Facilitating market development across ECOWAS

The Heads of State and Governments of fifteen West African countries established the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by signing the ECOWAS Treaty on May 28, 1975, in Lagos, Nigeria. The Treaty of Lagos was signed by the leaders of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Cabo Verde joined the union in 1977, while Mauritania withdrew in December 2000 but signed an associate membership agreement in August 2017. ECOWAS, spanning an area of 5.2 million square kilometres, is a cornerstone of the African Economic Community, aimed at fostering collective self-sufficiency among its member states. The organization promotes economic integration through cooperation in industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, and finance, boasting a combined GDP of $734.8 billion. ECOWAS operates under the vision of a borderless region with free movement, efficient education and health systems, and economic and commercial activities underpinned by peace and security. The headquarters of ECOWAS is located in Abuja, Nigeria.