By Henry Akubuiro
Title: The Future of ECOWAS: Critical Perspectives
Author: Mansourou Radji
Publisher: Xlibris, UK, 2020
Pages: 334
Reviewer:
From developmental to democratic challenges, ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) is at the crossroad. It is a subregion still grappling with failed regional integration, single currency deadlock, unemployment, insecurity and widespread poverty among its citizens. This is the focus of Mansourou El-Moumin Radji’s The Future of ECOWAS: Critical Perspectives, a 334-page book published by Xlibris, UK, that also offers useful hints how the subregion will take its pride of place on the African continent.
Radji’s offering runs in five major parts with subtopics to flesh out the details. He x-rays ECOWAS as a regional economic integration like no other in the opening chapter. He goes forward to trace the source of ECOWAS’ political dysfunction, its decaying societies and economies, the bleakness of the future, as well as practical ways to turn the tide. Radji writes from the perspective of a scholar pained by the regional body’s inability to reach the zenith, because he is aware of latent possibilities towards that direction.
ECOWAS, a regional integration body, was created in 1975 with the primary objective of promoting cooperation and integration, fostering the establishment of economic and monetary union in West Africa in order to raise the standards of people and contribute in the progress and development of the African continent, writes the author in the first chapter. But, “over four decades after its launch, the regional organisation is at pains to produce any meaningful results”.
Nigeria, the most populous nation in West Africa and its largest economy, is strategic in the political and economic development of ECOWAS, says the author, which explains why the author is worried that “a corrupt and unreliable Nigeria will have a negative effect on the intra-regional market”. That is, for ECOWAS to stand on its feet, Nigeria’s economy and democracy have to be solid. Lest we forget, Nigeria accounts for 70 percent of the subregion’s GDP. However, there are some built-in contradictions in ECOWAS militating against its progress, says the author.
He writes: “Apart from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Senegal, almost every other country in the region has a weak manufacturing sector (or lacks one altogether)”. This has, therefore, resulted in a deindustrialised West African economy and dependency on the flow of international capital. Sadly, the liberalisation of the West African economy, rather bring legitimate expectations, says the author, deepened the subregion’s dependence on financial investors and it “is simply a shocking reality that the aggregate trade flows within ECOWAS is poor”, and, unless this is addressed, West Africa will still languish in poverty. Radji regrets that ECOWAS has become a singular creature, predictably, struggling with collective action.
What are the sources of ECOWAS’ political dysfunction? The answer is found in the second part of The Future of ECOWAS…. Radji enlightens us that the leadership question in West Africa is yet to be solved, with the seeds of its destruction sown deep within its political institutions. He says: “West Africa still has a lot to do in terms of good governance and the validity of election results”, yet it remains “a region of the poor, the hungry, the starved, and the defenceless.” Citing Benin under President Thomas Yayi and Nigeria under President Goodluck Jonathan, the author says corruption flourished with social inequalities increasing rapidly. Radji affirms that West Africa’s inequalities have more to do with governance than the rich.
The author goes from the general to the specific by itemising political and institutional crises in many West African countries, beginning with Guinea Bissau, one of the poorest countries in West Africa. He cites the instability occasioned by the emergence of President Julio Bernardo Viera in 2005, dictator thereafter. The nation, says the author, also didn’t fare better under Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior as inflation and protests spiralled. The reader is also kept abreast of the constitutional crisis in Togo after the dictatorial regime of President Gnassingbe Eyadema for over three decades came to an end. His son, Faure Gnassingbe, who took over from him, according to the author, presides over a pariah nation, needless to say, “Democracy in Togo is in tatters, as electoral fraud and political repression are rife.”
The author, besides, zeroes in on the endless political and security issues in Mali, including the jihadist insurrection in the centre and western borders and the Taureg rebellion and quest for Azawad nationhood. The author argues further that Benin, however, is one of Africa’s most stable democracies because of the ease with which it transfers power from one elected government to another. But it is not without blemishes as evident in corruption that rocked the Boni Yayi government. The author laments that, today, lawmakers in Benin have turned to lawbreakers, “using political immunity to inhibit the judiciary, thus criminality and corruption are deeply entrenched in Benin’s democracy.”
In the third part of the book, the author focuses on ECOWAS and its decaying societies and economies. Writes the author: “Democratic principles are in retreat, with various West African governments ignoring term limits and disabling the opposition… ECOWAS, generally a staunch advocate of democratic norms, has shown signs of weakness when member states exploit dodgy laws to limit freedom of expression, which is usually a key feature in public life in a democracy.” Radji contends that ECOWAS must have a robust and clear policy framework in place and should be prepared to intervene whenever a member state threatens democratic principles. The book tells us that ECOWAS political issues include flawed elections and political problems in Senegal, Benin, Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast and even Nigeria. Again, member states hardly comply with regional tribunal rulings, citing the case of Khalifa Sall, a popular Senegalese opposition figure whose rights were violated. Radji is disenchanted that the ECOWAS intervention in the Ivorian and Guinean political crisis was amorphous and lacked substance. Therefore, it should stop pampering heads of states who refuse to abide by the law.
While the regional body has been successful in security and crisis prevention, an assessment of ECOWAS’ economic integration by the author shows a failure, as the percentage of each other’s exports to each regional zone member country is too low, yet West Africa’s agonising wait for a single currency hasn’t materialised thirty years after. Read the book to find the current issues surrounding the Eco currency. As a way of fostering regional financial integration in West Africa, Radji is of the view that the ECOWAS bloc needs rules and regulations. The book offers five steps that are necessary for achieving regional financial integration.
Radji, in the fourth part of the book, echoes that the future is bleak for ECOWAS, which is why efforts should be made to address its myriad of challenges. He also reviews Morocco’s controversial application to join ECOWAS in 2017 and the arguments for and against it. With breakthroughs being made in the subregion in e-commerce and by tech companies, especially in Nigeria, the author is optimistic of a promising future. However, he isn’t totally satisfied with the Chinese domination of West Africa’s economy. More disturbing is the fact that “West Africans adore fake products, a habit that plays into the hands of Chinese conmen.”
In the concluding part of this informative book, the author takes a look how ECOWAS is trying to turn the tide, as it is now in its longest period of expansion and making attempts to tackle social inequalities. He, however, laments that “Nigeria is behaving in an irresponsible manner, using the border closure to outsource its problems to neighbouring Benin and Niger.”
Be that as it may, there are hopes and prospects for the subregion, says the author; the first being repaying the IMF and “China’s killer loans”, and starting the pushback. There are many more. He cautions against the third-term pandemic sweeping across the subregion, while lamenting the mindless killings from Conakry, Bamako to Lagos, with their overt economic implications for the subregion. The author believes that the change the West African public is calling for will require a lot of heavy lifting from all of them. This compelling read on ECOWAS highly recommended to policymakers and citizens of the subregion.
