The ECOWAS Platform and the Persisting Challenges of Integrating the West African Region: A Discourse

This research work contends that since the establishment of the ECOWAS it has been far behind in the area of reconciling its objectives with potent achievements. The sub-region’s combined market of above 300 million inhabitants with a combined GDP of about US$565 billion, with 11 of its 15 member countries listed in the category of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), as well as worrying per capita income. There are persisting challenges in the areas of the economy of members, challenges of governance, socio-cultural challenges in the areas of inadvertent post-colonial divides and abysmal integration culture; the community has as well been unnecessarily pre-occupied with conflict situations and recent terrorist activities among others. These challenges have eclipsed the Community’s objectives. Elaborated in this research are these challenges which when overcome by ECOWAS signals the take-off of progressive development of the region. It is the opinion of this paper that the ECOWAS platform remains a credible pedestal for the region to dive into this age of neo-globalism for economic survival and should be strengthened in this direction. Key words: Community, ECOWAS, Integration, Governance, REC