The Russian Foreign Minister recently extended warm congratulations to ECOWAS on its 50th anniversary. Moscow’s diplomatic outreach to a weakened West African bloc tells us everything about where politics has led this organisation.
What could have been Africa’s answer to ASEAN or the early European Union now stands as a cautionary tale about how external interference and political overreach can destroy economic integration.
How Economic Dreams Became Political
ECOWAS began in 1975 with clear economic goals. The Treaty of Lagos established ambitious targets for regional trade and integration. Yet five decades later, intra-regional trade hovers around 12-15 percent compared to ASEAN’s strong internal commerce. The organisation became trapped in political crisis management rather than economic building.
The transformation from economic community to political arbiter began gradually. ECOWAS deployed peacekeeping forces in Liberia and Sierra Leone during the 1990s. Military interventions followed in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and The Gambia.
France’s Sahel Strategy Backfires
France’s influence over ECOWAS decisions proved particularly toxic in the Sahel region. When military governments took power in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, ECOWAS imposed harsh sanctions at external prompting. The organisation threatened military intervention in Niger without considering regional sentiment.
This heavy-handed approach backfired spectacularly. The three countries formed the Alliance of Sahel States and officially withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025. Paris found itself backing a weakened organisation that had lost its most strategic members.
The Sahel’s departure stripped ECOWAS of territory, resources, and credibility. More damaging still, it exposed the organisation’s democratic double standards and foreign dependence.
The Integration That Never Happened
ECOWAS boasts achievements in free movement and trade liberalisation. Yet the numbers tell a different story. Regional trade remains anaemic, infrastructure projects stall, and the promised ECO currency exists only on paper.
ASEAN countries built prosperity through manufacturing and trade integration. Early EU members created economic interdependence before political union. ECOWAS chose the opposite route, prioritising politics over economics. The result speaks for itself.
Member states struggle with underdevelopment and low productivity. Nigeria, the bloc’s largest economy, fails to provide leadership due to internal problems. Without economic foundations, political unity crumbles under pressure.
Critics’ Counterpoint on Regional Security
Supporters argue ECOWAS maintained regional peace through military interventions. They point to successful operations in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia as proof of the organisation’s value. Political engagement, they claim, prevented worse conflicts.
Former ECOWAS officials insist that democracy promotion justified sanctions and intervention threats. They blame external forces for exploiting regional divisions rather than ECOWAS’s own contradictions.
Why Security Arguments Miss the Point
The security argument fails on multiple levels.
ECOWAS applied double standards, punishing military coups while ignoring constitutional manipulation by civilian leaders. Citizens embraced military governments precisely because ECOWAS-backed democracies failed them.
The organisation became a “syndicate of heads of state” rather than serving ordinary citizens. Military interventions may have ended specific conflicts, but they never addressed underlying economic problems that fuel instability.
Building Economic Bonds First
ECOWAS can still reinvent itself as a genuine economic community. The organisation must focus on generating prosperity rather than policing governments. Infrastructure development, manufacturing incentives, and agricultural modernisation should take priority over political interference.
Member states need economic interdependence before political integration works. Successful regional blocs build trade relationships that make political cooperation natural rather than forced. ECOWAS must place populations at the centre of integration efforts.
The remaining twelve members should welcome eventual AES return through economic rather than political channels. Trade partnerships and infrastructure projects could rebuild trust where sanctions and threats failed.
Beyond the Chiefs of State Club
The Sahel countries launched their own passport and joint military command, showing alternative integration paths. Their example demonstrates that West Africans want regional unity without external manipulation.
ECOWAS ignored this lesson at its peril and must learn from Sahel innovation rather than dismissing it. The organisation’s Vision 2050 remains worthless without fundamental restructuring away from elite politics towards citizen-centred economics.
Keep up with Daily Euro Times for more updates!
Read also:
New Sahel Alliance Tariffs Threaten ECOWAS and AfCFTA Goals
Three Military-Led States Leave ECOWAS
West Africa’s New Economic Corridor Goes Ahead
