The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established in 1975 to promote economic integration in the region. Forty-nine years later, the regional bloc boasts significant successes in integration, peace and security, and good governance, but it also faces some challenges.
ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, participated in a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York in June 2024, focusing on regional unity, peace and security in West Africa.
In an interview with Kingsley Ighobor after the event, Ambassador Musah, speaking on behalf of ECOWAS, highlighted the achievements and challenges of the organization, as well as its ongoing efforts to strengthen integration. Here are excerpts from the interview.
ECOWAS’s achievements over the past 49 years can be summed up in one key point: we have moved from building an organization to building a community.
ECOWAS was formed at the height of the Cold War. The only possible area for people to come together and find common ground was economic integration, not political or ideological.
The Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services (1976) gives citizens the right to reside in any member state and has been a calling card of ECOWAS for many years. It is a great achievement that people in West Africa do not have to think about a visa when crossing borders within the region.
There was a lot of turmoil in Africa after the Cold War; without ECOWAS, the entire region could have been embroiled in fratricidal wars. If you remember, a war started in Liberia in late 1989 and continued into the 1990s, spreading to Sierra Leone and affecting Guinea and Ivory Coast.
The region can be proud of many things: the fact that ECOWAS is now a trademark, a pioneer of regional integration on the continent.
A: ECOWAS intervened through its multilateral force, the Economic Community of West African States Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), which stabilized the situation and eventually provided a soft landing for the UN peacekeepers who arrived afterwards.
About economic integration?
In terms of economic integration, we can talk about many achievements. It is not just about the free movement of people; it is also about creating a common market for the region. It is about helping countries develop infrastructure: energy, internet connectivity, building road networks in the region.
This is still ongoing. However, learning from the sad events of the 1990s, marked by civil wars and the implosion of states, ECOWAS had no choice but to focus on security issues and good governance.
Today, the values of democracy and human rights are firmly embedded in West African culture, and ECOWAS is an integral part of that process. West Africa is the only region in Africa that does not experience open, high-intensity conflict, despite the activities of violent extremist groups.
There is much for the region to be proud of: the fact that ECOWAS is now a trademark, a pioneer in regional integration on the continent. It formed much of the basis for the framework of the African Union.
ECOWAS transformed from an economic bloc to both an economic and political union. Is this true?
Yes, that’s true.
Some ECOWAS members have indicated that they want to withdraw from the group. Are efforts being made to ensure that they remain?
ECOWAS is a community. We stand in solidarity. We may have challenges or differences, but withdrawal is not the answer. The countries that are planning to withdraw talk about their Pan-African ambitions and other things, but the basis of Pan-Africanism is integration. Since disintegration will not advance Pan-Africanism, we are doing everything we can to keep them in line.
However, it is important to note that a country cannot simply decide to withdraw from ECOWAS on a day. There are procedures that must be followed, in accordance with Article 91 of the ECOWAS Treaty.
Behind the scenes, several diplomatic actions are taking place to reunite the ECOWAS bloc.
What gives you hope that these efforts will succeed?
What gives us hope is that ECOWAS held its extraordinary summit in February 2024 and lifted the severe sanctions against Niger, and we have further encouraged them to return to the Community. We hope that they understand that the benefits of being together far outweigh the disadvantages.
Speaking of benefits, what further incentives do you offer these countries to encourage them to maintain their membership?
I spoke earlier about the free movement of people, goods and services of ECOWAS. About 10 million citizens of these countries are spread throughout the region. At the moment, 4.5 million Burkinabe citizens live in Ivory Coast alone. If they withdraw from ECOWAS, the status of their citizens will change drastically. They will have to regularize their stay and those who cannot will have to return to their country.
We are talking about trade liberalization. Intra-African trade is about 15 percent. Within the ECOWAS region, the exports of these three countries to other parts of West Africa do not exceed 17 percent. What ECOWAS gets from them is meat products, vegetables and so on. While they get energy and a lot of manufactured goods from the other countries, which have almost no tariffs attached to them.
The values of democracy and human rights are deeply rooted in West African culture and ECOWAS is an integral part of that process.
Remember that the three countries do not have a sea. They need exits to the sea, which are now being offered on very favorable terms within the framework of regional integration. If they withdraw, they will have to find alternative exits or pay higher freight costs and tariffs. It will take a lot of time and resources to do that.
We also talk about community solidarity, something that people take for granted. In fact, the three countries together consume more than 52 percent of ECOWAS’ strategic food reserves, which amounts to about 15,000 tons of food. Countries without access to the sea or countries that are plagued by cyclical droughts need such support.
Finally, the most effective way to combat violent extremism is through intelligence sharing and cross-border military cooperation. If they separate from us, how will they effectively combat violent extremists? We need them back in the family, and I hope they reverse their decision.
Could their withdrawal have consequences for ECOWAS’ reputation?
A withdrawal will not be good for them or for ECOWAS, because in international diplomacy today, strength lies in numbers. If we remain 15 member states, our influence in international diplomacy is greater. If they leave, ECOWAS will be weakened. This is something we have to take into account.
Remember that ECOWAS is an organization of solidarity. When you seek positions in international organizations such as the UN and others, ECOWAS meets and supports a candidate. For the sake of solidarity, we support those who fall within the community.
So diplomatically, security-wise, politically, it’s bad for both sides. But on balance, it’s definitely not in their favor.
Source: Africa Renewal is a United Nations digital magazine that reports on economic, social and political developments in Africa. It also addresses the challenges the continent is facing and the solutions that Africans themselves are providing, with support from the United Nations and the international community.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
