The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established on May 28 1975 via the treaty of Lagos with a vision to create a borderless region where the population has access to its abundant resources and is able to exploit same through the creation of opportunities under a sustainable environment.
Objectives
Enterprises are supported to:
- Improve their QMS
- Monitor them continually
- Qualify their production process for selected appropriate tradable products in the field of agribusiness, like i.e. mangos, cashew nuts, and coffee.
Principles
- equality and inter-dependence of Member States;
- solidarity and collective self-reliance;
- inter-State co-operation, harmonisation of policies and integration of programmes;
- non-aggression between Member States;
- maintenance of regional peace, stability and security through the promotion and strengthening of good neighbourliness;
- peaceful settlement of disputes among Member States, active Co-operation between neighbouring countries and promotion of a peaceful environment as a prerequisite for economic development;
- recognition promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights in accordance with the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights;
- accountability, economic and social justice and popular participation in development;
- recognition and observance of the rules and principles of the Community;
- promotion and consolidation of a democratic system of governance in each Member State as envisaged by the Declaration of Political Principles adopted in Abuja on 6 July, 1991;
- equitable and just distribution of the costs and benefits of economic co-operation and integration.
Member States
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo
