Economic Community of West African States
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| ECOWAS Headquarters | Abuja, Nigeria |
| Largest cities | Lagos, Abidjan, Dakar |
| Member states | 15 |
| Official languages | French, English, Portuguese |
| Presidencies | |
| Current President | Tandja Mamadou of Niger |
| Formation of ECOWAS - Signed - Enforced |
Treaty of Lagos. - May 28 1975 - |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Area - Total |
7th if ranked[citation needed] 5,112,903 km² 1,5352,86 sq mi |
| Population - Total (2006) - Density |
4th if ranked[citation needed] 251,646,263 115.6 people/km² 299.4 people/sq mi |
| GDP (PPP, 2005) 1,361 - Per capita |
28th if ranked[citation needed] 342,519 million[citation needed] $7,890[citation needed] |
| Other information | |
| Currencies | Cape Verdean escudo (CVE) Cedi (GHC)11 |
| Time zone | UTC 0 to +2[citation needed] |
| Calling codes | Not standardized[citation needed] |
| Official Website | http://www.ecowas.info |
| 11 to be replaced by the eco in 2009 12 Libera has expressed an interest in joining the eco |
|
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group initially of sixteen countries, founded on May 28, 1975 when sixteen West African countries signed the Treaty of Lagos. Its mission is to promote economic integration. In 2000 Mauritania withdrew its membership from ECOWAS.
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 in Cotonou on July 24, 1993 towards a looser collaboration. The ECOWAS Secretariat and the Fund for Cooperation, Compensation and Development are its two main institutions to implement policies. The ECOWAS Fund was transformed into the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development in 2001
ECOWAS is one of the pillars of the African Economic Community.
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 Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas. The current chairman is President Tandja Mamadou of Niger.
Contents |
[edit] Members
- Current members
Benin (1975)
Burkina Faso (1975)
Cape Verde (joined 1976)
Côte d'Ivoire (1975)
Gambia (1975)
Ghana (1975)
Guinea (1975)
Guinea-Bissau (1975)
Liberia (1975)
Mali (1975)
Niger (1975)
Nigeria (1975)
Senegal (1975)
Sierra Leone (1975)
Togo (1975)
- Former members
Mauritania (1975; quit 2002)
[edit] Currency Cooperation
- 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). It is managed by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (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. The ultimate goal is to unite the UEMOA and the WAMZ to form a single monetary zone in West Africa (ECOWAS), which Cape Verde would then also join.
[edit] Free movement of people
- ECOWAS Travel certificate has entered into circulation in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
- ECOWAS Passport is printed and operational in Benin, Mali and Senegal.
[edit] Regional Security Cooperation
The ECOWAS nations have signed a non-aggression protocol in 1990 as well as two earlier agreements in 1978 and 1981. They have 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
[edit] Comparison with other Regional blocs
| Regional bloc 1 |
Area (km²) | Population | GDP (PPP) ($US) | Member states 1 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in millions | per capita | ||||
| EU | 4,325,675 | 496,198,605 | 12,025,415 | 24,235 | 27 |
| SAARC | 5,136,740 | 1,467,255,669 | 4,074,031 | 2,777 | 8 |
| CSN | 17,339,153 | 370,158,470 | 2,868,430 | 7,749 | 10 |
| ASEAN | 4,400,000 | 553,900,000 | 2,172,000 | 4,044 | 10 |
| NAFTA | 21,588,638 | 430,495,039 | 15,279,000 | 35,491 | 3 |
| EurAsEC | 20,789,100 | 208,067,618 | 1,689,137 | 8,118 | 6 |
| ECOWAS | 5,112,903 | 251,646,263 | 342,519 | 1,361 | 15 |
| SACU | 2,693,418 | 51,055,878 | 541,433 | 10,605 | 5 |
| GCC | 2,285,844 | 35,869,438 | 536,223 | 14,949 | 6 |
| COMESA | 3,779,427 | 118,950,321 | 141,962 | 1,193 | 5 |
| Agadir | 1,703,910 | 126,066,286 | 513,674 | 4,075 | 4 |
| CEMAC | 3,020,142 | 34,970,529 | 85,136 | 2,435 | 6 |
| CARICOM | 462,344 | 14,565,083 | 64,219 | 4,409 | 14+1 3 |
| EAC | 1,763,777 | 97,865,428 | 104,239 | 1,065 | 3 |
| CACM | 422,614 | 37,816,598 | 159,536 | 4,219 | 5 |
| PARTA | 528,151 | 7,810,905 | 23,074 | 2,954 | 12+2 3 |
| EFTA | 529,600 | 12,233,467 | 471,547 | 38,546 | 4 |
| Reference blocs and countries 2 |
Area (km²) | Population | GDP (PPP) ($US) | Political divisions |
|
| in millions | per capita | ||||
| UN | 133,178,011 | 6,411,682,270 | 55,167,630 | 8,604 | 192 |
| Germany | 357,050 | 82,438,000 | 2,585,000 | 31,400 | 16 |
| Japan | 377,873 | 128,085,000 | 4,220,000 | 33,100 | 47 |
| Canada | 9,984,670 | 32,507,874 | 1,165,000 | 35,200 | 13 |
| Indonesia | 1,904,569 | 234,300,000 | 935,000 | 4,000 | 33 |
| Brazil | 8,514,877 | 187,560,000 | 1,616,000 | 8,600 | 27 |
| Russia | 17,075,200 | 143,782,338 | 1,723,000 | 12,100 | 89 |
| India | 3,287,590 | 1,102,600,000 | 4,042,000 | 3,700 | 35 |
| China (PRC) 4 | 9,596,960 | 1,306,847,624 | 10,000,000 | 7,600 | 33 |
| USA | 9,631,418 | 300,000,000 | 12,980,000 | 43,500 | 50 |
| 1 Including data only for full and most active members 2 The first five states in the World by area, population and GDP (PPP) regions administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan). smallest value among the blocs compared largest value among the blocs compared During 2004. Source: CIA World Factbook 2005, IMF WEO Database |
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| African Economic Community |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pillars regional blocs (REC) |
Area (km²) | Population | GDP (PPP) ($US) | Member states |
|
| in millions | per capita | ||||
| AEC | 29,910,442 | 853,520,010 | 2,053,706 | 2,406 | 53 |
| ECOWAS | 5,112,903 | 251,646,263 | 342,519 | 1,361 | 15 |
| ECCAS | 6,667,421 | 121,245,958 | 175,928 | 1,451 | 11 |
| SADC | 9,882,959 | 233,944,179 | 737,335 | 3,152 | 14 |
| EAC | 1,763,777 | 97,865,428 | 104,239 | 1,065 | 3 |
| COMESA | 12,873,957 | 406,102,471 | 735,599 | 1,811 | 20 |
| IGAD | 5,233,604 | 187,969,775 | 225,049 | 1,197 | 7 |
| Western Sahara 3 |
266,000 | 273,008 | ? | ? | N/A 4 |
| Other African blocs |
Area (km²) | Population | GDP (PPP) ($US) | Member states |
|
| in millions | per capita | ||||
| CEMAC 1 | 3,020,142 | 34,970,529 | 85,136 | 2,435 | 6 |
| SACU 1 | 2,693,418 | 51,055,878 | 541,433 | 10,605 | 5 |
| UEMOA 1 | 3,505,375 | 80,865,222 | 101,640 | 1,257 | 8 |
| UMA 2 | 5,782,140 | 84,185,073 | 491,276 | 5,836 | 5 |
| Agadir | 1,703,910 | 126,066,286 | 513,674 | 4,075 | 4 |
| 1 Economic bloc inside a pillar REC 2 Proposed for pillar REC, but objecting participation |
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[edit] 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 - 31 January 2002
- Mohamed Ibn Chambas (Ghana) 1 February 2002 - Present
[edit] 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
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- ECOWAS Official Web Site
- ECOWAS Parliament
- ECOWAS Revised Treaty
- ECO(was) Bank West African banking group, present in ten ECOWAS countries, including Central African country Cameroon. ECOBANK's Initial Public Offer of eight million plus shares in Accra, Ghana in May 2006 was oversubscribed. Money generated from this IPO, that has resulted in the landing of ECOBANK on the Ghana Stock Exchange, will see ECOBANK expand to remaining ECOWAS countries. More: *[1];
- PowerPoint presentation of ECOWAS, 2004
- Mbendi profile
Categories: Pages needing expert attention | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1975 establishments | African Union | International economic organizations | African international organizations | Regional Economic Communities of the African Union | Trade blocs | Executive Secreteariat of Economic Community of West African States | Economic Community of West African States | Abuja
