027/https://www.diplomatie.ma/Politique%C3%A9trang%C3%A8re/Afrique/tabid/136/vw/1/ItemID/14476/language/en-US/Default.aspx?platform=hootsuite |archive-date=6 March 2019}}</ref> The application was endorsed in principle at the summit of heads of state in June 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecowas.int/togolese-president-faure-gnassingbe-takes-the-reins-of-the-ecowas-authority-of-heads-of-state-and-government/|title=Togolese president Faure Gnassingbe takes the reins of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government|date=7 June 2017|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Odeyemi|first=Temitayo Isaac|title=Regional Integration and the Political Economy of Morocco's Desire for Membership in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)|date=2020|work=Pan Africanism, Regional Integration and Development in Africa|pages=97–123|editor-last=Oloruntoba|editor-first=Samuel Ojo|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-34296-8_6|isbn=978-3-030-34295-1|s2cid=216250685}}</ref> but Morocco's bid for membership was stalled.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Imru AL Qays Talha Jebril |title=Morocco-ECOWAS: Good intentions are not enough |url=https://mipa.institute/7323 |publisher=Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis |date=13 February 2020}}</ref>

Mali was suspended from ECOWAS on 30 May 2021, following its second military coup within nine months.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/31/ecowas-suspends-mali-over-second-coup-in-nine-months|title=ECOWAS suspends Mali over second coup in nine months|work=Al Jazeera|date=31 May 2021|access-date=12 September 2021}}</ref> Guinea was also suspended on 8 September 2021, shortly after a military coup took place in the country.<ref name="leaders_due_in_guinea_2021_09_09_reuters">{{cite news|first1=Saliou|last1=Samb|first2=Camillus|last2=Eboh|first3=Cooper|last3=Inveen|editor1-first=Timothy|editor1-last=Heritage|editor2-first=Steve|editor2-last=Orlofsky|editor3-first=Richard|editor3-last=Pullin|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/west-african-leaders-due-guinea-post-coup-calm-pervades-conakry-2021-09-09/|title=West African leaders due in Guinea as post-coup calm pervades Conakry|date=September 9, 2021|work=Reuters|access-date=September 9, 2021|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="leaders_suspend_guinea_2021_09_08_bbc">[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58487925 "West African leaders suspend Guinea from Ecowas following coup,"] September 9, 2021, BBC News, retrieved September 9, 2021</ref> Sanctions were placed on both countries on 16 September.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Akorlie|last1=Christian|first2=Saliou|last2=Samb|first3=Bate|last3=Felix|first4=Cooper|last4=Inveen|first5=Alessandra|last5=Prentice|editor1-first=Andrew|editor1-last=Cawthorne|editor2-first=Marguerita|editor2-last=Choy|editor3-first=Grant|editor3-last=McCool|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/west-african-leaders-meet-decide-guinea-after-coup-2021-09-16/|title=West African bloc resorts to sanctions over Guinea and Mali coups|date=September 17, 2021|work=Reuters|access-date=September 17, 2021|url-access=registration}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=AHMED|first=BABA|date=2022-01-10|title=Mali's junta deplores new sanctions imposed by regional bloc|url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Mali-s-junta-deplores-new-sanctions-imposed-by-16763433.php|access-date=2022-01-10|website=SFGATE|language=en-US}}</ref> On 28 January 2022, Burkina Faso was suspended from ECOWAS following a military coup.<ref>{{cite news |title=West African regional bloc suspends Burkina Faso's membership over coup |url=https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20220128-west-african-regional-bloc-suspends-burkina-faso-s-membership-over-coup |access-date=28 January 2022 |work=France 24 |date=28 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

Statistics for population, nominal [[Finance:Gross domestic product|GDP]] and [[Finance:Purchasing power parity|purchasing power parity]] GDP listed below are taken from [[Organization:World Bank|World Bank]] estimates for 2015, published in December 2016.<ref name=WB2015pop/><ref name=WB2015gdp/><ref name=WB2015ppp/> Area data is taken from a 2012 report compiled by the United Nations Statistics Division.<ref name=UNarea/>

{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:95%; white-space:nowrap"
|+ ECOWAS Zone A member states
! scope="col" style="width:120px;"|Country
! scope="col" style="width:100px;"|Area<ref name="UNarea">{{cite web
  | url = http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2012/Table03.pdf
  | title = Demographic Yearbook – Population by sex, annual rate of population increase, surface area and density
  | date = 2012
  | pages = 1–2
  | publisher = United Nations Statistics Division
  | access-date = 27 January 2017}}</ref><br/>{{small|(km<sup>2</sup>)}}
! scope="col" style="width:100px;"|Population<ref name="WB2015pop">{{cite web
  | url = http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/POP.pdf
  | title = Population 2015
  | date = 16 December 2016
  | publisher = [[Organization:World Bank|World Bank]]
  | access-date = 27 January 2017}}</ref><br/>{{small|(thousands)}}
! scope="col" style="width:100px;"|{{nowrap|GDP (nominal)<ref name="WB2015gdp">{{cite web
  | url = http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP.pdf
  | title = Gross domestic product 2015
  | date = 16 December 2016
  | publisher = [[Organization:World Bank|World Bank]]
  | access-date = 27 January 2017}}</ref><br/>{{small|(millions USD)}}}}
! scope="col" style="width:100px;"|{{nowrap|GDP (PPP)<ref name="WB2015ppp">{{cite web
  | url = http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP_PPP.pdf
  | title = Gross domestic product 2015, PPP
  | date = 16 December 2016
  | publisher = [[Organization:World Bank|World Bank]]
  | access-date = 27 January 2017}}</ref><br/>{{small|(millions intl.$)}}}}
! scope="col" style="width:80px;"|Currency
! scope="col" style="width:80px;"|Official<br /> language
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Cape Verde}}
|align=right|{{nts|4033}}
|align=right|{{nts|521}}
|align=right|{{nts|1603}}
|align=right|{{nts|3413}}
|align=left|[[Finance:Cape Verdean escudo|escudo]]
|align=left|[[Social:Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Gambia}}
|align=right|{{nts|11295}}
|align=right|{{nts|1991}}
|align=right|{{nts|939}}
|align=right|{{nts|3344}}
|align=left|dalasi
|align=left|[[Social:English language|English]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Guinea}}
|align=right|{{nts|245857}}
|align=right|{{nts|12609}}
|align=right|{{nts|6699}}
|align=right|{{nts|15244}}
|align=left|franc
|align=left|[[Social:French language|French]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Guinea-Bissau}}
|align=right|{{nts|36125}}
|align=right|{{nts|1844}}
|align=right|{{nts|1057}}
|align=right|{{nts|2685}}
|align=left|[[Finance:West African CFA franc|CFA franc]]
|align=left|[[Social:Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Liberia}}
|align=right|{{nts|111369}}
|align=right|{{nts|4503}}
|align=right|{{nts|2053}}
|align=right|{{nts|3762}}
|align=left|dollar
|align=left|[[Social:English language|English]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Mali}}
|align=right|{{nts|1240192}}
|align=right|{{nts|17600}}
|align=right|{{nts|12747}}
|align=right|{{nts|35695}}
|align=left|[[Finance:West African CFA franc|CFA franc]]
|align=left|[[Social:French language|French]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Senegal}}
|align=right|{{nts|196712}}
|align=right|{{nts|15129}}
|align=right|{{nts|13610}}
|align=right|{{nts|36625}}
|align=left|[[Finance:West African CFA franc|CFA franc]]
|align=left|[[Social:French language|French]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Sierra Leone}}
|align=right|{{nts|72300}}
|align=right|{{nts|6453}}
|align=right|{{nts|4215}}
|align=right|{{nts|10127}}
|align=left|leone
|align=left|[[Social:English language|English]]
|-
!scope=row|ECOWAS Zone A total
|align=right|'''{{nts|1917883}}'''
|align=right|'''{{nts|60550}}'''
|align=right|'''{{nts|42923}}'''
|align=right|'''{{nts|110895}}'''
| colspan="2" align="center" |{{sortdash}}
|}

{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:95%; white-space:nowrap"
|+ ECOWAS Zone B member states
! scope="col" style="width:120px;"|Country
! scope="col" style="width:100px;"|Area<ref name="UNarea"/><br/>{{small|(km<sup>2</sup>)}}
! scope="col" style="width:100px;"|Population<ref name="WB2015pop"/><br/>{{small|(thousands)}}
! scope="col" style="width:100px;"|{{nowrap|GDP (nominal)<ref name="WB2015gdp"/><br/>{{small|(millions USD)}}}}
! scope="col" style="width:100px;"|{{nowrap|GDP (PPP)<ref name="WB2015ppp"/><br/>{{small|(millions intl.$)}}}}
! scope="col" style="width:80px;"|Currency
! scope="col" style="width:80px;"|Official<br /> language

|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Benin}}
|align=right|{{nts|114763}}
|align=right|{{nts|10880}}
|align=right|{{nts|8291}}
|align=right|{{nts|22377}}
|align=left|[[Finance:West African CFA franc|CFA franc]]
|align=left|[[Social:French language|French]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Burkina Faso}}
|align=right|{{nts|272967}}
|align=right|{{nts|18106}}
|align=right|{{nts|10678}}
|align=right|{{nts|30708}}
|align=left|[[Finance:West African CFA franc|CFA franc]]
|align=left|[[Social:French language|French]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Ghana}}
|align=right|{{nts|238533}}
|align=right|{{nts|27410}}
|align=right|{{nts|37543}}
|align=right|{{nts|115409}}
|align=left|[[Finance:Ghanaian cedi|cedi]]
|align=left|[[Social:English language|English]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Ivory Coast}}
|align=right|{{nts|322463}}
|align=right|{{nts|22702}}
|align=right|{{nts|31759}}
|align=right|{{nts|79766}}
|align=left|[[Finance:West African CFA franc|CFA franc]]
|align=left|[[Social:French language|French]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Niger}}
|align=right|{{nts|1267000}}
|align=right|{{nts|19899}}
|align=right|{{nts|7143}}
|align=right|{{nts|19013}}
|align=left|[[Finance:West African CFA franc|CFA franc]]
|align=left|[[Social:French language|French]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Nigeria}}
|align=right|{{nts|923768}}
|align=right|{{nts|211400}}
|align=right|{{nts|481066}}
|align=right|{{nts|1093921}}
|align=left|Naira
|align=left|[[Social:English language|English]]
|-
!scope=row|{{flag|Togo}}
|align=right|{{nts|56785}}
|align=right|{{nts|7305}}
|align=right|{{nts|4088}}
|align=right|{{nts|10667}}
|align=left|[[Finance:West African CFA franc|CFA franc]]
|align=left|[[Social:French language|French]]
|-
!scope=row|ECOWAS Zone B total
|align=right|'''{{nts|3196279}}'''
|align=right|'''{{nts|277502}}'''
|align=right|'''{{nts|580568}}'''
|align=right|'''{{nts|1371861}}'''
| colspan="2" align="center" |{{sortdash}}
|}

== History ==
The 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). It was formed to provide regional economic cooperation, but has since evolved to include political and military cooperation, as well. <ref>{{cite journal |journal=The State of Economic Integration in North West Africa South of the Sahara: The Emergence of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) |date=September 1977 |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=63–87 |doi=10.2307/523653 |jstor=523653 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/523653|last1=Yansane |first1=Aguibou }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Citation|last=Odeyemi|first=Temitayo Isaac|title=Regional Integration and the Political Economy of Morocco's Desire for Membership in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)|date=2020|work=Pan Africanism, Regional Integration and Development in Africa|pages=97–123|editor-last=Oloruntoba|editor-first=Samuel Ojo|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-34296-8_6|isbn=978-3-030-34295-1|s2cid=216250685}}</ref> Considered one of the pillar [[Organization:Trade bloc|regional blocs]] of the continent-wide [[Finance:African Economic Community|African Economic Community]] (AEC), the stated goal of ECOWAS is to achieve "collective [[Self-sustainability|self-sufficiency]]" for its member states by creating a single large trade bloc by building a full economic and trading union.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Basic information {{!}} Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) |url=https://ecowas.int/about-ecowas/basic-information/ |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=ecowas.int}}</ref>

The 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. 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.<ref name="deployment_to_liberia_2003_08_06_janes_defense_weekly" /><ref name="yahoomilint">{{cite news|title=The 5 previous West African military interventions|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/5-previous-west-african-military-interventions-111050770.html|access-date=27 January 2017|work=Yahoo News|agency=AFP|date=20 January 2017}}</ref>

Covering a region once known as a "coup belt," the ECOWAS, since the 1990s, has attempted to defend the region's shift towards democracy against authoritarian attacks. However, the group has been cited for weak and ineffective responses in the early 2020s, when three member countries suffered military coups d'état  -- two in Burkina Faso, two in Mali, one attempt in Niger, and one in Guinea.<ref name="leaders_due_in_guinea_2021_09_09_reuters" /><ref name="leaders_suspend_guinea_2021_09_08_bbc" />

In 2011, the ECOWAS adopted its development blueprint for the next decade, ''Vision 2020'', and, to accompany it, a Policy on Science and Technology (ECOPOST).{{cn|date=September 2021}}

== Structure ==
 <!--two tables have no citations-->
=== Overall ===
The 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. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bidc-ebid.org/en/?page_id=42697 |website=ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development|title=Aboutus – EBID &#124; ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development}}</ref>

In addition, ECOWAS includes the following institutions: ECOWAS Commission, Community Court of Justice,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prod.courtecowas.org/|title=CCJ Official Website}}</ref> Community Parliament,<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.ecowas.int/|title=Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) &#124; .}}</ref> ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID),<ref name="auto"/> West African Health Organisation (WAHO),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wahooas.org/web-ooas/|title=WAHO &#124; West African Health Organization|website=www.wahooas.org}}</ref> and the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in West Africa (GIABA).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.giaba.org |title=Welcome ! |publisher=GIABA |access-date=2019-10-16}}</ref>

ECOWAS includes two sub-regional blocks:

* The West African Economic and Monetary Union (also known by its French-language acronym UEMOA) is an organisation of eight, mainly French-speaking, states within the ECOWAS which share a [[Finance:Customs union|customs union]] and [[Finance:Currency union|currency union]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Basic information {{!}} Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS)|url=https://ecowas.int/about-ecowas/basic-information/|access-date=2022-02-21|website=ecowas.int}}</ref> Established in 1994 and intended to counterbalance the dominance of English-speaking economies in the bloc (such as Nigeria and Ghana), members of UEMOA are mostly former territories of French West Africa. The currency they all use is the [[Finance:CFA franc|CFA franc]], which is [[Finance:Fixed exchange-rate system|pegged]] to the [[Finance:Euro|euro]].<ref name=":0" />
* The West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), established in 2000, comprises six mainly English-speaking countries within ECOWAS which plan to work towards adopting their own common currency, the [[Finance:Eco (currency)|eco]].<ref name=":0" />

The ECOWAS operates in three co-official languages—French, English, and Portuguese.<ref name=":0" />

=== Executive secretaries and presidents of the commission ===
{| class=" wikitable sortable"
|-
!Executive Secretary 
! Country
! In office
|-
| Inaugural holder Aboubakar Diaby Ouattara 
|{{CIV}}
| January 1977 – 1985
|-
|Momodu Munu
| rowspan="2" |{{SLE}}
| 1985–1989
|-
|Abass Bundu
| 1989–1993
|-
|Édouard Benjamin
| rowspan="2" |{{GIN}}
| 1993–1997
|-
|Lansana Kouyaté
| September 1997 – 31 January 2002
|-
|Mohamed Ibn Chambas
| rowspan="3" |{{GHA}}
| 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
|{{BFA}}
| 1 March 2012 – 4 June 2016
|-
|Marcel Alain de Souza
|{{BEN}}
| 4 June 2016 – 1 March 2018
|-
|Jean-Claude Brou
|{{CIV}}
| 1 March 2018 – 3 July 2022
|-
|Omar Touray
|{{GAM}}
| 3 July 2022 – present
|}

=== Chairpersons ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Chairperson
! Country
! In office
|-
|Yakubu Gowon
|{{NGR}}
| 28 May 1975 – 29 July 1975
|-
|Gnassingbé Eyadéma
|{{TOG}}
| 29 July 1975 – 13 September 1977
|-
|Olusegun Obasanjo
|{{NGR}}
| 13 September 1977 – 30 September 1979
|-
|Léopold Sédar Senghor
|{{SEN}}
| 30 September 1979 – 31 December 1980
|-
|Gnassingbé Eyadéma
|{{TOG}}
| 1980–1981
|-
|Siaka Stevens
|{{SLE}}
| 1981–1982
|-
|Mathieu Kérékou
|{{flag|Benin|1975}}
| 1982–1983
|-
|Ahmed Sékou Touré
| rowspan="2" |{{GIN}}
| 1983–1984
|-
|Lansana Conté
| 1984–1985
|-
|Muhammadu Buhari
| rowspan="2" |{{NGR}}
| 1985 – 27 August 1985
|-
|Ibrahim Babangida
| 27 August 1985 – 1989
|-
|Dawda Jawara
|{{GAM}}
| 1989–1990
|-
|Blaise Compaoré
|{{BFA}}
| 1990–1991
|-
|Dawda Jawara
|{{GAM}}
| 1991–1992
|-
|Abdou Diouf
|{{SEN}}
| 1992–1993
|-
|Nicéphore Soglo
|{{BEN}}
| 1993–1994
|-
|Jerry Rawlings
|{{GHA}}
| 1994 – 27 July 1996
|-
|Sani Abacha
| rowspan="2" |{{NGR}}
| 27 July 1996 – 8 June 1998
|-
|Abdulsalami Abubakar
| 9 June 1998 – 1999
|-
|Gnassingbé Eyadéma
|{{TOG}}
| 1999 – 1999
|-
|Alpha Oumar Konaré
|{{MLI}}
| 1999 – 21 December 2001
|-
|Abdoulaye Wade
|{{SEN}}
| 21 December 2001 – 31 January 2003
|-
|John Kufuor
|{{GHA}}
| 31 January 2003 – 19 January 2005
|-
|Mamadou Tandja
|{{NIG}}
| 19 January 2005 – 19 January 2007
|-
|Blaise Compaoré
|{{BFA}}
| 19 January 2007 – 19 December 2008
|-
|Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
| rowspan="2" |{{NGR}}
| 19 December 2008 – 18 February 2010
|-
|Goodluck Jonathan
| 18 February 2010 – 17 February 2012
|-
|Alassane Ouattara
|{{CIV}}
| 17 February 2012 – 17 February 2013
|-
|John Mahama
|{{GHA}}
| 17 February 2013 – 19 May 2015
|-
|Macky Sall
|{{SEN}}
| 19 May 2015 – 4 June 2016
|-
|[[Biography:Ellen Johnson Sirleaf|Ellen Johnson Sirleaf]]
|{{LBR}}
|4 June 2016 – 4 June 2017
|-
|Faure Gnassingbé
|{{TOG}}
|4 June 2017 – 31 July 2018
|-
|Muhammadu Buhari
|{{NGR}}
|31 July 2018 – 29 June 2019 
|-
|Mahamadou Issoufou
|{{NIG}}
|29 June 2019 –  2 June 2020
|-
|Nana Akufo-Addo
|{{GHA}}
|2 June 2020 – 3 July 2022 
|-
|Umaro Sissoco Embaló
|{{GNB}}
|3 July 2022 – Present 
|}

=== Regional security co-operation ===
The 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.<ref>{{cite web | title=Profile: Economic Community of West African States | publisher=Africa Union | date=18 November 2010 | url=http://www.africa-union.org/Recs/ECOWASProfile.pdf | access-date=10 December 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626213148/http://www.africa-union.org/Recs/ECOWASProfile.pdf | archive-date=26 June 2011 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

=== Community Parliament ===
The Community Parliament consists of 115 members, distributed based on the population of each member state.<ref>[http://www.ecowasparliament.org/en/about-us About Us - ECOWAS Parliament, accessed 6 March 2017] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307061719/http://www.ecowasparliament.org/en/about-us |date=7 March 2017 }}</ref> This body is headed by the Speaker of the Parliament, who is above the Secretary General.

{| class=" wikitable sortable"
|-
!Country
! Parliament Seats
|-
|{{BEN}}
|5
|-
|{{BFA}}
|6
|-
|{{CPV}}
|5
|-
|{{GMB}}
|5
|-
|{{GHA}}
|8
|-
|{{GIN}}
|6
|-
|{{GNB}}
|5
|-
|{{CIV}}
|7
|-
|{{LBR}}
|5
|-
|{{MLI}}
|6
|-
|{{NER}}
|6
|-
|{{NGA}}
|35
|-
|{{SEN}}
|6
|-
|{{SLE}}
|5
|-
|{{TGO}}
|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).<ref>{{cite web|last=Bensah |first=Emmanuel K. |url=http://www.modernghana.com/news/477274/1/communicating-the-ecowas-message-4-a-new-roadmap-f.html |title=Communicating the ECOWAS Message (4): A New Roadmap for the Ouedraogo Commission(1) |publisher=Modernghana.com |date=24 July 2013 |access-date=8 August 2014}}</ref>

=== Community Court of Justice ===
The 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.<ref name="Court">{{cite web|url=http://www.ecowascourt.org/French/texts/information.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030151400/http://www.ecowascourt.org/French/texts/information.pdf|url-status=dead|title=ECOWAS (2007) ''Information Manual: The Institutions of the Community'' ECOWAS|archive-date=30 October 2008}}</ref> 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 the 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 [[Philosophy:Human rights|human rights]] breaches.<ref name="Court" />

=== 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.<ref>{{cite news | title=Miss ECOWAS 2010 | newspaper=The Economist | date=18 November 2010 | url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2010/11/west_african_beauty_pageant | access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref>
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 the ECOWAS International Cycling tour, taking close to 100 riders from all member States, from Lagos to Accra and then from Lagos o Abidjan. In addition to the sports and well-being objective of the tour, the race also served to demonstrate and put into practice the ECOWAS protocol on free movement of goods and persons.
In 2019, the EYSDC instituted the 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.

== Economic integration ==

=== West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) {{anchor|West African Economic and Monetary Union}}===
[[File:UEMOA and Eco in ECOWAS.svg|thumb|250px|{{legend|#008000|UEMOA}}{{legend|#FF0000|WAMZ}}{{legend|#000080|ECOWAS only (Cape Verde)}}]]
The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ecfr.eu/special/african-cooperation/waemu/ |title=West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) |website=European Council on Foreign Relations |date=9 October 2020 }}</ref> 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 the ECOWAS, previously colonies of French West Africa, that were dominated otherwise by Anglophone heavyweights like former British colonies Nigeria and Ghana.<ref>{{cite news | title=La concurrence des organisations régionales en Afrique | editor-first=Matthieu | editor-last=Fau-Nougaret | publisher=Paris: L'Harmattan|year=2012}}</ref> It was established to promote [[Finance:Economic integration|economic integration]] among countries that share the [[Finance:CFA franc|CFA franc]] as a common currency. UEMOA was created by a Treaty signed at [[Place:Dakar|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 [[Place:Portuguese Empire|Portuguese colony]], became the organisation's eighth (and only non-francophone) member state.

UEMOA is a [[Finance:Customs union|customs union]] and [[Finance:Currency union|currency union]] between the members of ECOWAS. Its objectives include:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-68350-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html |title=Chapter 1. Introduction: Reflections on an Agenda for Regional Integration and Cooperation in West Africa: International Development Research Centre |access-date=2008-12-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202115957/http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-68350-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html |archive-date=2 February 2009 |df=dmy-all }} REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND COOPERATION IN WEST AFRICA A Multidimensional Perspective, Chapter 1. Introduction: Reflections on an Agenda for Regional Integration and Cooperation in West Africa</ref>
* Greater economic competitiveness, through [[Finance:Open market|open market]]s, in addition to the rationalisation and harmonisation of the legal environment
* The convergence of [[Finance:Macroeconomics|macro-economic]] policies and indicators
* The creation of a [[Finance:Single market|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 [[Finance:Common external tariff|common external tariff]] and has combined indirect taxation regulations, in addition to initiating regional structural and sectoral policies. A September 2002 [[Organization:International Monetary Fund|IMF]] survey cited the UEMOA as "the furthest along the path toward integration" of all the regional groupings in Africa.<ref>"Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)" fact sheet from the US Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs</ref>

ECOWAS and UEMOA have developed a common plan of action on [[Social:Free trade|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.<ref>"Annual Report on Integration in Africa 2002" All Africa, 1 March 2002</ref>

==== Membership ====
*{{BEN}} (Founding Member)
*{{BFA}} (Founding Member)
*{{GNB}} (Joined on 2 May 1997)
*{{CIV}} (Founding Member)
*{{MLI}} (Founding Member)
*{{NIG}} (Founding Member)
*{{SEN}} (Founding Member)
*{{TOG}} (Founding Member)

=== West African Monetary Zone ===
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 [[Finance:Eco (currency)|Eco]].<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.modernghana.com/news/219137/1/common-west-africa-currency-eco-in-2015.html| title=Common West Africa currency: ECO in 2015| newspaper=MC Modern Ghana}}</ref> 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 [[Finance:CFA franc|CFA franc]] currency shared by all other former French colonies in [[Place:West Africa|West]] and [[Place:Central Africa|Central Africa]].

The WAMZ attempts to establish a strong stable currency to rival the CFA franc, whose [[Finance:Fixed exchange-rate system|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 [[Place:Accra|Accra]], Ghana.

==== Membership ====
*{{GAM}} (Founding Member)
*{{GHA}} (Founding Member)
*{{GIN}} (Founding Member)
*{{LBR}} (Joined on 16 February 2010)<ref>{{cite web | title=The Supplementary Wamz Payment System Development Project the Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia | publisher=Africa Development Bank Group | year=2011 | url=http://www.afdb.org/en/projects-and-operations/project-portfolio/project/p-z1-hz0-002/ | access-date=7 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=WAMZ gets US$7.8 million grant | work=Accra Daily Mail | year=2011 | url=http://www.accra-mail.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27733:wamz-gets-us-78-million-grant&catid=81:business&Itemid=211 | access-date=7 May 2011}}</ref>
*{{NGR}} (Founding Member)
*{{SLE}} (Founding Member)

== Transport ==

A Trans-ECOWAS project, established in 2007, plans to upgrade railways in this zone.<ref>[http://www.railwaysafrica.com/2009/10/proposed-ecowas-railway/ Proposed Ecowas railway] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091024131043/http://www.railwaysafrica.com/2009/10/proposed-ecowas-railway/ |date=24 October 2009 }}. railwaysafrica.com.</ref>

==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.
<ref>[http://westafricatourism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ECOWAS-Regional-Tourism-Policy-Action-Plan-2019-2029.pdf ECOWAS Regional Tourism Action Plan]</ref><ref>[http://www.ecowas.int/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Final-Communiqu%C3%A9_55th-Summit_Abuja_29-June-2019-1.pdf ECOWAS ECOTOUR pdf]</ref><ref>[http://apanews.net/en/news/ecowas-to-promote-regional-development-through-tourism ECOWAS to promote regional development through tourism]</ref> The plan includes five programmes for implementation, and detailed mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation. [[Social:Ecotourism|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.<ref>[https://trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/op-ed/west-africas-ecotourism-initiative-last-chance-protect-african-biodiversity West Africa's (eco)tourism initiative: Last chance to protect African biodiversity]</ref>

== See also ==
* Brown card system – motor insurance scheme of ECOWAS
* [[Organization:East African Community|East African Community]]
* Economy of Africa
* [[Organization:Intergovernmental Authority on Development|Intergovernmental Authority on Development]]
* Southern African Development Community (SADC)
* [[Organization:Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa|Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa]] (COMESA)
* [[Organization:Economic Community of Central African States|Economic Community of Central African States]] (ECCAS)
* ECOWAS Peace Pageant

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==



[[Category:International economic organizations]]
[[Category:Trade blocs]]

{{Sourceattribution|Economic Community of West African States|1}}