An Assessment of Ghana’s Contribution Towards West African Integration.

Abstract

After several efforts at forming a body that will seek to integrate the entire sub-region, ECOWAS was finally formed in 1975. However, after forty years of existence ECOWAS is still far from achieving its integrative agenda. ECOWAS is faced with the challenge of its leaders’ perception and will bearing on the manner in which sub-regional policies and protocols are implemented. Thus there is the general perception that governments of West African countries have dealt with the issues of the sub-region with different emphasis. There is however very little research or comparative frameworks to serve as a measure to determine how various member countries have contributed to the sub-regions integration agenda. This case study research therefore sought to establish whether Ghana as an individual country has since her independence in 1957, contributed significantly towards the sub-regional integration agenda. The study showed that over the years, various Ghanaian governments have either been passive or active with the sub-regions integration agenda. The passive integration era for Ghana was as a result of domestic challenges. Ghana however became committed to the sub-regions integration drive in the early 1990’s and has since assumed a leading role in integration scheme. Ghana has been at the forefront of economic, infrastructural and security developments. Ghana however needs to double its efforts at meeting the criteria for the sub-regions conversion to a single currency regime, as well as resolve its trade differences with Nigeria so as to serve a booster for the much craved for community common market.