Abstract:
Established in 1975 as a platform for accelerating the pace of economic development of West African states, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has grappled with several issue areas for approximately the past four decades. Originally pre-occupied with market-driven objectives that emphasize trade liberalization, ECOWAS has been confronted with resolving the myriad of security challenges that confront the sub-region. Mindful of the interconnectedness of security to economic development, therefore, ECOWAS has also focused its resources on regional security cooperation in the light of the interdependence of the security profiles of West African states especially in the post-Cold War international system. Employing a qualitative analysis of existing literature on security cooperation-regional integration, this work examines regional security cooperation through the prism of the Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security adopted in December 1999, and that of its Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good governance incepted in 2001. This research delineates the historical evolution of security mechanisms of ECOWAS since its establishment, focusing on how the new wars of the post-Cold War era exposed the security challenges of West Africa and how that culminated in the 1999 Security Mechanism. This research contends that although the aforesaid Protocols hold lots of promise based on its emphasis on operational mechanisms such as early warning systems and the institutionalization of good governance, the lack of political commitment by leaders in West Africa coupled with poor implementation record, among others, could scuttle the benign promise of the Protocol. To enable an effectual implementation of the Protocol and for that matter, a formidable security profile of West African states, this research recommends an emphasis on good governance and demonstrable political commitment towards a safe West African sub-region.
