Economic Community Of West African States
Summary of Economic Community Of West African States
An organization of sixteen West African states committed to the elimination of trade barriers among the member states and the promotion of economic development in the region. Formed at Lagos, Nigeria, in 1975, the group, known commonly by the acronym ECOWAS, has identified the following areas as targets for action: immediate elimination of tariffs and barriers to trade in locally produced raw materials, with elimination of barriers on industrial products by 1989; elimination of nontariff barriers by 1985; establishment of a special fund to promote internal telecommunications; and formation of a common defense organization. The following states were members of ECOWAS in 1984: Benin, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Upper Volta.
(Main Author: William J. Miller)
Introduction to Economic Community of West African States
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), organization to encourage economic, social, and cultural development in West Africa. Founded in 1975 by the Treaty of Lagos, ECOWAS began operation in 1977. Its 16 member states are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. ECOWAS is administered through a secretariat, which is based in Lagos, Nigeria. Since its inception, ECOWAS has moved to liberalize trade by gradually reducing restrictions on the movement of goods, services, and people between member states. It has also improved communications and transport within the region. Some member governments, however, have been slow to implement agreed-upon policies at a national level and to pay their contribution to community funds.
ECOWAS played a significant military role in the region during the 1990s. The organization set up mechanisms in 1990 to mediate disputes between its members, all of whom are pledged to mutual nonaggression. In the same year the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), a peacekeeping force, was sent to Liberia to try to mediate a year-old civil war. ECOWAS efforts to finalize a peace settlement and establish a government acceptable to all Liberian factions failed initially, and fighting continued through 1993. However, by the end of that year ECOWAS had helped to oversee the negotiation of a peace treaty and the setting up of a transitional government, which took power in 1994. When fighting again erupted between factions in early 1996, ECOMOG forces occupied the Liberian capital of Monrovia. ” (1)
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See Also
- International Organization
- Foreign Relations
- Intergovernmental Organization
- Regional Organization
- Regional Integration
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Notes and References
Guide to Economic Community of West African States
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) or Communaute Economique des Etats de l’ Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO) in relation with International Trade
In the context of trade organizations, Christopher Mark (1993) provided the following definition of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) or Communaute Economique des Etats de l’ Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO): A customs union including Benin, Burkina Paso, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, founded in 1975. Objectives include phased elimination of tariffs and nontariff restrictions on intra-regional trade in manufactured goods; liberalization of intra-regional ttade in agriculture; establishment of a common external tariff; removal of restrictions on the movement of capital, services, and labor; harmonization of agricultural and industrial policies; and creation of a monetary union. Inconsistency of members’ commercial policies –due in part to membership ~n other preferential trading arrangements –has contributed to negligible progress in the reduction of intra-regional trade barriers. The common external tariff was not implemented in 1990 as scheduled. Some progress in telecommunications and transport cooperation has been achieved.
Hierarchical Display of Economic Community of West African States
International Organisations > Extra-European organisations > African organisation
Geography > Economic geography > Ecowas countries
Economic Community of West African States
Concept of Economic Community of West African States
See the dictionary definition of Economic Community of West African States.
Characteristics of Economic Community of West African States
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Translation of Economic Community of West African States
- Spanish: Comunidad Económica de los Estados de África Occidental
- French: Communauté économique des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest
- German: Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft westafrikanischer Staaten
- Italian: Comunità economica degli Stati dell’Africa occidentale
- Portuguese: Comunidade Económica dos Estados da África Ocidental
- Polish: Wspólnota Gospodarcza Państw Afryki Zachodniej
Thesaurus of Economic Community of West African States
International Organisations > Extra-European organisations > African organisation > Economic Community of West African States
Geography > Economic geography > Ecowas countries > Economic Community of West African States
See also
- Ecowas
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