ECOWAS

Overview
The 'Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; French: Communauté économique des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, CEDEAO) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region.

Considered one of the pillars of the African Economic Community, the organization was founded in order to achieve "collective self-sufficiency" for its member states by creating a single large trading bloc through an economic and trading union. It also serves as a peacekeeping force in the region. The organization operates officially in three co-equal languages—French, English, and Portuguese.

The ECOWAS consists of two institutions to implement policies—the ECOWAS Commission and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, formerly known as the Fund for Cooperation until it was renamed in 2001.

A few members of the organization have come and gone over the years. In 1976 Cape Verde joined ECOWAS, and in December 2000 Mauritania withdrew, having announced its intention to do so in December 1999.

Concept
It was inspired by the forming of the EU.

Current members

 * 1) Benin
 * 2) Burkina Faso
 * 3) Cape Verde
 * 4) Gambia
 * 5) Ghana
 * 6) Guinea
 * 7) Guinea-Bissau
 * 8) Ivory Coast
 * 9) Liberia
 * 10) Mali
 * 11) Niger
 * 12) Nigeria
 * 13) Senegal
 * 14) Sierra Leone
 * 15) Togo

Former members
Mauritania, withdrew in December 2000.

Expatiation plans
There are none.

ECOWAS passport
The ECOWAS passport is a common passport document. Some, but not all member states of the Economic Community of West African States have implemented the common design.

Planned single currency
The Eco is the proposed name for the common currency that the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) plans to introduce in the framework of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). After its introduction, the goal is to merge the new currency with the West African CFA franc (used by the French-speaking members of ECOWAS since 1945) at a later date. This will create a common currency for much of West Africa.

ECOWAS Rail
One of the goals of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is the development of an integrated railroad network.

Aims include the extension of railways in member countries, the interconnection of previously isolated railways and the standardisation of gauge, brakes, couplings, and other parameters.

The first line would connect the cities and ports of Lagos, Cotonou, Lomé and Accra and would allow the largest container ships to focus on a smaller number of large ports, while efficiently serving a larger hinterland. This line connects 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge systems, which would require four rail dual gauge, which can also provide standard gauge.

Other rail projects
The West Africa Regional Rail Integration is a proposal to connect up isolated railway networks in West Africa.

The Dakar-Port Sudan Railway is a 4,000 km long proposal which surfaced in 2008-2010 to link Dakar, Senegal with Port Sudan, Sudan by a transcontinental railway. It would pass through several countries along the way and would have branches to link capital cities not on the direct route.

It would go through the following countries:


 * 1) Senegal
 * 2) Mali
 * 3) Niger
 * 4) Chad
 * 5) Sudan

AfricaRail is a project to link the railway systems of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin and Togo. These are all 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge.

A future stage is proposed to link Mali, Senegal, which are also 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge, and Nigeria and Ghana which are not.

Also see

 * 1) EU
 * 2) ASEAN
 * 3) Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
 * 4) COMECON
 * 5) Arab League
 * 6) OPEC
 * 7) Gulf Co-operation Council
 * 8) Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the CSCE)

Source

 * 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States
 * 2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eco_(currency)
 * 3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECOWAS_rail
 * 4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AfricaRail
 * 5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakar-Port_Sudan_Railway
 * 6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Africa_Regional_Rail_Integration
 * 7) http://nppusa.org/blogs/government_achievements/archive/2007/07/12/ghana-leads-in-railway-network-to-link-ecowas.aspx
 * 8) http://geoinfo.uneca.org/africaninfrastructure/pdfs/railways/Lome-Niamey-Ouagadougou-Cotonou.pdf
 * 9) http://www.ecowas.int/
 * 10) http://www.internationaldemocracywatch.org/index.php/economic-community-of-west-african-states-
 * 11) https://www.wikiwand.com/en/ECOWAS_passport
 * 12) http://www.uneca.org/oria/pages/ecowas-economic-community-west-african-states-0
 * 13) https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States
 * 14) http://www.au.int/en/recs/ecowas
 * 15) http://frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/1861-bff-nudges-ecowas-states-on-pre-migration-preparedness