Celebrations marking 50 years of the Economic Community of West African States – known as Ecowas – began in Ghana this week, but the mood was far from jubilant. The region’s main political and economic bloc finds itself at a crossroads after losing three key members.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger all walked away from the group in January, dealing a major blow to an organisation already struggling with security threats and economic challenges.
Ecowas was born in Lagos on 28 May, 1975 with the goal of bringing West African nations closer together. Five decades later, that ambition is facing its toughest test yet.
The anniversary celebrations, launched in Accra, will continue throughout the year, with events planned across all Ecowas member states.
But beyond the speeches, leaders are grappling with serious questions about how the body can survive amid growing divisions and rising security threats.
Fighting for relevance
Ecowas has reinvented itself before. When civil war broke out in Liberia in 1990, it created its own peacekeeping force. Later, it expanded its mission to handle security and promote democracy.
But the rise of violent extremist groups across the region proved too much.
“Ecowas was not equipped for this,” Amandine Gnanguénon, a senior researcher at the Africa Policy Research Institute in Berlin, told RFI. “It [was] difficult to simultaneously establish mechanisms, intervene and focus on prevention. It was overwhelmed and lost control of its agenda.”
Three Sahel nations exit West African bloc as regional politics shift
As Ecowas struggled, other groups such as the G5 Sahel and the Accra Initiative have stepped in.
Now the departure of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – who formed their own group, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), in September 2023 – has further weakened the bloc.
Experts say deep reform is the only way for Ecowas to survive.
“It needs to return to its original goals – stronger economic and political integration. And it must reconnect with ordinary people by making its work more visible,” said Gnanguénon “Many people don’t know what Ecowas is. I think there is a big communication gap.”
But real change, she added, will only happen if West African leaders are willing to act. It is the heads of state, not Ecowas officials, who hold the power to push through reforms when they meet as the conference of presidents.
Mixed success
Ecowas has had some successes, notably in making it easier for people to work and travel across borders.
“This is the great achievement,” said Senegalese researcher Pape Ibrahima Kane, pointing to the Ecowas identity card that lets citizens work in any member country without a residence permit.
He also praised a regional tax that helps align customs duties.
But bloc has fallen short of many of its bigger goals. Only one major transport corridor – linking Abidjan to Lagos – has been built. Trade within the region remains stuck at less than 15 percent of total exports.
Plans for a single currency have been shelved several times. Nigeria, meant to be the region’s economic powerhouse, has been too caught up in its own political and security problems to lead effectively.
Fears for the future in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso over Ecowas withdrawal
Market worries
For traders in Côte d’Ivoire, the split with Ecowas members brings real-world problems. At Abidjan’s busy Adjamé market, where vendors come from across West Africa, anxiety is growing.
Adama, who imports traditional bogolan fabric from Burkina Faso to sell in Abidjan, fears for his business.
“We are traders. We need to be able to travel from Côte d’Ivoire to sell in Burkina, and from Burkina to sell in Côte d’Ivoire. If the two countries don’t get along, it’s bad for us,” he said. “We just want them to get along – that would make us happy.”
Many traders share this fear of new restrictions on movement between countries. There’s also worry about customs charges eating into their profits.
“The exit of the AES countries will lead to tariff barriers and this could negatively affect jobs if companies cannot find new markets outside the AES, or if AES companies cannot find other markets outside of Ecowas,” said Ivorian economist Alban Ahouré.
Despite these concerns, trade links with the AES states remain strong.
Mali and Burkina Faso together still account for 13.5 percent of Côte d’Ivoire’s exports. All three breakaway nations also remain part of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, sharing the common CFA franc currency.
