THE ROLE OF ECOWAS IN PROMOTING PEACE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SIERRA LEONE AND GHANA /
MOMODU RAHMAH BAH; SUPERVISOR: DR. ANTHONY ENIAYEJUNI
- ix, 64 sheets: maps; 31 cm. Includes CD
Thesis (MA) - Cyprus International University. Institute of Graduate Studies and Research International Relations Department
Includes bibliography (sheets 57-64)
ABSTRACT The Economic Community of West African Nations (ECOWAS) is a regional organisation with the goals of fostering economic integration among its member states and maintaining peace in the area. This thesis investigates the role that ECOWAS plays in achieving these goals. The organisation, which was established in the middle of the 1970s, initially had three primary goals: to promote and harmonize economic stability amongst member states, to enforce sectorial policies to adopt common tariffs in the subregion through the adoption of trade treaty among its fifteen member states and to collectively ensure the peace-building process and promote free migration for citizens of the subregion. All of these goals were eventually accomplished. This endeavor takes the view that international organisations are important as complementary agents in support of the national government’s agenda of creating welfare societies for their citizens. In addition, they create the platform through which states can jointly achieve their objectives. In this respect, the role of ECOWAS in Ghana and Sierra Leone has to be thoroughly understood in line with the organisation's vision of creating an economically prosperous region that is equally stable in terms of peace. Does the question remain that given the years of operation in member countries and in particular, Sierra Leone’s experience with a devastating civil war, has the organisation achieved a considerable margin of success worthy of acknowledgement? Existing literature on the role of ECOWAS in the study areas suggests that the organisation has adopted its tools and programs in support of local governments. However, it is still not obvious how successful these initiatives really are. Ultimately, the authors of this research conclude, governments can't improve the lives of their citizens without the assistance of international organisations. Nonetheless, the success of this initiative depends heavily on the local institutions in those states. Keywords: Armed-Conflict, Economic Development, ECOWAS, ECOMOG, Democracy, Peacekeeping