1975, is to among other objectives, promote economic relations and activities among member
states.
Part of the economic restructuring is the adoption of a single common West African currency
called ECO which will become the mode of exchange by all member states. The ECO currency
was supposed to take off in 2020 but has now be shifted to 2027. It seems the ECO currency is a
mirage considering the financial and economic requirements for member states, with a number of
them still having financial allegiance with their former colonial overlords. Some are suggesting
that the ECO currency should be a prestige item until we are sufficiently prepared enough to
adopt it.
Some of our leaders work in connivance with outsiders to undo their own countries. Sometime
ago, a Summit had barely ended when one of the leaders left his colleagues without any
explanation and went to Abidjan to announce to France that they were now going to replace CFA
Franc with ECO. That compromised the sovereignties of West African countries.
ECOWAS was a trailblazer in the way it handled conflict management and resolution in Liberia,
Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, among others, to the point that it was better known for
security issues than the core agenda of fostering economic integration.
In the last 10 years, we have seen how contentious issues have tended to overrun a number of
member states. The quality of democratic elections within the sub-region has become a source
disputes. Political instability is beginning to crop into the sub-region. There was election crisis in
the Republic of Niger and The Gambia but ECOWAS intervened. Yahya Jammeh was compelled
to go into exile because ECOWAS never recognized the election result that he claimed that he
won. Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso was on the verge of setting his country ablaze, and some
soft-landing was arranged for him by ECOWAS. There was a coup in Mali, with the military in
firm control of about four key positions in the Malian transition government namely defence,
security, regional administration and reconciliation. ECOWAS also reeled out sanctions against
the country. With all these, it will be a fair assessment to say ECOWAS has not been in decline
in solving political problems of member states.
Nevertheless ECOWAS is supposed to be an economic integration body while member states
maintain their individual sovereignty which they are not willing to surrender for the smooth
running of the regional body. The leadership of ECOWAS tends to rely on the advice from their
home country before taking decisions.
ECOWAS is as good as the member states. If we are not happy with what is happening in
ECOWAS, we must also question what is happening at the individual states. It is the individual
countries that will give effect to the performance of the Commission.
As much as ECOWAS has been responsible in its duties with successful results to show, many
issues are hampering the growth and development of the regional body. ECOWAS risks losing
its focus and mandate if the current trend of political instability persists as a result of
mismanagement of political processes. There are still sovereign national responsibilities so that a
supra-national entity such as ECOWAS cannot continue to be running the affairs of individual
states.
ECOWAS is plagued by a number of other challenges. The rotational system of choosing leaders
in ECOWAS by alphabetical order or zoning has not helped. Perhaps it is time to look inward
and search for people who have competence and vision.
The internal crisis in the region as a result of free movement of persons, arms and light weapons,
has become major drivers or triggers of insecurity in the sub-region. With Ghana said to be the
leading producer of small arms and light weapons in the sub-region, the war to check the flow of
arms has to be fought jointly so that illegal weapons don’t end up in docile countries.
Porous borders are also enabling factors despite the body’s approved security plan in September
2019. ECOWAS is the sum total of its individual parts. It is the responsibility of each of these
members to control their borders and cooperate with one another. Member states should play a
role to protect their own boundaries and territories and get their members to do the same because
an organization is as strong as its weakest member.
There is a call to establish a permanent forum of West African National Security Advisers and a
committee of ECOWAS Inspectors General of Police. It remains to be seen what these initiatives
will achieve.
Structurally, there are duplications in ECOWAS. At the helm of the executive arm of the body is
the president of the Commission appointed by the authorities for a non-renewable period of four
years. He is assisted by a vice president and 13 commissioners. This reflects the full
representation of all 15-member states in the organization. Over the years, ECOWAS has been
working with this structure.
The idea of a reduced structure has been there. What has happened is that when ECOWAS
became a Commission in 2007 from an executive secretariat, the plan was to have seven
commissioners and then the president and vice president but members wanted to have a 15-
member composition.
However, the structure has now been reduced from fifteen members to seven members (five
commissioners plus the president and vice president). With the just concluded Summit of
regional leaders in Accra Ghana, this reduced size is expected to take effect from March 2022.
The existing 15-member commission of 13 commissioners plus the president and vice president
is considered top-heavy and expensive. The reduction is expected to save ECOWAS substantial
amounts to be utilized in the execution of community projects.
Members are not contributing as they should due to lack of commitment among other factors.
The body seems to take so many things at a time with little or no resources to fund the
programmes. Worse still, the organisation adopts more resolutions than it has the capacity to
implement. Twice in a year, ECOWAS meets, and the president of the Commission is expected
give a report every six months. But it is one thing to agree on a document, and another to carry it
through.
Nigeria bears more than 65 percent of ECOWAS budget, making the country the principal
funder. This makes Nigeria the big brother that should dictate the direction of the organization.
Sadly, Nigeria’s efforts are not reciprocated. There is always rivalry between the Anglophone
and Francophone countries. Sometimes, Francophone countries use their numerical strength to
have their way.
Nigeria has to be strategic in its big brother role. It is a call to duty for Nigeria to chart a new
path in West Africa. There should be a foreign policy review conference in Nigeria. The last one
took place in Kuru in 1986. It is time for another review which will help to set an agenda that
will define our principles and mechanism for implementation. We need to put the right tools to
perform the right tasks. We tend to repeat the same mistake over and over and expect different
results.
ECOWAS is Africa’s foremost regional economic community and the largest market on the
continent. There is great potential in ECOWAS but it has to be tapped.
There is a need to resuscitate the ECOWAS Council of the Wise (formerly Council of Elders)
headed by former President Goodluck Jonathan, with a view to activating preventive diplomacy.
The resuscitation of the Council is part of measures to nip conflicts in the bud before they
escalate. If the Council lives up to expectation, there will be less conflicts in West Africa.
MOSES AMADI
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