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. It was founded on the 28th of 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 Mauritania withdrew i n December 2000,  having announced its intention to do so in December 1999.

Concept
It was inspired by the forming of the EEC and EU.

Foundation
It was founded on the 28th of  May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos.

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 as yet.

President of the Commission, current and former

 *  From 1977 to 2006 the post name was Executive Secretary. 


 * Aboubakar Diaby Ouattara (Côte d'Ivoire) January 1977 – 1985
 * Momodu Munu (Sierra Leone) 1985–1989
 * Abass Bundu (Sierra Leone) 1989–1993
 * Édouard Benjamin (Guinea) 1993–1997
 * Lansana Kouyaté (Guinea) September 1997 – 31 January 2002
 * Mohammed Ibn Chambas (Ghana) 1 February 2002 – 31 December 2006
 * Mohammed Ibn Chambas (Ghana) 1 January 2007 – 18 February 2010
 * Victor Gbeho|James Victor Gbeho (Ghana) 18 February 2010 – 1 March 2012
 * Kadré Désiré Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso) 1 March 2012 – 4 June 2016
 * Marcel Alain de Souza (Benin) 4 June 2016 – Present

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 Rawlings|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 – 19 January 2007
 * Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso) 19 January 2007 – 19 December 2008
 * Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (Nigeria) 19 December 2008 – 18 February 2010
 * Goodluck Jonathan (Nigeria) 18 February 2010 – 17 February 2012
 * Alassane Ouattara (Côte d'Ivoire) 17 February 2012 – 28 March 2014
 * John Dramani Mahama (Ghana) 28 March 2014 – 19 May 2015
 * Macky Sall (Senegal) 19 May 2015 – 4 June 2016
 * Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia) 4 June 2016 – Present

Regional security cooperation
The ECOWAS nations assigned a non-aggression protocol in 1990 along with two earlier agreements in 1978 and 1981. They also signed a Protocol on Mutual Defence Assistance in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 29 May 1981, that provided for the establishment of an Allied Armed Force of the Community.

Expanded ECOWAS Commission
For the third time since its inception in 1975, ECOWAS is undergoing institutional reforms. The first was when it revised its treaty on 24 July 1993; the second was in 2007, when the Secretariat was transformed into a Commission. As of July 2013, ECOWAS now has six new departments (Human Resources Management; Education, Science and Culture; Energy and Mines; Telecommunications and IT; Industry and Private Sector Promotion. Finance and Administration to Sierra Leone has been decoupled, to give the incoming Ghana Commissioner the new portfolio of Administration and Conferences).

The Community Court of Justice
The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice was created by a protocol signed in 1991 and was later included in Article 6 of the Revised Treaty of the Community in 1993. However, the Court did not officially begin operations until the 1991 protocol came into effect on 5 November 1996. The jurisdiction of the court is outlined in Article 9 and Articles 76 of the Revised Treaty and allows rulings on disputes between states over interpretations of the Revised Treaty. It also provides the ECOWAS Council with advisory opinions on legal issues (Article 10). Like its companion courts the European Court of Human Rights and East African Court of Justice, it has jurisdiction to rule on fundamental human rights breaches.

Sporting and cultural exchange
ECOWAS nations organize a broad array of cultural and sports event under the auspices of the body, including the CEDEAO Cup in football, the 2012 ECOWAS Games and the Miss CEDEAO beauty pageant.

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.

External economic and trade policies
The trade bloc has a policy of

Brown card system
The Brown card system is established between most of the members of the ECOWAS and is applicable in Western Africa.

Participants are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The non-participating ECOWAS member is Cape Verde.

The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work together. It was largely supported by personnel and resources of the Nigerian Armed Forces, with sub-battalion strength units contributed by other ECOWAS members — Guinea, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and others.

Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group
Nigeria and other ECOWAS members agreed a Protocol on Mutual Defence Assistance, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 29 May 1981. Among other organs such as a Defence Committee and Council, it provided for the establishment of an Allied Armed Force of the Community (AAFC) as needed.

Anglophone ECOWAS members established ECOMOG in 1990 to intervene in the civil war in Liberia (1989–96).

Within Africa, ECOMOG represented the first credible attempt at a regional security initiative since the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) tried to established an 'Inter-African Force' to intervene in Chad in 1981.

A

Anglophone members of ECOMOG acted because several Francophone ECOWAS members strongly opposed the deployment.[2]  The leaders of Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire supported Charles Taylor in his attempt to depose Samuel Doe. Unlike the typical UN mission of its day, ECOMOG's first deployment entailed fighting its way into a many-sided civil war, in an attempt to forcibly hold the warring factions apart. A The first Force Commander was Ghanaian Lieutenant General  Arnold Quainoo, but he was succeeded by an unbroken line of Nigerian officers. Major General Joshua Dogonyaro took over from Quainoo after Quainoo had left Monrovia for consultations with senior ECOWAS officials soon after the death of  Samuel Doe at the hands of  Prince Johnson's  Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia on 9 September 1990.

 After some prompting from Taylor that the anglophone Nigerians were opposed to him, Senegalese troops were brought in with some financial support from the United States.

Members

 * 1) Benin (Founding Member)
 * 2) Burkina Faso (Founding Member)
 * 3) Ivory Coast (Founding Member)
 * 4) Guinea-Bissau (Joined on 2 May 1997)
 * 5) Mali (Founding Member)
 * 6) Niger (Founding Member)
 * 7) Senegal (Founding Member)
 * 8) Togo (Founding Member)

Members

 * 1) Gambia (Founding Member)
 * 2) Ghana (Founding Member)
 * 3) Guinea (Founding Member)
 * 4) Liberia (Joined on 16 February 2010)
 * 5) Nigeria (Founding Member)
 * 6) Sierra Leone (Founding Member)

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.

The ten ecanomic criteria
For the Eco to be implemented, ten criteria, set out by the West Africa Monetary Institute (WAMI), must be met. These criteria are known as the Four Primary Convergence Criteria and Six Secondary Convergence Criteria. Up to the fiscal year 2011, only Ghana have been able to meet all the primary criteria in any single fiscal year.

The four Primary Criteria to be achieved by each member country are:
 * A single-digit inflation rate at the end of each year
 * A fiscal deficit of no more than 4% of the GDP
 * A central bank deficit-financing of no more than 10% of the previous year’s tax revenues
 * Gross external reserves that can give import cover for a minimum of three months.

The six Secondary Criteria to be achieved by each member country are:
 * Prohibition of new domestic default payments and liquidation of existing ones.
 * Tax revenue should be equal to or greater than 20 percent of the GDP.
 * Wage bill to tax revenue equal to or less than 35 percent.
 * Public investment to tax revenue equal to or greater than 20 percent.
 * A stable real exchange rate.
 * A positive real interest rate.

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.

Railway gauges

 * 1) Benin Transport 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
 * 2) Ivory Coast Transport 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
 * 3) Burkina Faso Transport 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
 * 4) Gambia (nil)
 * 5) Ghana Transport 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) proposed conversion to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
 * 6) Guinea-Bissau (nil)
 * 7) Liberia Transport 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in); 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
 * 8) Niger (nil)
 * 9) Nigeria Transport 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in); 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
 * 10) Senegal Transport 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
 * 11) Mali Transport 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
 * 12) Sierra Leone Transport 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
 * 13) Togo Transport 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) (suspended)
 * 14) Guinea Transport 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in); 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)

Summary of different gauges

 * 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) 4,472 km 42.7%
 * 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)    4,593 km 43.9%
 * 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) 1,409 km 13.5%

Railway techical standards

 * 1) Brakes: Air brakes
 * 2) Electification: 25kV AC
 * 3) Couplings: vary
 * 4) Brakes: mostly air

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.

NSA surveillance plot
Documents of Edward Snowden showed in December 2013 that British and American intelligence agencies surveillance targets with America's National Security Agency (NSA) included organisations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations Development Programme, the UN's children's charity UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières.

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
 * 16) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States_Monitoring_Group
 * 17) http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/bizscam_ECOWAS.php
 * 18) http://www.ecowas.us/
 * 19) http://africanhistory.about.com/od/glossarye/g/ECOWAS.htm
 * 20) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Motor_Insurance_Card_System#Brown_card_system
 * 21) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States_Monitoring_Group
 * 22) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/20/gchq-targeted-aid-agencies-german-government-eu-commissioner
 * 23) http://www.africa-union.org/Recs/ECOWASProfile.pdf
 * 24) http://www.modernghana.com/news/477274/1/communicating-the-ecowas-message-4-a-new-roadmap-f.html
 * 25) http://www.ecowascourt.org/French/texts/information.pdf
 * 26) http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2010/11/west_african_beauty_pageant
 * 27) http://au.int/en/recs/ecowas
 * 28) http://www.etvghana.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=584:ghana-meets-west-africa-monetary-zone-criteria&catid=122&Itemid=531
 * 29) http://news.moneygh.com/pages/economy/201208/554.php
 * 30) http://www.wami-imao.org/ecomac/english/doc/q-and-a.htm