Hot Question of the Day #9

What is ECOWAS's relevance to the citizens of West Africa?

ECOWAS, founded in 1975 with the signing of the Lagos Treaty, was supposed to be a turning point for West Africa.

Its objectives were clear:

• Economic integration to promote self-reliance and reduce dependence on former colonial masters.

• Free movement of people and goods across borders, ensuring West Africans could travel, trade, and work in any member state.

• Common infrastructure projects to develop roads, railways, and energy networks that would unite the region.

• Peace and security cooperation to prevent conflicts and promote stability.

On paper, this looked excellent. Despite uncountable meetings by mis-rulers in flowing gowns, ECOWAS has failed miserably on its objectives.

• Instead of economic integration, our economies remain structurally dependent on the West, with little intra-regional trade.

• Instead of free movement, we have citizens harassed at border posts by corrupt officials demanding bribes. They do this openly and without shame.

• Instead of regional infrastructure, we have roads riddled with potholes and barely functioning electricity grids. The misrulers lack the intelligence to build railways to solve the problems of transportation of people and goods,

• Instead of peace and security, we have ECOWAS watching helplessly as terrorism, coups, and instability engulf the region.

You can read it here: https://femiakogun.substack.com/p/hot-question-of-the-day-8

©️ Fẹ̀mi Akọ̀mọ̀‌làfẹ̀

(Farmer, Writer, Published Author, Essayist, Polemicist, Satirist, and Social Commentator.)

If you like what I write, I would appreciate it if you kindly support me with your subscription to my Substack:

HTTPS://femiakogun.Substack.com

You can follow me on:

Telegram channel: t.me/panafdigest

VK: https://vk.com/fakomolafe

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FemiAkomolafe

On MuckRack: https://muckrack.com/femi-akomolafe

X: @FemiMayegun

You can Chat with me on my Substack here: https://tinyurl.com/y6yueb7d