GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF ECOWAS SECTORAL POLICIES

The evaluation of the performances of ECOWAS sectoral policies and programmes should be made in the light of objectives set out in the original Treaty and later confirmed and expanded in the Revised Treaty of 1993.

The overall goal defined in the 1993 Revised Treaty (Article 3) for ECOWAS reads: “to promote cooperation and integration, leading to the establishment of an economic union in West Africa on order to raise the living standards of its peoples, and to maintain and enhance economic stability, foster relations among Member States and contribute to the progress and development of the African continent”.

To help achieve this final goal, the revised Treaty requires Member States to take specific commitments, in the various areas which ECOWAS later translated into policy frameworks and programmes implemented in the field.

Today, it has a rich architecture of programmes covering almost all sectors of economic, social, cultural and political activities.

The actions implemented for each of these roles help to improve the strategies and policies of member countries, by obliging them to align with the best practices existing at the regional and global levels. They also promote the implementation of reforms, as ECOWAS instruments can henceforth be applied directly in the Member States which should incorporate same into their legislation, thus facilitating their acceptance by national stakeholders.

Moreover, ECOWAS sectoral programmes create new frameworks for cooperation between countries of the region and offer them, in the medium and long term, opportunities which are greater than those they could have obtained if they acted single-handedly. This is especially true with regard to infrastructure or energy projects, although ECOWAS‟ lack of means constitutes a major constraint on the speedy implementation of programmes and their ability to generate a strong impact in the short term.

Table 12 below summarizes the policies and programmes developed as well as their main achievements and shortcomings, which enable a general assessment of their effectiveness (by comparing the results achieved and the objectives set at the start). Indeed, there is a limited analysis especially as a more relevant assessment (covering all programmes and actions of ECOWAS structures and based on recognized evaluation norms and principles) would have been necessary to have a precise view of the actual status of integration within ECOWAS.

In general, the performances of ECOWAS, since its establishment, may be deemed globally satisfactory at this stage.

The implementation status differs widely from one domain of integration to another.

Table 8: Summary of main ECOWAS sectoral policies Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings

Free movement of persons

Elimination of obstacles to freedom of movement and respect of the right of establishment and residence States at each official entry point for entry formalities by their nationals and

Setting up of a platform for the harmonization of immigration

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings

Free movement of goods

Trade liberalization by elimination of customs duties on imports and exports of goods between Member States and the abolition between Member States of non-tariff barriers, with a view to creating a Free Trade Area at the Community level..

Institution of a common external tariff and a common trade policy towards third countries

Establishment of Free

Trade Area (FTA) 1 January 2000 Reduction of non-tariff barriers through control posts on some corridors

Multitude of legal texts which are not always in harmony

The 60% regional content, as required by the rules of origin, considered too high by the regional private sector actions such as the use of raw materials, goods and factors of production as well as finished products from the

Community; and periodically participate in sectoral trade fairs, regional trade fairs and other similar activities.

The ECOWAS fair is held regularly

Trade promotion activities of intra-regional trade are still slow. There is still no updated database of products available in different countries and which could be exported in the sub-region socio-cultural and natural values of the region;

Encourage the establishment of efficient tourism enterprises;

Eliminate all discriminatory measures and practices against Community nationals in the realm of tourism and hospitality services

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings Develop plans to improve and ensure the integration of networks

ECOWAS has only about 4.7 km of road per 100 km2, which is below the average 6.8 km for the entire African continent.

Develop plans to improve and ensure the integration of rail networks; Encourage

Rail infrastructure is old and inadequate for the needs of modern rail transport and the gauges are different from one country to another

Air transport

Encourage cooperation regarding the scheduling of flights, aircraft leasing, granting and the joint operation of fifth freedom to airlines in the region;

Promote the development of regional air

Lack of capacity to meet growing internal demand for air transport services

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings

Maritime transport

Develop programmes for improving the cabotage services services de cabotage and interstate waterways as well as the harmonization of policies on transport Burkina Faso - Ghana and Ghana - Togo.

Lack of a regional company capable of competing with large African companies

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings notably those relating to the transport of energy, lack of managers and

technicians, as well as the lack of financial means for the realization of

Very low level of energy coverage of the populations High cost of access both for population and for industrial enterprises One of the lowest levels of electrical energy consumption in the world (88 KWh of electricity per capita/year against 350 KWh for East Asia) Inadequate supply of clean energy; Inadequate integration of

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings (d) the protection of the prices of export products on the international market. cooperate in the event of a natural disaster;

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings

Important regional initiatives Implementation of the West

Focus on the role of the private sector and regional joint and

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings the restrictions on the transfer of capital between Member States following a

Ensure also that nationals of a Member State can purchase securities, shares and

Set up an appropriate mechanism for the regulation of issues related to capital

Establishment in 1999 of a bank for Investment and Development (EBID),

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings improve the quality of life of their populations, particularly those in rural resources and for the preservation of the environment;

(c) Reduce their dependence and promote their individual and collective autonomy in the field of technology;

(d) Cooperate in matters of development, acquisition and dissemination of

2006 Existence of a Regional Policy on Science and Technology

Low level of Research & Development in the Region Weak regional capacity to by all means and in all forms, of cultural exchanges. But also, promote, develop practice of sports, in order to bring young people of the region closer and to

Establishment of the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre Implementation of the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings

Peace and Security

Work to preserve and consolidate relations conducive to the maintenance of peace, stability and security in the Region.

Adoption of the Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, efforts for the control of small arms) Decisive intervention of ECOWAS namely the creation of a monetary union through the harmonization of monetary, financial and tax policies

Creation of a West African Monetary Union Establishment of a single currency for all of West Africa

Adoption of the

Domains

Objectives set out in the 1993 Revised Treaty and commitments made by

Adoption dates Achievements of ECOWAS

programmes Implementation shortcomings