The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is the oldest Regional Economic Community (REC) in Africa. It has existed for over 50 years since 1975 as a regional arrangement or agency within the meaning of Article 52(1) of the Charter of the United Nations.¹ The geographical reach of the community extended from the Atlantic littoral in the south and west to the heart of the Sahel in the north and the east. Adopted in May 1975, the treaty establishing ECOWAS was originally agreed by 15 states.²
In 1977, Cape Verde acceded to the treaty, increasing the number of members of the Community to 16. A Protocol on Non‑Aggression adopted the following year extended the substantive scope of the Community beyond the traditional concerns of regional economic integrations to cover mutual defence and collective security.³ At the conclusion of a review of the original treaty, in July 1993, the Community adopted a revised treaty extending its scope further to cover issues of governance.
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