What is ECOWAS?

India’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Abhishek Singh, has been concurrently accredited as India's next Permanent Representative to the Economic Community ECOWAS.

What is ECOWAS?

• The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established by the signing of Treaty of Lagos in May 1975 by 15 West African countries.

• Cabo Verde joined the union in 1977.

• Mauritania withdrew its full-membership in 2000.

• On January 29, 2025, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formally withdrew from the regional bloc.

• The current 12 members of the ECOWAS are Benin, Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. 

• Considered one of the pillars of the African Economic Community, ECOWAS was set up to foster the ideal of collective self-sufficiency for its member states. As a trading union, it is also meant to create a single, large trading bloc through economic cooperation.

• The main goal of ECOWAS is to promote economic cooperation among member states in order to raise living standards and promote economic development. 

• ECOWAS has also worked to address some security issues by developing a peacekeeping force for conflicts in the region. 

• In 2007, ECOWAS Secretariat was transformed into a Commission to implement the vision, mission and objectives of ECOWAS as a regional grouping. 

• Its headquarters is in Abuja, Nigeria.

• According to the bloc’s treaty, member states wishing to withdraw must give a written one-year notice. It also says they must continue to abide by its provisions during the year-long period.