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CWA # 1646, 31 May 2025
NIAS Africa Studies
ECOWAS at 50: What are the achievements, issues and challenges?

  Anu Maria Joseph

On 28 May, the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) celebrated 50 years of its establishment in Lagos, Nigeria. The celebrations were held under the theme “Stronger Together for a Brighter Future.” Marking the achievement, the bloc unveiled its vision to transform from an “ECOWAS of States” into an “ECOWAS of the People: Peace and Prosperity to All” by the year 2050. The ECOWAS Commission stated that this milestone “reflects five decades of regional cooperation, economic integration, and collective progress across West Africa.” It added: “This historic moment will recall the community’s founding vision and recommit its leadership to a shared future.”

What is ECOWAS?
ECOWAS is a West African regional organisation, with 15 member states, established on 28 May 1975, under the Treaty of Lagos. The bloc’s vision has been “collective self-sufficiency" of its member states through economic integration. 

The bloc consists of two major institutions–the ECOWAS Commission and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EIBD). The Commission is headed by a President (currently Omar Alieu Touray from Gambia), assisted by a Vice President, five Commissioners and the Auditor-General of ECOWAS Institutions.

Additionally, it has the Community Court of Justice, the Community Parliament, the West Africa Health Organisation, and the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in West Africa (GIABA). 50 years into its establishment, the member states produce a combined GDP of USD 734.8 billion.  Nigerian President Bola Tinubu currently holds the office of rotating President.

What are the objectives of the bloc?
The major objectives of the bloc are to promote economic integration and cooperation among member states. Through its core objective, the bloc aims to reduce trade barriers across borders, free movement of people, economic and infrastructural development, promote peace and security, establish a single currency and promote democratic ideals.

What are the major achievements of the bloc?
The following are the major achievements of the bloc.
1. ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS). ETLS, introduced in 1979, operationalised free trade within its member states. Following the introduction of ETLS, small to large-scale businesses expanded their market beyond borders, boosting regional trade. According to the bloc, West African businesses currently have access to 400 million consumers across the region. 

2. Common External Tariffs (CET). ECOWAS launched the Common External Tariff in 2015. It introduced a uniform tariff structure for the goods imported from non-ECOWAS countries. It contains a four-band tariff system: a zero per cent tariff on essential goods, five per cent for raw materials, ten per cent for intermediate goods, 20 per cent for consumer goods and 35 per cent on indigenous products. CET reduced inter-regional trade barriers and paved the way for common markets.

3. Infrastuctural developments. Bloc led several infrastructural developments in the sectors of transport, trade and energy. The Trans-West Africa Coastal Highway connects 12 countries from Mauritania to Nigeria. Similarly, the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) carries natural gas from Nigeria to Benin, Togo and Ghana. The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (under construction) would supply gas to 13 ECOWAS countries. The Abidjan-Lagos corridor highway (construction to begin in 2026) will connect the cities of Abidjan, Accra, Lome, Cotonou and Lagos.

4. Peace and security. In 1990, the bloc introduced the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), a peacekeeping force. The bloc carried out its first military intervention with 3000 troops during the first Liberian Civil War (1989-1997). During the second Liberian Civil War, the bloc deployed the ECOWAS Mission in Liberia (ECOMIL), with more than 3000 troops. The war ended with the signing of the Accra Peace Agreement, which was brokered by ECOWAS. In Guinea-Bissau, the ECOMOG forces were deployed to restore constitutional order after a coup attempt in 1999. ECOMOG’s military intervention ended the civil conflict between the government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in 1998. It has also led military interventions in Mali and Gambia in 2013 and 2017, respectively. Additionally, the ECOWARN-ECOWAS Early Warning System was launched in 2003 to monitor, warn and prevent conflicts. It continues to be one of the leading conflict early warning systems in Africa. It also imposed sanctions on Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea for the coups between 2020 and 2023. It also collaborated with the AU, the UN and the ECU in several operations and efforts to tackle terrorism in the Sahel. 

What are the major issues?
1. Military takeovers and withdrawal of AES. Between 2020 and 2023, the bloc witnessed seven coups in the region–two in Mali and Burkina Faso and one in Guinea, Gabon and Niger. In 2024, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced withdrawal from the bloc, and created their own security partnership called Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The withdrawal came as a response to ECOWAS’ plans for a military intervention to reverse the military coups. The withdrawal has strengthened and united military regimes and weakened ECOWAS’ democracy stance in the region.

2. Increasing illiberal democracies. According to Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2024 report, only five ECOWAS countries–Cape Verde, Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone and The Gambia are considered free and democratic countries. Others are illiberal democracies. Freedom House describe them as “Partly Free.”

3. Dominance of a few members. Many West Africans perceive ECOWAS as a club of presidents and elites whose objectives do not sincerely align with the aspirations of the people, but with the objective of staying in power. Often, political, economic and security decisions of the bloc are dominated by the interests of the countries led by these elites. Nigeria, being the largest economy, contributes 60 per cent of ECOWAS’ GDP, according to the World Bank. Having a strong military and occupying the key leadership roles within the bloc, Nigeria (Freedom House categorises Nigeria as illiberal) acts as a political, economic and military hegemon. It pushes for a strong response to coups and instability in the neighbouring states, but does little to prevent the increasing illiberal democracies. 

4. Dependency on other international actors. The organisation’s inability or unwillingness to proactively address the security challenges, development and governance issues has fuelled the narrative of dependency. While ECOWAS is an independent regional organisation, its operational capacity, peacekeeping efforts and political influences are highly dependent on Western support and external donors. For instance, between 2014 and 2020, under the Regional Initiative Programme, the EU funded EUR 500 million. Similarly, the aid from Western countries to the conflict-hit countries in the region comes with a baggage of democratic credentials. The bloc always had to shape its policies according to the interests of the donors and aid providers. The ECOWAS peacekeeping troops rely on the US, France and the EU for military training and equipment. These dependencies always force the bloc to align its security responses with the West’s geopolitical interests. In Addition, the bloc seeks endorsement from external actors like the UN, the EU, the AU and the US to legitimise its actions. 

What are the challenges ahead?
The series of coups in West Africa has been a major blow to the ECOWAS' influence in the region. Its sanctions, mediations and a military threat not only failed to reverse the coup but also divided the region, with the military governments forming a rival alliance and disengaging from the bloc. Meanwhile, its quick response to coups and ignorance of events of democratic backsliding have compromised the bloc’s ability to achieve its core objectives. Overdependence on external actors for finance, legitimacy and military support implies structural inefficiency. ECOWAS@50 has lost the influence and credibility it had during the 1990s and 2010s. It has led to a public perception that the bloc serves the interests of the elites and Western geopolitical interests.  

About the author
Anu Maria Joseph is a Project Associate at NIAS.

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