Twenty Years Trajectory of Sub Regional Integration: A History of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, 1975 - 1995

Abstract

The idea of economic cooperation in West Africa like in other regions of the African continent can be traced to the pre-colonial period. During this period, cooperation became inevitable because of the effects of geographical differences on what could be produced or grown in different communities. However, the formation of the largest regional economic grouping, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to promote economic cooperation and development in the sub region added new narration to the history. Thus, the signing of the Lagos Treaty in 1975 which ushered in ECOWAS was a watershed in the history of West Africa as Anglophone, Lusophone and francophone countries agreed to work together under one umbrella for the economic integration of the sub region. This paper attempts to evaluate the economic cooperation between the Anglophone, Lusophone and Francophone countries of West Africa from 1975 to 1995. The paper is divided into three sections, the first section focuses on the historical development of cooperation in West Africa in pre-colonial and colonial periods, while the second section examines the formation of ECOWAS and its objectives. The last section critically looks into the achievements of ECOWAS in line with its objectives and the challenges that affected its performance.