Abstract
To reflect the growing trends in the international scene and in furtherance of the objective of its Revised 1993 Treaty, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit in December 2006 revolutionised the structure of ECOWAS by re-designating the Executive Secretariat into a quasi-independent commission headed by a President with a Vice President and seven commissioners. The rationale behind the revision was to make ECOWAS a supranational entity. This article considers whether or not a supranational system is essential for the attainment of ECOWAS' objectives. It asks if the conditions for an effective supranational system are in place in the West African sub-region which could provide a solid foundation for its success and why the quest for a supranational system has not yielded any fruitful result in West Africa. It argues that a retreat from the quest for supranationalism and a return to an inter-governmental system would be a retreat rather than the way forward, and expresses the need for the course of action to be sustained courageously till the impact of integration begins to emerge, and the disguised, patriotic impulse of states to protect their national sovereignty gives way to the full manifestation of ECOWAS as a supranational entity.
Highlights
The importance of institutions as a tool for states to surmount the national, regional and international challenges that face them cannot be over-emphasised
The President of the Nigeria Bar Association,[79] Agbakoba, a legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria[80] decried Nigeria's membership of international organisations because, according to him, Nigeria as a country does not benefit from them: The NBA being a professional body that understands how multilateral institutions work, I want to ask, what has Nigeria benefited from being a member of the commonwealth? What has Nigeria benefited from being a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) the United Nation Organization (UNO) the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) or do we need new institution [to benefit us]
An attempt has been made in this paper to examine the new structure of ECOWAS
Summary
The importance of institutions as a tool for states to surmount the national, regional and international challenges that face them cannot be over-emphasised. It is necessary to examine the system which a particular institution adopts to achieve its objectives. Due to the failure of ECOWAS to achieve its objectives, a Committee of Eminent Persons (the CEP) was established to examine the reasons behind its failure and to make recommendations for its reform "in order to accelerate the integration process and contribute effectively to West African development".4. The major recommendation of the CEP was that the intergovernmental system of the 1975 treaty should be jettisoned and a supranational system adopted.[5] The aftermath of the report was the Revised Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States of 1993,6 which attempted to turn ECOWAS into a supranational institution. This article discusses the issue of the supranational status of ECOWAS. Part five examines whether or not ECOWAS can really become a supranational entity, and the conclusion is given in part six
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
