Abstract
From the outset the founding fathers of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recognized the relevance of integration in the social sector based on the conviction that intense cooperation in the economic and political sectors alone will not bring about lasting regional integration. For instance, the ECOWAS treaty of 1975 and revised treaty of 1993 had the promotion of social progress and collaboration in the social field as one of the objectives of the community. Yet scholars have not given it the deserved attention. This paper therefore represents an attempt to assess the extent to which the West African Health Organization (WAHO), a specialized health agency of ECOWAS, has contributed to regional health integration in West Africa. It argues that regional integration and cooperation should not be geared solely towards economic and political purposes. It also examines the achievements as well as the major challenges confronting WAHO. It concludes that regional health integration is no longer an option but an imperative for West African countries to meet their common health challenges.
Highlights
Regional integration has been one of the foreign policy goals of African states since independence
West African Health Organization (WAHO) was created against the backdrop of conflicting agendas that were being pursued at the time by the existing intergovernmental health organizations in the sub region: the Francophone organization de coordination et de cooperation pour la luttle contres les Grandes Endemies (OCCGE) and the Anglophone West African Health Community (WAHC)
We have shown that regional integration in the field of health is no longer an option but an imperative for West African countries as well as the developing countries to meet their common health challenges
Summary
Regional integration has been one of the foreign policy goals of African states since independence. Article 2 of the treaty establishing ECOWAS stipulates: It shall be the aim of the community to promote cooperation and development in all fields of economic activity in the fields of industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions and in social and cultural matters for the standard of living of its peoples, of increasing and maintaining economic stability of fostering closer relations among its members and of contributing to the progress and development of the African continent (ECOWAS, 1975).
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