A single currency for the Economic Community of West Africa? An economic assessment

Ebola outbreaks in Africa have occurred mostly in the Central and West Africa regions that are politically identified as the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS), respectively. In the ECOWAS region, people and goods are allowed to travel freely across national borders of all the 15 member countries, but in the ECCAS region such regional travel across the national borders of its 10 member countries is limited. In this paper, we use parameterized mathematical models of Ebola to investigate the effects of free international travel, and the timing of border closings, on the high number of Ebola infection cases and deaths of the recent 2014–2016 Ebola outbreaks in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (ECOWAS); as compared to previous and current outbreaks in Democratic Republic of Congo (ECCAS, 1976–2018). Simulations of our single-patch Ebola model without movement of humans across international borders are shown to capture the recorded numbers of Ebola infections and deaths in the ECCAS region, and simulations of our 3-patch model with interpatch movements capture that of the ECOWAS region. We obtain that international travel restrictions and timing of border closings can play important roles in mitigating against the spread of future fatal infectious disease outbreaks.

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The Politics of West African Economic Co-operation: C.E.A.O. and E.C.O.W.A.S.

The Journal of Modern African Studies ◽

10.1017/s0022278x0002423x ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 605-623 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Daniel C. Bach

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

West African ◽

African Unity ◽

Economic Community

Since the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States in 1975, its acronym has become well known, even though ‘E.C.O.W.A.S.’ still means little more than a synonym for ‘West Africa’ and a symbolic tribute to the ideals of African unity. The Community has certainly witnessed a growth of its bureaucracy and institutions, but the limited co-operation actually achieved has been based on strengthening links which were developed in the region since the early 1960s rather than on the transfer of state prerogatives to Community organs on specific issues.

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The Mano River Union

The Journal of Modern African Studies ◽

10.1017/s0022278x00000276 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 613-628 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Peter Robson

Keyword(s):

International Economic ◽

West Africa ◽

Economic Integration ◽

Monetary Union ◽

West African ◽

Economic And Monetary Union ◽

Economic Community

Of the four current schemes for international economic integration in West Africa, the operation of the Communauté économique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest has been recently reviewed, the Economic Community of West African States continues to be widely discussed, while the agreement of the Presidents of Senegal and Gambia in Dakar on 17 December 1981 to establish a Senegambian Confederation, and to develop an economic and monetary union between the two countries, is as yet in its formative stages. This article examines the structure, progress, and potential of the Mano River Union (M.R.U.) about which little has been published.

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The Politics and Diplomacy of Peacekeeping in West Africa: The Ecowas Operation in Liberia

The Journal of Modern African Studies ◽

10.1017/s0022278x00021443 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 569-593 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Ademola Adeleke

Keyword(s):

Civil War ◽

West Africa ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Sierra Leone ◽

West African ◽

Cape Verde ◽

The Gambia ◽

Economic Community ◽

Political Issues ◽

Guinea Bissau

TheEconomic Community of West African States (Ecowas) was established in May 1975 as an organisation to promote the development of the sub-region, and for 15 years did not deviate from this mandate. The 16 member-states – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo – restricted their interactions to purely economic matters and ran shy of political issues confronting West Africa. This tradition changed in 1990 when Ecowas decided to intervene in the civil war which had broken out in Liberia. Its strategy to resolve the conflict followed two parallel but mutually interactive channels — making and enforcing peace. The former involved negotiations and arbitration; the latter the deployment in August 1990 of a 3,000 strong multinational force to supervise a cease-fire.

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Investor–State Dispute Settlement using the ECOWAS Court of Justice: An Analysis and Some Proposals

ICSID Review - Foreign Investment Law Journal ◽

10.1093/icsidreview/siz028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 496-518

Author(s):

Matthew Happold

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Economic Integration ◽

Dispute Settlement ◽

West African ◽

Economic Community ◽

Court Of Justice

Abstract In the light of increasing discontent with arbitration as a method of investor–State dispute settlement (ISDS), alongside proposals for the establishment of court systems for the settlement of such disputes, this article suggests that such a mechanism might already be available for West African States in the form of the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The ECOWAS Court of Justice, the article shows, can already deal with a variety of investor–State disputes, while reforms are suggested to extend its investment jurisdiction and render it more effective. Such initiatives, it argues, would assist in developing African States’ role as ‘investment rule makers’ rather than ‘rule takers’, as well as further ECOWAS’s mission to promote economic integration within West Africa.

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