The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen countries, founded on May 28, 1975 when fifteen West African countries signed the Treaty of Lagos. Its mission is to promote economic integration.
It was founded to achieve "collective self-sufficiency" for the member states by means of economic and monetary union creating a single large trading bloc. The very slow progress towards this aim meant that the treaty was revised towards a looser collaboration. The ECOWAS Secretariat and the Fund for Cooperation, Compensation and Development are its two main institutions to implement policies.
Member states of ECOWAS are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. The current executive secretary is Mohamed Ibn Chambas. The current chairman is President Mamadou Tandja of Niger.
In 2002, Mauritania left the organization.
Members
- Current members
- Nations that left
Mauritania (quit 2002)
Areas of Cooperation
Currency
- Main article: CFA franc
The West African CFA franc (XOF), created on December 26, 1945, is currently used in six formerly French-ruled African countries, as well as in Guinea-Bissau (former Portuguese colony), in Equatorial Guinea (former Spanish colony) and the tiny Kingdom of Biffeche. It is managed by the West African Monetary Zone (UEMOA).
- Main article: Eco (currency)
The Eco is the proposed name for the common currency the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) plans to introduce on 1 December, 2009. The WAMZ includes the anglophone countries of Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, and the francophone nation of Guinea. Liberia is also interested in joining this monetary union.
Regional Security
The ECOWAS nations have signed a non-aggression protocol in 1990 as well as two earlier agreements in 1978 and 1981. They've also signed a Protocol on Mutual Defence Assistance, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 29 May, 1989 that was to create an Allied Armed Force of the Community (AAFC) as needed.
See also: ECOMOG
Executive Secretaries
- Aboubakar Diaby Ouattara (Côte d'Ivoire) January 1977 - 1985
- Momodu Munu (Sierra Leone) 1985 - 1989
- Abass Bundu (Sierra Leone) 1989 - 1993
- Edouard Benjamin (Guinea) 1993 - 1997
- Lansana Kouyate (Guinea) September 1997 - 6 February 2002
- Mohamed Ibn Chambas (Ghana) 6 February 2002 - Present
Chairmen
- Gnassingbé Eyadéma (Togo) 1977 – 1978
- Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria) 1978 – 1979
- Léopold Sédar Senghor (Senegal) 1979 – 1980
- Gnassingbé Eyadéma (Togo) 1980 – 1981
- Siaka Stevens (Sierra Leone) 1981 – 1982
- Mathieu Kérékou (Benin) 1982 – 1983
- Ahmed Sékou Touré (Guinea) 1983 – 1984
- Lansana Conté (Guinea) 1984 – 1985
- Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria) 1985 – 27 August 1985
- Ibrahim Babangida (Nigeria) 27 August 1985 – 1989
- Dawda Jawara (The Gambia) 1989 – 1990
- Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso) 1990 – 1991
- Dawda Jawara (The Gambia) 1991 – 1992
- Abdou Diouf (Senegal) 1992 – 1993
- Nicéphore Soglo (Benin) 1993 – 1994
- Jerry John Rawlings (Ghana) 1994 – 27 July 1996
- Sani Abacha (Nigeria) 27 July 1996 – 8 June 1998
- Abdulsalami Abubakar (Nigeria) 9 June 1998 – 1999
- Gnassingbé Eyadéma (Togo) 1999
- Alpha Oumar Konaré (Mali) 1999 – 21 December 2001
- Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal) 21 December 2001 – 31 January 2003
- John Agyekum Kufuor (Ghana) 31 January 2003 – 19 January 2005
- Mamadou Tandja (Niger) 19 January 2005 – Present