Developmental Regionalism, Ecowas and Security in West Africa

Abstract

Security challenges have dominated the socio-political landscape of developing countries, especially in Africa. Several attempts have been made to address these challenges but there has been little progress towards tackling them. Most of these security issues are common, especially within regional and sub-regional blocks. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) founded in 1975 to foster economic cooperation and integration towards enhancing the quality of life of West African people has had to modify its original mandate to accommodate challenges to the detriment of developmental efforts. This study argues that the ideal of developmental regionalism which is a framework for enhancing the economic wellbeing of regional structures is also a veritable tool for handling security issues. It concludes that ECOWAS can employ the framework as a means of emerging from its security challenges.