Ever since their independence, several African countries have faced serious and sustained challenges in pursuit of sustainable development, peace, and stability, largely due to recurrent political instability and issues related to peace and security. The establishment of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in the 1960s was considered a fundamental step towards the continent’s integration and development agenda.
RECs have emerged as important institutional frameworks that are mandated to promote regional integration, facilitate trade, harmonise policies, and promote peace, security, and stability across the continent. They were formed under the wider framework of the African Economic Community which was established in 1991 with varying priority areas such as collective security, economic integration as well as institutional governance. Since then, eight RECs have developed individually at different paces and with varied structures and roles.
Although RECs have made some progress since their establishment, they have faced an array of challenges ranging from inadequate political will, a high incidence of conflicts, poor institutional design and duplication to inadequacy of funding. The region hit most by insecurity since independence is West Africa. Many West African countries experienced coups and instability as they adjusted to new forms of self-government. West Africa accounted for 44.4% of all African coups in each of the ten years from 1958 to 2008. Additionally, there have been more than 40 coups in the area since 2010.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), founded in 1975, emerged as the most active in addressing, preventing, or resolving crises and governance issues despite its slow pace towards regional development. Other notable RECs in Africa include the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
At the end of January 2024, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS in favour of a new Alliance of Sahelian States (AES). They accused ECOWAS of operating under the influence of foreign powers, betraying the founding principles of the integration and imposing illegal sanctions. The immediate departure of the trio, although stipulated to follow a one-year deadline according to the ECOWAS Treaty, presents a complex set of challenges for the region which . are expected to impact areas such as trade and regional security.
This GGI Analysis examines the core challenges and prospects for ECOWAS in the light of the ramifications of recent member state withdrawals. It analyses the main factors that led to the withdrawal, assesses the future prospects of the new alliance and offers some insights on the likely implications for the region.
