West Africa region is in the news again following the tension in Senegal as a result of the postponement of the country’s February 2024 election by President Macky Sall indefinitely. Though Sall’s decision has been countered by the parliament, which said the election would now hold in December. Sall’s action is coming in a region that is plague by successive military coups and many have argued that his action is a coup too. In this Special Feature, GBENGA SALAU interrogates what the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders would do differently to prevent Senegal from going the way of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The stability of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a regional bloc of economic, human and political development has been under threat owing to political instability and security challenges in some member states.

And for the ECOWAS to achieve its set objectives, it is important that the economic cum political bloc should be united. This is one reason many are not happy with the recent announcement by Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso that it is pulling out of the ECOWAS.

However, while that is yet to be brought under control, another ECOWAS member state, Senegal is in the eye of the storm with the protests and civil unrest that have dotted the country following President Macky Sall’s decision, which is not popular, led to the reversal of decision by the country’s parliament, which now gave a December date.

No doubt, a united ECOWAS is critical to not just achieving its set objectives, but also member states winning the war against insurgency that is plaguing the region.

It was in this light that Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), led by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), West Africa Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) and Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), alongside media practitioners from various media organisations during the week to brainstorm on the importance of a united ECOWAS and how the regional bloc could be a united body to tackle the many challenges confronting member states.

Participants acknowledged the relevance of ECOWAS to the integration of the region with notable achievements among which include the free movement of persons, the trade liberalisation scheme and, above all, the establishment of the Customs Union, with the entry into force of the Common External Tariff (CET) in 2015 which have contributed to furthering integration of the region.

Providing context for the discussion in his opening remarks, the Executive Director, CISLAC and Chairman, Transition Monitoring Group, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, said Civil Society Organisations working in Nigeria and West Africa have observed with worry the recent developments in the West African region that threaten the unity of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

He further said: “It is worthy of note to emphasize that ECOWAS has come a long way in fostering regional integration by building a community of people which is focused on economic, political, and social developments.”

These civil society organisations, which include the West African Consultative Forum (WACSOF), Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and others reiterate CSOs support for regional integration in West Africa, especially taking into cognisance the benefits of such to the region.

According to Musa, among other things, a more integrated West Africa is required to defeat the violent extremism, terrorism and other trans-border crimes currently be-devilling the region.

“There is no gainsaying that the measures undertaken by the community to promote and consolidate cooperation among member states on criminal matters such as the protocol on Mutual Assistance on Defence Matters and the Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons have greatly contributed to a regional effort at combatting terrorism and crimes in the region. Therefore, having a united ECOWAS is important to defeating terrorism and other organised crimes in the region.”

As civil society organisations in Nigeria and West African region, he said they are resolute to working to ensure ECOWAS stays focused on promoting genuine democratisation processes and stability in the region.

“On this note, CSOs urge politicians in the region to desist from truncating democracy at the detriment of the people. It is disturbing to see the trend of events where politicians abuse democratic processes and ascribe to themselves arbitrary powers over constitutional governance. These trends are against the critical pillars of ECOWAS Vision 2050.

“In line with this, the CSOs in Nigeria and West Africa condemn the indefinite postponement of the February 25, 2024 election in Senegal without consulting widely with the people. This type of action is viewed as abuse of power and must be rejected in the region as it is the type of undemocratic behaviour capable of instigating military junta. It is therefore important for the government of Senegal to immediately fix a new date for the election to hold.

“CSOs working in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa are interested in ensuring economic development that is capable of reducing the poverty and infrastructural deficit in the region. Therefore, we will continue to support regional stability in order to boost the economic viability of West Africa.

“In looking towards the actualisation of ECOWAS Vision 2050, which shifts the focus from ECOWAS of States to ECOWAS of the People, it is important to activate the National Focus Persons of ECOWAS so as to intensify and coordinate CSO engagement towards the implementation and actualisation of Vision 2050 to bring about peace and prosperity for all.

“The network of CSOs notes that the recent trend of events in the region can have a spillover effect on many countries and destabilise the peace and economy of the region.”

Musa reiterated the importance of dialogue in dispute resolution, stating that whatever the disagreements are, ECOWAS must desist from the use of force given that it is operationally guided by the Protocol on Non-Aggression.

“It is our shared belief that every member state of ECOWAS is at a greater advantage in not just belonging to the community but committed to implementing measures and mechanisms set out to achieve critical objectives of economic and social prosperity for every citizen of the community.”

Musa noted that some of the challenges confronting members like insurgency cannot be dealt with by individual member state but collectively reason member states need another.

The Senior Programme Officer, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Solomon Adoga, in his contributed observed that the ECOWAS integration process is one of the most successful among all the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa.

Going down memory lane, he said the regional block aimed at the eradication of poverty and the consolidation of regional peace and security as well as the promotion of sustainable social and economic development.

He disclosed that as part of evolving and better achieving its goals and objectives, ECOWAS recently envisioned moving from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of Peoples with five pillars.

He listed the five pillars to include peace and security, good governance, development of the region’s resources, economic and monetary integration, and promotion of the private sector.

He noted that before the new 2050 vision of making the regional bloc one of the people and not head of states, the body had Vision 2020.

Adoga argued that under the Vision 2020, ECOWAS made significant strides in various areas of advancements in regional integration, peace and security, economic cooperation, and infrastructure development.

“In the area of peace, security and stability, ECOWAS managed several conflicts and consolidated peace – Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau.

“In economic integration the process of consolidation of the common market, notably with the free movement of persons, the trade liberalisation scheme and, above all, the establishment of the Customs Union, with the entry into force of the Common External Tariff (CET) in 2015.

“In the area of infrastructure development, the implementation of the regional transport facilitation programme with particular emphasis on the joint border posts programme and the corridor development programme.

“There has also been improvement of interconnection between member states as well as the establishment of electricity exchange systems and the electricity supply programme.”

He, nonetheless, observed that democratic governance remains fragile with the principles of separation of powers, political participation of citizens in the democratic process, democratic control, zero tolerance for unconstitutional seizure of power, freedom of the press and freedom of expression remaining issues of concern.

Adoga added that frequent disputes on electoral processes have led to serious political and institutional crises creating instability, sometimes, with negative regional implications.

He also said the security situation within the region has become more complex and multifaceted with threats including, human, drug and arms trafficking, money laundering, terrorism and the financing of terrorism, cybercrime and counterfeiting of all types of products especially pharmaceuticals.

“Terrorism has now become the security quagmire for many countries in the region, particularly in the Sahel area with worsening humanitarian situation. The security situation combined with food insecurity, climate change, community clashes (farmers-herders) have exacerbated the humanitarian situation in the region.”

Adoga stated that the general trend of insecurity is leading to large flows of internally displaced persons and an increase in the required level of humanitarian assistance.

With some of the crises the region is grappling with, Adoga argued that the Vision 2050 of making ECOWAS that of the people with the goal of promoting peace and prosperity for all is very relevant.

“Following an inclusive and participatory consultations with stakeholders in member states, their aspirations highlighted the relevance of the five developmental themes known as the pillars of the vision.

“The Pillar 1: Peace, Security and Stability – strengthen human security through home-grown and sustainable initiatives bearing in mind the multidimensional security threats facing the region

“Pillar 2: Governance and Rule of Law – there is a need to ensure the establishment and effective functioning of strong and credible institutions that guarantee the respect for fundamental rights and freedoms. The region will work to strengthen democratic governance, consolidate the rule of law, and enhance justice delivery

“Pillar 3: Economic Integration and Interconnectivity – This process is envisaged not only through the free movement of people and goods but also through the enhancement of trade and market integration as well as the achievement of the economic and monetary union

“Pillar 4: Transformation, Inclusive and Sustainable Development – This pillar is based on the improvement of the living conditions of the population through the optimisation of quality of the education and knowledge building systems, the creation of decent jobs for young people and women as well as the strengthening of resilience to public health. This pillar is also based on the structural transformation of economies driven by the digitisation of the economy, entrepreneurship, science and technology and structuring investments in growth sectors.

“Pillar 5: Social Inclusion -This pillar places the ECOWAS citizens, mainly women, children and youth, and all vulnerable people (including people with disabilities and the elderly) at the heart of development and the integration process. By 2050, ECOWAS will have to meet the challenges of social cohesion among its people, create the conditions of a sense of belonging that is characteristic of Community citizenship, that would foster the emergence of a cultural identity based on shared values.”

Providing insight on how ECOWAS has evolved in his engagement over the years, the General Secretary, of the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), Kop’ep Dabugat said that because all the regional integration initiatives and processes in West Africa were driven by states, they never gave any explicit reference to the need for civil society engagement in the official sense of the word.

“However, one thing that the ECOWAS revised treaty of 1993 has done is to introduce new principles and institutional changes whose realisation require meaningful involvement by a broad spectrum of stakeholders, specifically civil society, in the regional integration project.

“These new dimensions to the ECOWAS regional integration project include the following; Adoption of a set of fundamental principles to guide the integration agenda and processes. The principles in the revised Treaty include Non-aggression among ECOWAS states and maintenance of regional peace, stability and security.

“This also includes peaceful settlement of disputes, recognition, promotion and protection of human rights in accordance with the African charter on human and peoples’ rights, promotion and consolidation of a democratic system of governance in member states.

“The prominent feature of issues of peace, security and stability of Member states, which was silent in the 1975 Treaty. It included an obligation on Member states to honour their obligations agreed to under the treaty.

“Introduction of additional community institutions to especially focus on implementing different aspects of the treaty provisions, such as Community Parliament; Economic and Social Council; Community Court of Justice (a transformation from Tribunal under the earlier Treaty); and Fund for Cooperation, Compensation and Development.

“Achieving these objectives requires serious involvement of civil society in the process. It is from this point that definitive civil society engagement began in the ECOWAS Regional integration process.”

Speaking on how to tackle the impediments facing a united ECOWAS: a security perspective, the Group Features Editor, ThisDay Newspaper, Chiemelie Ezeobi, said the objective of the ECOWAS Security Sector Reform and Governance (SSRG) is to strengthen states’ capacities to respond to present and emerging threats and to deliver security and justice services to the state and its peoples.

She, however, noted that while ECOWAS has worked to address some security issues by developing a peacekeeping force for conflicts in the region, it has not been able to address the issues of coups by some of its members as seen in recent years.

“There are reasons why members of the ECOWAS may never be united, For instance, how can Africa come together when we don’t even believe they are one? North Africa is like another continent entirely. A Cape Verdean, Moroccan, Egyptian or even Sudanese do not believe they are Africans.
“But let’s even bring it closer to home. How can ECOWAS members come together and stop seeing each other as the enemy?  They do not even trust each other. The cost of flight tickets to each ECOWAS state is too high, talk more about xenophobic attacks. They would rather foreigners thrive and prosper than a fellow ECOWAS nation.
“Also, where are we with the Africa Continental Free Trade Area? When this act was brought up, it was supposed to be the game changer like how we have that for the Schengen Nations.
“How far have we even gone to open up the AfCFTA region? Remember the Abidjan-Lagos corridor? The overreaching plan was for that corridor to serve as an emerging transnational on the coast of southern West Africa.
“Stretching from Abidjan to Lagos, it crosses five independent states (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria) from west to east, and includes two political capitals and many regional economic centres.
“It is what is to serve over 40 million commuters travelling to Ivory Coast, while one of the flanks of the Abidjan–Lagos corridor, the construction of the Lagos-Badagry expressway was sectioned off into three independent contracts.”

She noted that the language barrier remains another major issue in integrating ECOWAS members’ security apparatus.

“I was part of Operation Safe Domain 11 involving the ECOWAS Zone E comprising Benin, Nigeria, Togo and Niger. Niger didn’t come because of the coup. Nigeria spoke English and the rest in Ghana. At sea, it was a Herculean task to communicate, thus, somewhat defeating the aim of the exercise.
“Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Niger Activate Joint Maritime, Air Surveillance, Intervention in the Gulf of Guinea. Also in Cameroon, during the second Operation Obangame Express in 2011 or so hosted by the Cameroon government, they refused our Aircraft to fly over their air space. The idea to have a regional sea power was defeated because, after that instance, they have broken the operations into regions since then.”

Ezeobi concluded that too much allegiance to world powers and taking orders that favour them as against Africa, difficulty in localising most of ECOWAS laws, the perception that ECOWAS is a ‘toothless bulldog’, partiality when it comes to intervention, and ECOWAS week leadership, remains a major barrier in the growth of the body, and by extension, the members state.

She, therefore, stated that ECOWAS members needed to remain united for the region to thrive, to be a force to reckon with, to take its place at the global comity of nations and stop being subservient, and to strengthen its member’s passports, and respective currencies against the dollars, pounds, yen, and Euros as the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, in a communiqué issued at the end of the deliberation, stakeholders recommended that “Given the security challenges in the region, the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the ECOWAS will cause set back to the gains of peace and security efforts under the direction of regional authority especially in the fight against terrorism.

“The withdrawal defeats the purpose of regional economic cooperation within the ECOWAS bloc including the establishment of an African Continental Free Trade Area. It will adversely affect the life and livelihood of the citizens of West Africa.
“It will further exacerbate corruption, illicit financial flows (IFFs) and drug and human trafficking across the borders

“Democracy in West Africa has become more fragile despite the principles of zero tolerance for unconstitutional change of government, tenure elongation, fraudulent elections and bad governance contained in the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance

“The culture of impunity and disregard for the rule of law by political elites in West Africa has continued to weaken state institutions.”

They, therefore, recommended the following; “ECOWAS should urgently call for an emergency extraordinary summit to look into the state of affairs in the region to prevent further threats of disintegration.
“Immediate dialogue must be pursued with the affected countries and all sanctions be removed to pave the way for genuine reconciliation. The Authorities of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso rescinded their decisions to withdraw from ECOWAS because of obvious beneficial reasons. State and non-state actors in the region should intensify engagements towards ensuring a more united ECOWAS.
“ECOWAS should work with the authorities in these countries to urgently adopt transition plans with a clear roadmap for a quick restoration of democratic order.
“We urge the military authorities in the affected countries to refrain from attempts to transform themselves from military to civil rulers.
“ECOWAS should work with the Authorities in these countries to ensure free, fair, and credible elections. We urge CSOs and media to engage positively and ensure electoral transparency, popular participation and inclusion in the electoral process.
“In the spirit of the ideals of ECOWAS Vision 2050, we call on ECOWAS to speed up the review of the ECOWAS supplementary protocol on good governance to prevent tenure elongation, electoral manipulation and rigging, and curb unconstitutional changes of government.
“With the adoption of Vision 2050, ECOWAS Parliament should begin to have elective representatives rather than appointive representation. This will contribute to making it a truly ECOWAS of the peoples.
“ECOWAS should operationalise the consultative aspects of the functions of the ECOWAS National Units to ensure connection with the citizens of Member States in the implementation of ECOWAS Agreements at the national levels, in line with the spirit of the ECOWAS Vision 2050

“Civil society and media should embark on peace missions to consult key stakeholders in the affected countries to provide support towards a quick return to constitutional democracy.
“ECOWAS, Civil society and media should demand for quick, transparent, inclusive, free, fair and credible elections in Senegal as earlier scheduled. They should also condemn the arbitrary arrest and banning of political opposition from contesting the election.

“After successful resolution with the aggrieved countries, ECOWAS should support the member countries to strengthen their capacity in responding to present and emerging threats including activation of early warning and response capabilities.”