Deepening Regional Integration and Organizing World Trade: The Limits of ECOWAS

Abstract

This article explores the policy foundations behind regional trade in sub-Saharan Africa with particular focus on West Africa and its application in practice. It criticizes the relevance of the Economic Community of West African states (ECOWAS) and questions its effect on the primacy of the multilateral trading established under the World Trade Organization (WTO). This work delves into an important analysis of the purport and essence of such agreements that tend to unite a particular region. The essence of any regional trade agreement is to ensure that such region develops and grows geometrically. To achieve this, the particular Member States of the region must align their domestic policies with the policies of the agreement. The thematic strand that runs through this work is the hypothetical question whether this Treaty is a building block or stumbling block for the WTO.