ECOWAS Countries 2022

Global leaders have realized that forming trade organizations is a good method to maximize regional resources, markets, and economic influence of the Hanseatic League, the European Union, or today’s North American Free Trade Agreement.

With fifteen countries clustered around West Africa’s coast, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established to promote economic cooperation among the 15 member states to improve living conditions and foster economic growth.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has also sought to alleviate regional security concerns by creating a peacekeeping force. In 1990, ECOWAS established a free trade area before implementing a unified external tariff in January 2015.

The 15 countries of the ECOWAS:

1. Benin
2. Burkina Faso
3. Cabo Verde
4. Cote d’Ivoire
5. The Gambia
6. Ghana
7. Guinea
8. Guinea-Bissau
9. Liberia
10. Mali
11. Niger
12. Nigeria
13. Senegal
14. Sierra Leone
15. Togo

The Ties That Bind Us All

Additionally, ECOWAS nations, which are surrounded to the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Sahara Desert marking the northern borders of the economic union, share cultural links and commercial patterns that date back millennia.

From Lake Chad to Mount Cameroon, the trade pact’s eastern border may be identified. Ethnic and cultural divides are still evident in the current borders of contemporary West African governments, which typically divide single ethnic groups across two or more countries.

ECOWAS Countries Make the Most of West Africa’s History and Resources

Before European explorers arrived in the 14th century, West Africa had an extensive history. The continent’s heart was home to thriving settlements, historical empires, and extensive trade networks. In the nineteenth century, the scramble for Africa shattered these ties, and colonial administration and control took their place.

Colonial control came to an end in the twentieth century with the colony’s independence during World War II. Forging new borders that bore little similarity to the previous links between people of different races, cultures, and economic systems

Also See: Debt to GDP Ratio by Country 2022

Unification and redrawing of borders to better utilize these 15 countries’ economic positions have received little encouragement due to a strong attraction of nationalism. This is why creating the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is so important for those countries.