ECOWAS - RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND INTEGRAT ION EFFORTS BETWEEN WEST-AFRICAN STATES

The article outlines recent developments within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and discusses the reasons for the la ck of progress in West African integration in general and ECOWAS in pa rticular. After a general introduction, the article points out the maj or problems areas of the Community, including the lack of economic com plementarity between ECOWAS member-states. Today ECOWAS counts all the 16 countries of the West African region. The Community is based on th e same principles as - and is largely modelled on - the European Econo mic Community, although the economic and political reality in West Afr ica is very different from that in Europa. The necessity of a politica l will to integrate is discussed in relation to questions of Politico/ military security. The article stresses the need for theoretical expla natory models to enable better analysis of integration between Third W orld countries.